Costa del Sol toll summer price hike ends today: Outrage as govt rakes in €30m from ‘most expensive highway in Spain’

THE controversial summer price surge on the Costa del Sol’s AP-7 toll road ends today (September 30). 

It will mark a four-month summer season in which the Spanish government has pocketed a staggering €30 million from drivers using what critics call ‘the most expensive highway in Spain.’

The Popular Party (PP) has slammed Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s administration for failing to reduce tolls by ‘a single euro’ despite raking in millions from the route that thousands of British expats and residents rely on daily.

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The 62% price hike, which ran from June 1 to September 30, has left commuters and business owners furious as the government cashes in while other regions across Spain enjoy discounts or toll-free motorways.

PP vice-secretary and Andalucian parliamentarian Francisco Oblare blasted the Socialist government for breaking promises made over a year ago to introduce discounts on the stretch connecting Calahonda with Guadiaro.

“In July 2024, the Secretary of State for Transport committed to establishing rebates for this section,” Oblare said. 

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“Fourteen months later, we’re still waiting while drivers continue to pay through the nose.”

The AP-7 toll road has become a political hot potato on the coast, where residents face a daily dilemma to either pay extortionate toll charges or sit in gridlocked traffic on the free A-7 coastal road.

The Finance Ministry collects €30 million annually in taxes from AP-7 users alone, making it the most expensive toll road per kilometre in the entire country.

Oblare accused the central government of ‘comparative grievance,’ pointing out that Galicia, Valencia, the Basque Country and Catalonia have all secured toll reductions or complete liberalizations of their motorways.

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“Why should workers and students on the Costa del Sol continue to suffer while other regions get relief?” he demanded. 

“The A-7 remains completely collapsed while the government does nothing except count the money rolling in from the toll.”

The PP politician also criticised the Transport Ministry’s series of meetings supposedly aimed at addressing Costa del Sol mobility issues, calling them a complete waste of time that has produced zero concrete action.

The party has now called on Malaga’s PSOE representatives to pressure their own government to follow the model of other autonomous communities and either slash prices or scrap the tolls entirely.

The summer surge pricing period officially ends today, with tolls reverting to standard rates – though these remain significantly higher than comparable roads elsewhere in Spain.

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