Highways in Hungary

Highways in Hungary in February 2022. Dark blue lines depicts sections in use, turquoise lines show sections under construction, while light gray represents proposed highways.

Controlled-access highways in Hungary are dual carriageways, grade separated with controlled-access, designed for high speeds. The legislation amendments defined two types of highways: motorways (Hungarian: autópálya) and expressways (Hungarian: autóút).

The main differences are that motorways have emergency lanes and the maximum allowed speed limit is 130 km/h (81 mph), while expressways may be built without them and the speed limit is 110 km/h (68 mph).

According to the Állami Autópályakezelő Zrt. ("State Motorway Management Plc."), the total length of the Hungarian motorway system was 1,646 kilometers in 2020. The construction of the Hungarian motorway system started in 1964 with M7, which finished in 1975 between Budapest and the Lake Balaton. The total length of the system reached 200 km in 1980, 500 km in 1998 and 1000 km in 2007.

The Hungarian motorway network currently comprises 13 motorways, 13 expressways, of which 18 of them are at least partially operational, and 12 (M1, M5, M7, M15, M19, M25, M30, M31, M35, M43, M51 and M70) have been completed as of October 2021.

Highway system

Motorways and Expressways

The following is a list of all existing and/or under construction highways in Hungary. Motorways in Hungary (; in Hungarian: autópálya), are defined as two-lane motorways in each direction, with emergency lane. The speed limit is 130 km/h or 80 mph. Expressways (; in Hungarian: autóút) are defined as dual carriageways with lower standards than that of a motorway, but with the same restrictions. Speed limit is 110 km/h or 70 mph. Road signs are white shield on blue and the abbreviation for both types of highways is M.

Sign	E-roads	Class	Route			Planned total length (km)	In use		U/C (km)	Map
			From	Via	To		(km)	%
			Biatorbágy ( )	Törökbálint ( ) – Budafok-Tétény ( ) – Dunaharaszti ( ) – Gyál ( ) – Vecsés ( ) – Nagytarcsa ( ) – Újpalota ( ) – Dunakeszi ( ) – Üröm	Budaörs ( )	109	77	71%	0
			Budapest	Budaörs ( ) - Biatorbágy ( ) - Tatabánya - Kisigmánd ( ) - Győr( ) - Levél ( ) - Mosonmagyaróvár	Hegyeshalom	171	171	100%	N/A
			Dunakeszi ( )	Vác – Rétság	Hont–Parassapuszta	68	30	44%	0
			Budapest ( )	Gödöllő ( ) – Kál ( ) – Emőd ( ) – Görbeháza ( ) – Nyíregyháza – Őr ( ) – Vásárosnamény ( )	Beregdaróc	307	280	91%	0
		/	Budapest	Vecsés ( ) – Abony ( ) – Szolnok – Püspökladány – Berettyóújfalu ( )	Nagykereki	223	130	58%	0
			Budapest	Gyál ( ) – Kecskemét ( ) – Szeged ( )	Röszke	173	173	100%	N/A
			Budapest ( )	Budafok-Tétény ( ) – Dunaújváros ( ) – Szekszárd ( ) – Bóly ( )	Ivándárda	212	193	91%	19
			Budapest	Törökbálint ( ) – Székesfehérvár ( ) – Balatonfőkajár ( ) – Siófok – Hollád ( ) – Nagykanizsa	Letenye ( )	233	233	100%	N/A
			Balatonfőkajár ( )	Sárbogárd ( ) – Dunaújváros ( ) – Kecskemét ( ) – Nagykőrös ( )	Abony ( )	163	8	5%	0
			Szekszárd ( )		Nemesnádudvar	31	21	68%	0
			Levél ( )		Rajka	15	15	100%	N/A
			Győr East ( )		Győr North	9	9	100%	N/A
			Kál East ( )		Eger	18	18	100%	N/A
			Emőd ( )	Miskolc	Tornyosnémeti	86	86	100%	N/A
			Nagytarcsa ( )		Gödöllő ( )	12	12	100%	N/A
			Görbeháza ( )	Debrecen	Berettyóújfalu ( )	69	69	100%	N/A
			Szeged ( )	Makó	Csanádpalota	58	58	100%	N/A
			Nagykőrös ( )	Szarvas	Békéscsaba	111	80	72%	14
			Budapest ( )	(section of the former route of )	Budapest ( )	4	4	100%	N/A
			Bóly ( )	Pécs – Szigetvár ( )	Barcs	97	32	33%	0
			Letenye ( )		Tornyiszentmiklós	21	21	100%	N/A
			Hollád ( )	Keszthely – Zalaegerszeg	Körmend ( )	83	9	11%	0
			Körmend ( )		Rábafüzes	28	27	96%	1
			Győr ( )		Pápa	36	0	0%	36
			Győr ( )	Csorna ( )	Sopron	95	89	94%	6
			Körmend ( )	Szombathely ( ) – Csorna ( )	Levél ( )	122	64	53%	0
			Szombathely ( )		Kőszeg	22	1	5%	0

