Driving abroad in a rental car: vignettes and rules

Your Careta rental already includes the Austrian vignette and the German environmental sticker (Umweltplakette) — both are already on the car. Planning to cross a border? Tell us your route countries when booking — even neighbouring ones — and we'll prepare everything in advance.

Austria — vignette already included

The vignette on the car covers all normal motorways (Autobahn) and expressways (Schnellstraße) in Austria. Only the special alpine sections are paid separately — the Brenner, Tauern, Arlberg, Karawanken and other tunnels (see the article "Austrian toll routes — Streckenmaut").

Neighbouring countries: who pays how

Vignette countries. Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. To use the motorways you need a local vignette — buy it in advance (many countries offer a digital e-vignette that takes a couple of minutes online). A note on Germany: motorways are free for cars, and the environmental sticker for entering city "green zones" is already on the rental car.

Pay-per-drive countries. Italy and Croatia. No vignette — you pay at the toll gates for the distance driven, by card or cash, right on the spot.

Beyond the neighbouring countries — on request

Trips to countries beyond Austria's neighbours are possible, but they must be agreed when booking. Please discuss your route with us in advance — that way we can confirm the trip is allowed for your specific rental and prepare the necessary documents and vignettes.

Three simple rules

All vignettes in advance. No queues at border shops and no risk of buying the wrong one. Where possible, get digital vignettes online before you leave.
Name every country. List each country on your route when booking — including transit and neighbouring ones — so the car is fully prepared.
Far-away countries — on request. Just ask, and we'll confirm what's possible for your dates.