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Austria’s familiar motorway vignette sticker, a colorful fixture on vehicle windshields for nearly three decades, will disappear from sale from 2027 as the country completes its transition to a fully digital toll system.
While many motorists may not miss the annual task of carefully attaching the sticker and scraping it off a year later, the vignette’s changing colors had become a recognizable tradition. Over the years, motorists saw shades ranging from lemon yellow in 2019 and apricot in 2022 to sea green in 2026.
That tradition is now coming to an end. From 2027, only the digital vignette will be available for Austria’s motorways and expressways.
“For many of our customers, it has long since become the standard option,” said ASFINAG Managing Director Jacqueline Erhart. The shift reflects changing consumer habits, with 83% of all vignettes purchased for 2026 already sold online. Since the introduction of the digital vignette in 2017, demand for the adhesive version has steadily declined.
The motorway vignette was first introduced in 1997 after the Austrian government approved road usage fees as part of a cost-saving package in 1996. At the time, an annual passenger car vignette cost 550 Austrian schillings, equivalent to around €40.
By 2026, the annual fee had risen to €106.80. Motorists will face another increase next year, with the price set to reach €108.90 from January 1, 2027. ASFINAG noted on Monday that the adjustment remains “well below the current rate of inflation.”
Despite the end of the sticker, motorists will still be able to purchase the digital vignette through ASFINAG’s online toll shop, as well as at tobacco shops and filling stations across the country.
Warning Over Phishing Emails
ASFINAG also issued a warning about what it described as a significant phishing campaign targeting motorists.
According to the company, fraudsters are sending emails that falsely appear to originate from ASFINAG and claim that recipients have outstanding payments due. The messages contain links designed to steal personal or financial information.
The motorway operator urged customers to remain cautious, avoid clicking on suspicious links, and verify any payment requests through official ASFINAG channels.
The move to a fully digital vignette marks the end of an era for Austrian drivers, replacing a windshield tradition that has been part of everyday motoring since the late 1990s.
- source: kurier.at/picture: asfinag.at
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