The A22 toll system is the single most confusing thing about renting a car in the Algarve — here’s the simple version. Every year, thousands of tourists drive off the Faro Airport car park, merge onto the A22 motorway, and unknowingly rack up fines. There are no barriers, no booths, no signs telling you to stop and pay. The road looks free. It is not.

I have driven the A22 with Via Verde, with EASYtoll, with CTT post-payment, and — once, by accident — with nothing at all. That last one cost me €75 in fines plus a €30 admin fee from the rental company. It is a mistake you only make once, and this guide exists so you don’t have to make it at all.

For the full picture on choosing a rental company, see our Faro Airport car rental comparison.

How the Electronic Toll System Works

The A22, officially called the Via do Infante, runs the entire length of the Algarve from the Spanish border near Vila Real de Santo António in the east to Lagos in the west. It was built as a SCUT road — an acronym for “Sem Custos para o Utilizador” (No Cost to the User). For years it really was free. Then in 2011, the government introduced electronic tolls to pay for infrastructure debt, and the confusion began.

Instead of installing traditional toll booths, they mounted overhead gantries at intervals along the motorway. These gantries photograph your licence plate as you pass underneath. If your plate is linked to a valid payment method — a transponder, a registered card, or a post-payment arrangement — the toll is charged automatically. If it is not linked to anything, you receive a fine in the post.

The problem for tourists is that there is no physical indication that you owe money. No gate drops, no light turns red. You drive through at 120 km/h and nothing happens — until weeks later when the rental company emails you about the charges. By then it is too late to fix cheaply.

Between Faro and Lagos, you will pass through roughly 6 to 8 gantries depending on which exits you use. Each gantry registers a separate toll, and each missed payment becomes a separate fine. A single Faro-to-Lagos trip without a transponder can generate over €150 in penalties before admin fees.

The alternative to the A22 is the EN125, the old national road that runs parallel along the coast. It is free but passes through every town, every roundabout, and every traffic light between Faro and Lagos. In summer, the EN125 adds 30 to 60 minutes to the journey and is statistically more dangerous due to higher traffic density and mixed-use road conditions. The A22 exists for good reason — just make sure you pay for it.

Your 4 Options

There are exactly four ways to handle A22 tolls. I have used three of them personally and seen the consequences of the fourth. Here is each one ranked from best to worst.

Which Rental Companies Include Via Verde?

Not all companies handle Via Verde the same way. Some include the transponder automatically, others require you to ask, and a few don’t offer it at all. Here is the current situation as of early 2026.

If Via Verde matters to you — and it should — this is another reason to book with a reputable company rather than the cheapest headline price. Our full rental company ranking weighs this alongside deposits, queue times, and insurance practices. Goldcar’s lack of Via Verde support is a genuine inconvenience that offsets their lower daily rate.

A22 Toll Costs

Toll prices on the A22 are distance-based. The further you drive, the more gantries you pass. Here are the most common routes tourists take, with approximate one-way costs as of early 2026.

Note: Prices are approximate and may change. The A22 does not reach Sagres — the toll covers Faro to Lagos, after which you continue on the EN125 for the final stretch to Sagres and the southwest coast.

For a typical week-long holiday based in Albufeira with day trips to Lagos and Faro, expect to spend roughly €30 to €50 in total toll charges. Add the Via Verde daily fee (around €13 for a week) and your total toll cost for the holiday is under €65. Compare that to the potential €300+ in fines for driving without a transponder and the decision is obvious.

What If You Already Drove Without a Transponder?

Don’t panic. You have a window to fix this, but it is narrow.

Go to a CTT post office with your rental agreement and the car’s licence plate number. You can pay the outstanding toll charges within 5 business days of each journey. The staff will look up the charges registered against the plate and you pay at the counter. No fine, no penalty — just the standard toll amount.

After 5 business days, the window closes. The charges convert into fines and are issued to the vehicle’s registered owner — the rental company. The company pays the fines, then charges your credit card for the full amount plus an administration fee. This admin fee varies but typically runs €15 to €30 per infraction, not per trip. Since each gantry counts as a separate infraction, a single Faro-to-Lagos drive could generate 6 to 8 separate admin charges on top of the fines.

If you realise the mistake on the same day, you can also register for EASYtoll at the airport kiosk retroactively — it sometimes picks up same-day charges, though this is not guaranteed. Your safest option is the CTT post office within the 5-day window.

Should You Just Avoid the A22?

This is a fair question, and some visitors do choose to skip the A22 entirely. The EN125 runs roughly parallel to it, connecting all the main Algarve towns from Vila Real de Santo António to Lagos along the coast. It is completely free.

The trade-off is time and comfort. The EN125 passes through the centre of every town — Olhão, Faro, Loulé, Albufeira, Lagoa, Portimão, Lagos — with traffic lights, roundabouts, pedestrian crossings, and the kind of stop-start driving that turns a 50-minute A22 cruise into a 90-minute crawl. In July and August, with peak tourist traffic, the EN125 between Albufeira and Portimão can be genuinely slow.

There is also a safety consideration. The EN125 has historically been one of Portugal’s most dangerous roads due to mixed traffic — trucks, mopeds, tractors, and tourists unfamiliar with Portuguese driving habits all sharing a two-lane road. Improvements have been made, but it remains statistically riskier than the A22.

My recommendation: use the A22 for any journey over 20 minutes. For short hops — say Albufeira to Carvoeiro, or Faro to Olhão — the EN125 is fine and often faster since you avoid the A22 on-ramp and off-ramp detours. For anything involving Lagos, Portimão, or Sagres from the central or eastern Algarve, the A22 saves real time and stress. The toll costs are modest, and with Via Verde activated, you won’t even notice them.

In winter, with less traffic, the EN125 becomes more viable. The road is quieter, the towns are pleasant to drive through, and you get a better feel for the Algarve than the motorway provides. If you’re visiting in November or February and enjoy driving the Algarve at a slower pace, the EN125 is actually the more scenic and rewarding route.

For the complete lowdown on roads, itineraries, and parking, see our driving the Algarve guide. And if you’re considering an electric vehicle for your trip, the EV road trip guide covers charging stations along both the A22 and EN125 corridors.