MOTORISTS using the AP-7 toll highway once again have to fork out as peak summer tariffs kick in today, sending prices skyrocketing by more than 68%.
The controversial high-season price surge means standard cars moving along the coastal road will see single-trip fees jump immediately from a low-season baseline of €11.60 up to €19.55.
The immediate price spike has sparked a furious political row on the Costa del Sol.
Malaga PP President Patricia Navarro launched a blistering attack on the central government after the special summer rate went live on June 1.
“Users who regularly use the Malaga–San Pedro de Alcantara–Estepona/Guadiaro stretch will go from paying €11 to €19 for the full journey,” Navarro warned.
The prominent local politician branded the seasonal rate change an ‘infernal increase’ and declared the coastal highway the most expensive toll road in the entire country.
Navarro claimed that the peak summer pricing will bleed an extraordinary €35 million directly from the pockets of regular road users and Costa del Sol residents over the next four months.
“We cannot allow the people of Malaga to continue to be the ones who pay the most when it comes to tolls,” Navarro said, vowing to keep demanding solutions from the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility.
The swingeing summer penalty hits three major toll barriers along the Mediterranean artery, hitting key expat commuter zones.
The stretch between Malaga and Marbella at the Calahonda plaza has jumped from €5.70 to €9.25 today.
Drivers passing between Estepona and Marbella at the San Pedro barrier will see fees climb from €3.85 to €6.25.
The final southern sector between Guadiaro and Estepona at the Manilva plaza has risen from €2.45 to €4.05 for the summer months.
The peak summer tariff is scheduled to remain in place until September 30.
But the seasonal spike complicates a deeper financial squeeze that hit motorists earlier this year.
On January 1, the central government authorised a baseline rate increase of 3.64% across state-concession toll roads, including the AP-7 managed by concessionaire Ausol.
The inland AP-46 highway between Malaga and Antequera also saw its baseline increased by 4.68%, pushing its own high-season summer tariff up to €6.60.
The baseline increases outpace general inflation because authorities are clawing back revenue lost during the energy crisis, when a strict 4% cap on toll increases was enforced.
Ministry officials are currently recovering those deferred costs directly from drivers in staggered increments that will run through to the end of December.
Regular commuters can avoid the severe summer price penalties if they are registered electronic payment users, as motorists utilizing systems like Via T maintain low-season base rates and can access volume discounts of up to 50%.
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