Driving in Croatia: tolls and the 2027 change

If you have driven in Slovenia, Austria or Switzerland you will be looking for a sticker to buy at the border. In Croatia there is nothing to buy in advance. The motorways run a distance-based toll: on most of the network you take a ticket at the entry plaza, keep it somewhere you will not lose it, and hand it in at the exit, where the toll is calculated from the two points and your vehicle category. Some shorter stretches use a single plaza that is both entry and exit, where you simply pay as you pass.

At the booth you can pay with euro cash, since Croatia has been on the euro since 2023, with a card, or with an ENC electronic device. Tariffs are VAT inclusive, and vehicle category depends on height and axles, which matters if you have rented something tall or fitted a roof box, since that can move you into a higher band. As a sense of scale, a full Zagreb to Split run is roughly 30 euros for an ordinary car as of 2026. Rates are revised periodically, so price your actual route on the motorway operator's own calculator rather than trusting a figure from a blog.

The network is not one company. Hrvatske autoceste (HAC) runs most of it, including the A1 down the Dalmatian coast, while Bina Istra operates the Istrian motorways, AZM the A2 towards Slovenia and ARZ the Zagreb to Rijeka corridor. The practical effect is that a multi-leg trip pays each operator separately, so Istria to Split can mean more than one toll transaction, and some tunnels are charged on their own. Budget for the total route rather than a single number.

The ENC device is optional for cars. It gives you the electronic lanes and a discount, but the size of the discount depends on the account type and it needs registration and a deposit, so it earns its keep on a long or repeated trip rather than a week's holiday. Most rental cars do not come with one, so assume you are paying at the booth. Looking ahead: Croatia is replacing the barriers with a nationwide free-flow system, read from number plates and devices, currently scheduled for 1 March 2027. Timelines here have moved before, and through 2026 the ticket-and-booth system is what you will meet, so check the current position if you are planning a 2027 drive.

Three costs sit outside the toll booth. Ferries to the islands are separate and, at smaller ports, cash is the easy way to pay. Parking in the coastal towns is metered and often wants coins, which is one of the reasons to keep euros on you here. And the coastal road, the old Adriatic Highway, is toll-free and beautiful and much slower than the motorway, which makes the toll a genuine choice rather than a tax: on a long transfer day the motorway usually wins, on a scenic day it does not.

If your route crosses a border, plan it before you collect the car. Taking a rental into Bosnia and Herzegovina or Montenegro normally requires the rental company's permission and additional cross-border cover, arranged in advance and usually for a fee, and the paperwork is checked at the frontier. Note that the Peljesac Bridge now carries the coastal route past the Bosnian corridor, so the Dubrovnik drive no longer requires those two crossings at all. Finally, carry an International Driving Permit with your US license: it is the standardised translation, cheap, valid for a year, and only obtainable in the US before you travel. Camera-caught fines reach you later through the rental company with an admin fee. This guide is written for US travelers departing the US. For more, see cash or card in Croatia, taxis and apps in Croatia, and the Croatia money guide.

Common questions

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• Taxis in Croatia, and the apps to useIn Croatia the ride apps are usually cheaper than a traditional taxi, especially on the coast in summer. Install Uber and Bolt, take an airport shuttle where it makes sense, and round up to tip. Here is how it works.
• Tipping in CroatiaCroatia has a modest tipping culture. Staff earn a wage, tips are appreciated rather than expected, and since 2023 you tip in euros, not the old kuna. Here is what you actually owe.
• Do I need cash in Croatia, or can I use cards?Short answer: a card for most things, a little euro cash for the rest. The big update: Croatia switched to the euro in 2023, so any older advice about the kuna is out of date. Here is how to handle it.
• Bringing your dog or cat to Croatia.Croatia runs on the single EU pet-entry process for a US-origin dog or cat: microchip, rabies in the right order, and an EU health certificate on a 10-day clock. No quarantine, no rabies titer. Here is what that means for Croatia, and the local parts worth knowing.