Major motorways

M1

M1 between Budapest and Tatabánya

The M1 starts from the western part of Budapest, it connects the Hungarian capital with Győr and northwestern part of Hungary, towards Vienna. The motorway is part of the Pan-European Corridor IV, and European route E60, E65 and E75. Average daily traffic is 75,510 near Budapest and 56,421 vehicles/day near Győr. The construction of the motorway began 1964, it took more than thirty years to reach Hegyeshalom and the Austrian border. Its significance has increased since the change of regime in 1990, and today it is the most important western connection in Hungary.

Main junctions:

• M1-M85 Győr-west, towards to Sopron and Szombathely (M86)*
• M1-M15 Mosonmagyaróvár-west, toward to Bratislava

M3

M3 in Kisbag rest area

The M3 starts from north-eastern part of Budapest, it connects the Hungarian capital with Nyíregyháza and northeast part of Hungary, towards Mukachevo. The motorway is part of the Venice-Trieste-Ljubljana-Budapest-Lviv-Kyiv line Central-East Europe Corridor V, and European route E71, E79, E573 and E579. This is one of the most important route of the Hungarian motorway and road network, the southwest-north-eastern diagonal main line of traffic forming part of Budapest. Through Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and through Slovakia, creates a highway connection to the countries of north-eastern Europe.

Main junctions:

• M3-M30 Emőd, toward to Miskolc and Košice
• M3-M35 Görbeháza, toward to Debrecen and Oradea (M4)

M5

M5 near Lajosmizse

The M5 starts from Budapest, it connects the Hungarian capital with Szeged and southeast part of Hungary, towards Belgrade. It was the third motorway in Hungary that reached the border. The motorway is part of the Pan-European Corridor X, and European route E75. The motorway was built in the 1980s and reached the Serbian border in March 2006.

Main junctions:

• M5-M43 Szeged-north, toward to Makó and Arad-Timișoara

M6

M6 near Százhalombatta

The M6 starts from Budapest (M0-M6 Interchange), it connects the Hungarian capital with Mohács, on the right bank of the Danube in the south, towards Osijek and Sarajevo. The motorway is part of the European route E73. The final section reaching the border is currently under construction with a planned opening date in 2024. The connecting Croatian section is scheduled to be delivered a year earlier.

Main junctions:

• M6-M8 Dunaújváros-south, toward to Veszprém and Kecskemét
• M6-M60 Bóly, toward to Pécs

M7

M7 at Köröshegy Viaduct

The M7 starts from western part of Budapest, it connects the Hungarian capital with Lake Balaton and southwestern part of Hungary, towards Zagreb. The motorway is part of the Pan-European Corridor V, and European route E71. Average daily traffic is 62,779 near Budapest and 49,273 vehicles/day near Székesfehérvár. The motorway was built in the 1960s and reached the Croatian border in October 2008.

Main junctions:

• M7-M70 Letenye, toward to Maribor and Venice

Gallery

• 
  Pentele Bridge in M8
• 
  M15 near Rajka
• 
  Sajó Bridge in M30
• 
  M35 near Derecske
• 
  M43 near Szeged-Sándorfalva
• 
  M60 near Kozármisleny
• 
  Eastern section of M0
• 
  M2 near Vác
• 
  The end of M9 near Dusnok
• 
  Korongi Bridge in M70
• 
  M85-M86 near Csorna
• 
  M86 near Szombathely

Planned Highways

List of planned highways (motorways and expressways)

Sign	E-roads	Class	Route			Planned total length (km)	Planning status	Map
			From	Via	To
			Budapest ( )	Pilisvörösvár – Kesztölc ( )	Esztergom	34 km	under planning
			Abony ( )		Kál ( )	63 km	under planning
			Vásárosnamény ( )		Záhony	39 km	under planning
			Őr ( )	Mátészalka	Csenger	45 km	under planning
			Sárbogárd ( )	Kisigmánd ( ) – Székesfehérvár ( )	Komárom	114 km	under planning
			Hollád ( )	Kaposvár – Szigetvár ( ), then Bóly ( ) – Tompa	Szeged ( )	90 + 131 km	under planning
			Bicske ( )		Kesztölc ( )	32 km	under planning

Rapid Roads

A third tier of highways, called 'Rapid Road' (in Hungarian: Gyorsút), was introduced in a 2015 Government Decree. Rapid roads were defined as dual carriageways with lower standards than that of an expressway, and the level intersection (e.g., traffic light node, roundabout) is permissible. Similarly to expressways, the speed limit was defined as 110 km/h or 70 mph. The concept was abandoned in 2018, with some Rapid Roads upgraded as expressways, and others becoming 2x2 lane main roads.

