Barcelona motorway tolls on key routes will rise by nearly 3% from January 2026.
The Generalitat of Catalonia has confirmed increases for the C-32, C-16, and the Vallvidrera and Cadí tunnels, linking the hikes directly to October’s inflation rate of 3.1% and a traffic-based correction factor.
Consequently, no toll will exceed the Consumer Price Index.
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The precise increases are 2.84% for the C-32 between Castelldefels and El Vendrell, 2.82% for the Cadí Tunnel, 2.99% for the Vallvidrera Tunnels, and 2.96% for the C-16 between Sant Cugat and Manresa.
Government Aims Behind Barcelona Motorway Tolls
The government emphasises it subsidises around €55 million annually in discounts and rebates for these routes. These benefits target “obligatory mobility” journeys, meaning regular Monday-to-Friday commutes for work or study. Furthermore, discounts exist for high-occupancy vehicles and those with ECO environmental labels.
The official directive is to advance decarbonised mobility and apply European ‘user pays’ and ‘polluter pays’ principles. Road traffic currently generates 40% of Catalonia’s CO₂ emissions. Therefore, the policy aims to encourage more efficient behaviours and study new ways to discourage private car use in favour of public transport.
In line with this, Mobility Secretary Manel Nadal has recently discussed proposals for a vignette system to charge vehicles using motorways. The revenue would help fund the substantial investment required for a reliable public transport network across the territory.
The toll announcement coincided with infrastructure company Abertis acquiring 100% ownership of Túnels de Barcelona i Cadí. This purchase of the remaining 49.99% from Crédit Agricole Assurances gives Abertis full control of this key connectivity asset, whose concession runs until 2037. The company strengthens its portfolio during a period of business reconfiguration.
These concessions, spanning over 40 kilometres, feature stable traffic and a toll-based revenue stream offering high cash flow visibility. Túnels de Barcelona i Cadí generated approximately €69 million in revenue during 2024. This financial context arrives as the city grapples with broader economic pressures, including soaring energy bills contributing to a 2.6% inflation rate.
Meanwhile, the government continues to balance infrastructure costs with other major urban investments, such as the long-awaited €82 million state library project that recently broke ground. The coming year will test how these competing financial priorities shape Barcelona’s transport landscape.
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