Three of Spain's most expensive toll road sections are in Malaga and on the Costa del Sol: this is where they are

Three of the most expensive toll sections in Spain are in the province of Malaga. This is what emerges from the report published this Thursday by Automovilistas Europeos Asociados (AEA, the European association of motorists), when the cost per kilometre is taken as the measure.

The report, which pointed out that the price to be paid for using toll motorways in Spain varies significantly depending on location, date and time of journey and even the method of payment, identified the Artxanda tunnels (Bilbao) as the most expensive stretch of road in Spain. There the toll is 1.50 euros, but being just three kilometres long, it works out as 50 cents per kilometre. Next comes the Cadi tunnel, in the Catalan pre-Pyrenees, which costs 14.16 euros and, given that it is 29.7 kilometres long, that means 47 cents per kilometre. Then there is the Vallvidrera tunnel (5.13 or 4.56 euros, depending on whether it is rush hour or normal times for its 16.7 kilometres, which works out at 0.3 or 0.27 euros per kilometre). For the C-16 between Sant Cugat and Manresa, the fare is 12.58 or 7.35 euros, depending on whether or not it is paid electronically for its 43.1 kilometres, so that is 30 or 27 cents per kilometre). Last in the top five is the section of the C-32 between Castelldefels and Vendrell, 13.08 euros for 56.3 kilometres, so 23 cents per kilometre.

These five tolls are therefore more expensive than the most expensive in Malaga and the rest of Andalucía, according to AEA's study. The toll linking Alto Pedrizas with Malaga on the AP-46 costs 6.30 or 4.15 euros, depending on whether it is high or low season. As it is over 28.03 kilometres long, the cost per kilometre is 0.22 or 0.14 euros, depending on the time of year.

After this stretch of road, the second most expensive in the Costa del Sol province is the AP-7 from Malaga city to Estepona. Depending on the time of year, it costs either 14.95 or 9.20 euros for a distance of 82 kilometres. This means that per kilometre it comes to 0.18 or 0.11 euros depending on whether it is high or low season. The AEA report points out that, in this case, the high season surcharge exceeds 62.5% of the normal rate. Meanwhile, the AP-7 from Alicante to Cartagena costs 76.3% more from June to September and over Easter than the rest of the year, as the price jumps from 0.07 euros per kilometre to 12 cents per kilometre for a distance of 76.6 kilometres. So, depending on the time of year, the price is 5.50 or 9.70 euros.

In any case, there are other calculations indicating that this section of the AP-7 comes off worse in the national ranking, as they only take into consideration the 55 kilometres of newly built road, so it would be more expensive, at around 27 cents per kilometre. Therefore, according to those who use this other equation to calculate toll costs, it would be the most expensive motorway in Spain, with the exception of those that run through tunnels.

The next most expensive toll in Malaga and the 14th most expensive in the whole of Spain behind all the above and also behind two stretches in Madrid (Alcobendas and Barajas), is the stretch of the AP-7 that runs between Estepona and Guadiaro. Here too the price depends on the time of year and so, depending on whether it is high or low season, it costs 3.90 or 2.40 euros for its 22 kilometres, meaning it costs 0.17 or 0.10 euros per kilometre. This is a similar price to that charged on the AP-61 between Segovia and San Rafael, although this toll depends on the time of day, whether it is peak, normal or off-peak, and varies between 0.17 and 0.06 euros per kilometre.

In contrast, the cheapest toll is the one to be paid between Puxeiros and Baiona, in Pontevedra (25.2 kilometres). It costs just 0.06 euros per kilometre, which means a total charge of 1.75 euros. Next, there is another section that runs through Galicia, the one from A Coruña to Carballo, which costs 0.07 euros per kilometre or 2.60 euros total for 32.6 kilometres.

There are also a handful of toll roads that are free at night, or rather between midnight and 6am. They are the ones rescued by the state from private companies: the AP-7 between Cartagena and Vera and the Alicante ring road, the R-2 between Madrid and Guadalajara, the R-3 between Madrid and Arganda, the R-4 between Madrid and Toledo, the R-5 between the Spanish capital and Navalcarnero, the M-12 at Barajas Airport, among others. They also allow you to save money if paid electronically.