Driving in Portugal: Tolls, Rules and the Scam to Avoid

Portugal drives well: motorways are modern, signage follows European convention, and distances are short — Lisbon to Faro in 2½ hours, Lisbon to Porto in 3. The friction points are tolls and parking, and one specific rental trap worth knowing before you arrive.

The toll system

• Classic toll plazas: pay cash/card at the gates (A1 Lisbon–Porto, A2 to the Algarve, most of the north)
• Electronic-only motorways (SCUT conversions, mainly around Porto and the Algarve interior): no plazas — cameras read a transponder
• Rental cars: order the transponder (Via Verde) with the car — the clean solution; tolls bill to your rental agreement
• The trap: third-party “toll service” websites that overcharge for unpaid tolls — pay only through official channels (Via Verde, CTT, easytoll)

Rules and practicalities

Speed limits: 120/90/50 motorway/rural/town; alcohol limit 0.5 g/l (0.2 for novices) — and enforcement is real. Park in guarded or marked zones; blue-line zones take payment at machines. Fuel runs €1.65–1.80/litre (2026); EV charging networks expand fast along the coasts. Outside cities, roundabouts outnumber traffic lights — yield to the left.