Driving in Portugal: complete guide for visitors

Most Portuguese motorways are tolled. There are two distinct systems and they look quite different on the road.

Traditional motorways with toll booths

Examples: A1 Lisbon — Porto, A2 Lisbon — Algarve. You enter and exit through physical booths. Three lane types at the booth:

• Green V (Via Verde) — exclusively for vehicles with the Via Verde electronic tag (OBU). Do NOT enter unless your car has one. Most rental cars do include one — check.
• Yellow — accepts cash, Visa, MasterCard. Use this if you don't have Via Verde.
• Blue — automated card-only lane (no cash). Faster than yellow when there's a queue.

SCUTs — electronic-only motorways (no booths)

Examples: A22 Algarve, A23 Beira Interior, A24, A25, A28 Porto — Viana, A29 Aveiro — Maia. These have no barriers; gantries with cameras read licence plates and electronic tags. If you drive through one without a tag and don't pay within 5 working days, you get fined by mail at your home country address.

EasyToll for visitors

1. At one of five border-crossing EasyToll machines (Vilar Formoso, Caia, Vila Verde da Raia, Castro Marim, or Vila Real de Santo António), insert your credit card.
2. Your number plate is associated with the card for 30 days.
3. Drive through any SCUT freely — passages are charged automatically to the card.
4. You receive a receipt by email.
5. If you didn't use EasyToll and have driven on a SCUT, pay manually within 5 working days at CTT post offices, Pago Aqui shops (in Continente / Pingo Doce supermarkets), or via portugaltolls.com.

• 112 — European single emergency number. Works from any mobile, no SIM required. Connects to police / fire / medical / sea rescue.
• GNR Brigada de Trânsito — patrols motorways and main roads outside cities. Will arrive on accident calls relayed through 112.
• INEM — emergency medical service. Dispatched automatically through 112 when needed.
• SOS columns — orange/yellow phone columns every 2 km on motorways. Free, connect directly to the motorway concessionaire's control centre with your exact location.
• Roadside assistance — number printed on rental car keys or in the glove box; included with the rental in most cases.

Portugal uses European-style roundabouts (counter-clockwise — keep right). Right of way always goes to vehicles already inside the roundabout — you give way as you approach.

• Use the outer (right-most) lane if you're leaving at the first or second exit.
• Use an inner lane if you're going further around (three-quarters or more of the roundabout).
• Always signal with your right indicator just before leaving the roundabout.
• At multi-lane roundabouts, watch for unmarked lane changes — they happen often.
• Some roundabouts in Portuguese cities (notably the Praça do Marquês de Pombal in Lisbon) have non-standard rules signed on entry — slow down and read.

• Most city centres use paid zones with metered parking. Pay at the meter or via apps (EMEL in Lisbon, GoPorto in Porto, Tellme nationally).
• Blue lines on the kerb = paid parking. White lines = often free but often residents-only on weekday daytimes — read the signs.
• Yellow lines = no parking. Red lines = no stopping at all.
• Park & Ride at Metro / suburban train end-stations is cheap or free; ideal for visiting Lisbon or Porto centre.
• Tow trucks are aggressive in central Lisbon and Porto. Recovery fee starts at € 60 plus the fine.

• Petrol grades: 95 (sem chumbo, unleaded standard) and 98. Diesel: gasóleo.
• Self-service is the norm at large brands (Galp, BP, Repsol, Cepsa). Some stations are still attended.
• Pay at the cashier in the shop ("a bomba número X") — most accept Visa / MasterCard / Apple Pay / Google Pay.
• Prices are displayed at the roadside. Highway service stations are typically 3 — 6 % more expensive than supermarket-attached stations (Continente, Pingo Doce, Auchan).
• EV charging — the Mobi.E network covers most of the country. Many stations support contactless cards directly; otherwise install Mobi.E or operator-specific apps (EDP Comercial, Galp Electric, Repsol).

• Both cities have steep, narrow medieval streets in the historic centres (Alfama, Mouraria, Bairro Alto in Lisbon; Ribeira, Sé, Vitória in Porto). Many are one-way and some are too narrow for modern cars.
• Trams run on rails in the streets — give way and don't park on the tracks.
• Driving styles inside the cities can feel aggressive — short lane changes, late braking, frequent honking. Stay calm and follow your route.
• Most visitors find it easier to use Uber / Bolt within the cities and pick up the rental car only when leaving for road trips.
• There's no congestion charge or low-emission zone you need to register for as a visitor (though Lisbon has a small ZER zone in the Baixa for very old vehicles).