Winter · Alpine crossings · Brenner

Brenner Pass by Car in Winter 2026/27: Vignette, €12.50 Toll, Luegbrücke and Weekend Bans

Checked 26 October 2026 against ASFINAG, Land Tirol and Autostrada del Brennero · skynomad

The Brenner motorway runs from Innsbruck to the Italian border and on down the A22 to Verona. Winter weekends on it go wrong in predictable ways: one lane on a bridge south of Innsbruck, holiday queues at the toll plaza, and the satnav that sends you into a village where police turn you round.

Drive to Kufstein-Süd, Then You Need the Vignette

Since 15 December 2019, the A12 from the German border at Kufstein to the Kufstein-Süd junction has been vignette-free. That is a few kilometres to get off the motorway. It does not get you to the Brenner.

So buy the vignette before you leave home. 2026 is the last sticker year; from 2027 Austria sells only the digital vignette, tied to the number plate.

Watch the online two-month and annual vignettes. Bought online, they are valid only from the 18th day after purchase. For a winter holiday that starts next week, I'd buy the ten-day one at €12.80.

Pay the €12.50 A13 Toll Before the Barrier

The vignette does not cover the A13. The Brenner motorway from Innsbruck to the border charges a section toll of €12.50 one way for a car in 2026. You pay it again coming north, so €25 for the return trip.

You can pay at the toll plaza, at a machine or a staffed booth. You can also buy it in advance, at a sales outlet or online in ASFINAG's toll shop as a Digitale Streckenmaut. Bought online, the toll is tied to your plate. At the plaza, any open lane works except the GO lane, or use the lane marked in green; a camera reads the plate and the barrier lifts.

I'd buy it online with the vignette. On a Saturday in February the queue is at the cash lanes, not the green one. If you cross often, ASFINAG also sells an annual card at €75.

Expect One Lane on the Luegbrücke

The Luegbrücke, the long bridge on the A13 south of Innsbruck, is being rebuilt. Since 1 January 2025 it has run on one lane in each direction as the normal regime.

On about 180 days a year, ASFINAG opens a temporary second lane. On those days every vehicle over 3.5 tonnes, motorhomes included, must use the left lane. Cars and car-and-caravan combinations may use both.

ASFINAG publishes the days as a calendar. The 2026 one is out; the 2027 one is not yet. The first new bridge deck is due at the end of 2027 and the whole project at the end of 2030, so this will be the pattern for several winters.

On the A12 near the German border, ASFINAG also holds lorries back at Kufstein-Nord on 30 days in 2026. Cars are not dosed, but the queue of lorries can reach you.

Stay on the Motorway on Winter Weekends

When the A12 and A13 jam, navigation apps send drivers through the villages. Tyrol closes selected village and secondary roads to that through traffic.

Last winter's bans, 2025/26:

Traffic to, from and within the area is exempt. If your hotel is in the village, you may drive there. Driving through to skip the queue is what is banned. In winter 2024/25 Tyrol turned back about 250,000 vehicles.

The 2026/27 dates were not published on 26 October 2026. Tyrol's overview page lists only the summer 2026 bans so far. We'll add the winter dates when they appear.

What about the old Brenner road, the B182, to save the €12.50? I wouldn't on a winter weekend. It runs up the Wipptal, and it has seven dosing traffic lights that switch on by themselves when queues form, with red phases of about one and a half minutes. Five hold traffic heading for Italy, two heading for Innsbruck.

Carry Winter Kit Before Italy

On the Austrian side, a car may only be driven in wintry conditions between 1 November and 15 April on winter tyres on all wheels. Austria wants 4 mm of tread and accepts M+S. Chains can replace winter tyres only on a road covered in snow. The details are on winter tyres country by country.

At the border the rule changes character. Autostrada del Brennero, the A22 operator, requires winter tyres or chains on board from 15 November to 15 April, regardless of snow. A dry, sunny day in March does not exempt you.

In a hire car from Munich or Innsbruck, check what is fitted before you leave the desk: winter kit on a hire car.

Arriving in Verona or Bolzano

From the border, the A22 down to Verona Nord costs €16.80 in 2026, paid at the exit. Verona's centre is a limited-traffic zone at set hours; park outside it. Parking at either end is on ParkingInEurope: Innsbruck and Verona.