Poland e-TOLL 2026: Truck Toll System Guide
Poland's e-TOLL system underwent major changes in early 2026 — two rate increases within two months and a significant network expansion. For freight forwarders operating on the key East-West transit corridors through Poland, understanding the new rates is critical for accurate quoting and margin protection.
This guide covers the complete e-TOLL system as of February 2026, including the dramatic 40-42% rate hike.
What is e-TOLL?
e-TOLL is Poland's electronic toll system for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, replacing the former viaTOLL system. It is operated by the National Revenue Administration (KAS) and covers motorways, expressways, and selected national roads across Poland.
The system uses GPS-based geolocation — either through an OBU (On-Board Unit), ZSL (External Localisation System), or the e-TOLL PL mobile app — to track routes and calculate tolls automatically.
How GPS-Based Tolling Works — and Why It Matters
Unlike gantry-based systems in some other European countries, e-TOLL has no physical toll transaction points for heavy vehicles. Your location device continuously transmits position data, the system matches the recorded track against the map of tolled sections, and each matched section is charged. Consequences:
- The device must be alive for the whole journey. If it is off, out of battery, or without data coverage, no toll is recorded — and an unrecorded toll counts against you, because enforcement cameras still see the vehicle on the tolled section.
- The burden of proof sits with the carrier. Treat device health as part of the pre-departure routine: app running, location services on, battery charged, mobile data active.
- Route knowledge equals cost knowledge. Knowing a trip's toll cost in advance means knowing which sections of the route are in the tolled network — which changed materially with the February 2026 expansion.
One more distinction: selected concession-operated motorway sections are tolled separately by their private operators, outside e-TOLL. That charge comes on top of anything e-TOLL collects — verify how each motorway segment is tolled before quoting.
2026 Rate Timeline
Poland applied two consecutive rate increases in early 2026:
- 1 January 2026 — rates increased by 4% to 6.6% depending on vehicle category (inflation adjustment)
- 1 February 2026 — rates increased by an additional 40-42% for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, plus 645 km of new roads added to the tolled network
Current Rates (Effective 1 February 2026)
Motorways and Expressways (A and S Roads)
| Weight Class | EURO 0-II | EURO III | EURO IV | EURO V-VI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 - 12 tonnes | ~PLN 0.85 | ~PLN 0.73 | ~PLN 0.61 | ~PLN 0.44 |
| Over 12 tonnes | ~PLN 1.13 | ~PLN 0.97 | ~PLN 0.79 | ~PLN 0.56 |
National Roads (GP and G Roads)
| Weight Class | EURO 0-II | EURO III | EURO IV | EURO V-VI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 - 12 tonnes | ~PLN 0.69 | ~PLN 0.61 | ~PLN 0.49 | ~PLN 0.35 |
| Over 12 tonnes | ~PLN 0.87 | ~PLN 0.79 | ~PLN 0.63 | ~PLN 0.45 |
Buses (over 9 seats): Same rates as the 3.5-12 tonne category.
How to Read the Tables
Two dimensions decide your rate. The weight class refers to the permissible maximum weight of the vehicle or combination — a tractor with a semi-trailer falls into the over-12-tonne band even if today's cargo is light. The EURO class is the emission standard documented in the vehicle's registration paperwork. Road category also matters: the same vehicle pays a different rate on an A/S road than on a tolled GP/G national road, so a mixed route must be costed section by section.
Make sure the emission class registered in e-TOLL matches the vehicle's documents — a wrong declaration means either overpaying every kilometre or risking a fine for incorrect vehicle category data.
Practical Example
A 40-tonne EURO VI truck travelling 500 km on the A2 motorway (Swiecko to Warsaw):
- Rate: ~PLN 0.56/km
- Total toll: approximately PLN 280 (approx. EUR 65)
Tolled Road Network
As of February 2026, the e-TOLL network covers approximately 5,869 km, including:
- All motorways (A-roads): A1, A2, A4, A6, A8, A18
- All expressways (S-roads): S1, S2, S3, S5, S6, S7, S8, S11, S14, S17, S19, S22, S51, S61
- Selected national roads (GP/G class)
The February 2026 expansion added approximately 645 km of additional road sections.
The expansion is easy to underestimate. Routes planners have treated as "free" for years — particularly national-road alternatives to motorway sections — may now sit inside the tolled network. Re-verify saved route templates, rate cards, and standing quotes built on the old network map; a detour road may no longer be a cost-free choice.
Registration Process (Step by Step)
- Create an Online Customer Account (OCA) at etoll.gov.pl
- Gather documents — vehicle registration certificate, emission class proof, company registration documents
- Choose your location device:
- e-TOLL PL mobile app — free, flexible, can be transferred between vehicles. Best for occasional trips
- OBU (On-Board Unit) — physical device purchased from approved operators. Best for regular operations
- ZSL (External Localisation System) — permanently installed device. Best for fleets
- Register your vehicle in the e-TOLL system — assign it to your chosen device
- Choose payment method — prepaid or postpaid
- Activate the device in your OCA and begin tolled journeys
Choosing the Right Device — a Decision Guide
- Mobile app: zero hardware cost and maximum flexibility, but it inherits every smartphone weakness — battery drain, coverage gaps, drivers closing the app mid-journey. Right for occasional transits with a disciplined pre-trip check; a poor fit for a vehicle running Polish corridors daily.
- OBU: a dedicated device that removes the smartphone failure modes; for regular Polish operations the reliability gain typically outweighs the hardware cost. Carriers already using a multi-country tolling device may be able to cover Poland through the same operator.
- ZSL: a permanently installed unit, usually integrated with fleet telematics — the right answer at fleet scale.
A pragmatic pattern for mixed operations: dedicated hardware in vehicles that run Poland regularly, the mobile app as a documented fallback.
Payment Methods
Prepaid
- Top up via payment cards, fleet cards, BLIK, PayByLink, cash at Customer Service Facilities (MOK), or bank transfer
- Tolls are deducted from your balance in real-time
- Good for budget control and occasional users
Postpaid (with collateral)
- Monthly invoicing via debit notes
- Requires security deposit: cash, bank guarantee, or third-party surety
- Greater flexibility for high-volume operations
- Debit notes issued within 7 business days of month-end
Prepaid gives hard budget control but adds a balance to monitor — and an empty balance mid-journey is a violation, not a payment plan. Postpaid removes that risk and produces clean monthly documentation, at the price of collateral up front. Frequent Polish operations almost always justify postpaid; occasional transits usually do not.
Step by Step: Quoting a Route Through Poland
- Map the route against the current tolled network — which sections are tolled A/S roads, which are tolled GP/G national roads, whether any separately-charged concession sections are involved.
- Pick the correct rate per section type — weight class of the full combination plus EURO class, from the matching table.
- Multiply and sum per section — as in the A2 example; a mixed route is the sum of its differently-rated parts.
- Sanity-check against current rates at etoll.gov.pl — with two increases in two months, any figure older than your last verification is suspect.
- Note the assumptions on the quote — vehicle class, route, date of the rate check — so when rates move again you know which standing quotes need repricing.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Quoting from 2025 rate cards — the single most expensive error this year.
- Forgetting to reassign the mobile app between vehicles — the app must be assigned to the vehicle actually driving.
- Starting a journey with a low phone battery or no data plan — a dead device on a tolled section is treated as non-payment.
- Assuming a familiar national road is still free — the expansion moved previously untolled sections into the system.
- Letting a prepaid balance run out mid-corridor — set low-balance alerts in the OCA.
- Registering the wrong emission class — you either overpay per kilometre or risk a fine for incorrect category data.
Penalties for Non-Payment
| Violation | Fine (PLN) |
|---|---|
| Non-payment of toll | PLN 1,500 |
| Incorrect vehicle category data | PLN 1,500 |
| Failure to register vehicle | PLN 1,500 |
| Improper device usage | PLN 250 - 1,500 |
Enforcement is conducted via automatic license plate recognition cameras and mobile inspection units.
Because enforcement compares camera sightings with transmitted location data, violations are detected after the fact and can accumulate silently — a device problem unnoticed for a full transit produces a paper trail, not one fine. The pre-departure device check and low-balance alerts are the cheapest insurance in this system.
Tips for Freight Forwarders
- Update your quotes immediately — The February 2026 increase of 40-42% is massive. If you are still quoting based on 2025 rates, you are losing money on every Polish transit
- Use the e-TOLL PL app for flexibility — Free to download, works on any smartphone, can be reassigned between vehicles
- Monitor your prepaid balance — If your account runs dry mid-journey, you risk a PLN 1,500 fine. Set up low-balance alerts in your OCA
- Factor in the network expansion — 645 km of newly tolled roads means previously free routes may now carry charges. Verify before quoting
- EURO class matters — The difference between EURO III and EURO VI on a 500 km motorway run is approximately PLN 100. Newer trucks save real money
Estimate toll costs on this route with NSRoute — free.
FAQ
Can I use the e-TOLL PL mobile app instead of buying an OBU?
Yes. The e-TOLL PL mobile app is a fully valid location device. It is free to use and can be transferred between vehicles (reassign in your OCA before each trip). It is the most flexible option for carriers who transit Poland occasionally.
What happens if the mobile app loses GPS signal during a tolled journey?
If the app or device fails to transmit location data and the toll is not recorded, you are still liable. The enforcement cameras will detect your vehicle and you may receive a penalty notice. Ensure your device has a stable GPS signal and mobile data connection before entering tolled roads.
Are the January and February rate increases cumulative?
Yes. The January 2026 increase (4-6.6%) was applied first, and the February 2026 increase (40-42%) was applied on top of the new January rates. The total effective increase from December 2025 rates is approximately 45-50%.
Does the toll depend on the actual cargo weight?
No. The rate depends on the permissible maximum weight class of the vehicle or combination and its EURO class — not on what is loaded on a given day. A combination in the over-12-tonne band pays the same per-km rate empty or loaded.
What should a driver do if the device fails mid-journey?
Leave the tolled section at the nearest reasonable opportunity or restore the device to working order — restart the app, restore data connectivity, switch to a registered backup device — before continuing on tolled roads. Then document what happened (times, locations, cause) so the company can respond if a penalty notice arrives.
Last updated: April 2026. Toll rates change frequently. Always verify current rates with e-TOLL.