This is a list of previously planned Rapid Roads:

Number	Route	Length	Note
R8	Székesfehérvár - Herend	58  km		name changed back to main road
	- Esztergom	?  km	replaced with expressways and
	Hatvan - Somoskőújfalu	?  km	name changed back to main road
	- Kaposvár	46 km	renamed to main road
	Győr ( ) - Pápa	36 km	upgraded to expressway

Main road 5 near Kecskemét.

Main road 21 near Zagyvaszántó.

Main roads with 2x2 traffic lanes

There are several dual carriageway main road sections in Hungary, which are similar in most technological respects to expressways but allow at-grade intersections. Speed limit at designated sections of these roads is 110 km/h or 70 mph.

• Road between M3 and Gyöngyös (7 km)
• Several parts of Road between Budapest and Püspökladány (40 km) (The way between Budapest and Püspökladány is about 165 km/103miles)
• Road between M5 and Kecskemét (8 km)
• Road between Szekszárd and Tolna (4 km)
• Road between Veszprém and Székesfehérvár
• Road between Budapest and Szentendre (4 km and 9 km within the city limit of Budapest)
• Road between Hatvan and Salgótarján
• Road between Miskolc and Sajóbábony (10 km)
• Road between Békéscsaba and Gyula (11 km)
• Road between Szeged and Hódmezővásárhely (24 km)
• Road between Pécs and Pécs-Pogány International Airport (10 km)
• A section of road between Sopron and the border with Austria (4 km)
• A section of road between Egyházasrádóc and Körmend (3.5 km)

Toll requirements

Hungarian highway network. Legend of sections:

  completed

  under construction or planned

The e-vignette user charge system applies to motorcycles, passenger cars and their trailers, as well as cargo vehicles with a maximum permissible gross weight of 3.5 tonnes, campers and buses, and their trailers. These vehicles are authorized to use the Hungarian toll speedway network's roads exclusively with pre-purchased –purchased prior to entering a toll speedway section– road use authorization, i.e. e-vignettes. The amount of toll charges depends on the category of the vehicle and the type of the e-vignette. The category of the motor vehicles must be determined according to the official entry that appears in the vehicle registration certificate, based on the maximum permissible gross weight of the motor vehicle and the number of persons it is allowed to transport.

Hungarian system has 2 main type in terms of salary.

1, time-based fee vignettes (E-matrica) with a validity of either 10 days (2975 HUF), 1 month (4780 HUF) or 1 year (42980 HUF). The following motorway sections are toll-free for cars up to 3.5 t:

• the following sections of the M0 expressway: - 63 km
  • the section between Main Road 1 (exit -1) and the M5 motorway (exit 32),
  • the section between M4 expressway (exit 41) and M3 motorway (exit 68),
  • Megyeri Bridge (the section between Main Road 11 and Main Road 2), (exit 74-77).
• the M31 motorway - 12 km
• the section of M4 expressway (sign of Main Road 4) between the road leading from Vecsés to Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport (section between km section 19+550 and km section 20+518)
• the M8 motorway
• the Pécs south-west loop section of the M60 motorway between roads no. 58 (exit 30) and 5826 (exit 32) - 2 km

2, regional vignettes

History

Development of the overall length (at the end of):

Year	1964	1970	1975	1980	1985	1990	1996	2002	2006	2010	2014	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
Length in km	7	85	136	213	302	361	440	638	967	1,290	1,382	1,481	1,489	1,524	1,600	1,740

Year	Length (km)		Year	Length (km)		Year	Length (km)
1964	7		2003	667		2013	1,361
1970	85		2004	717		2014	1,370
1975	136		2005	803		2015	1,447
1980	213		2006	967		2016	1,481
1985	302		2007	1,037		2017	1,490
1990	361		2008	1,113		2018	1,524
1996	440		2009	1,118		2019	1,600
2001	571		2010	1,290		2020	1,740
2002	638		2011	1,321		2021	1,851
IEA-PVPS,

Hungarian highways network since 1964

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

1964

1975

1985

1996

2002

2006

2010

2014

2018

2020

Gallery

• 
  Traffic sign for an autópálya (motorway)
• 
  Traffic sign for an autóút (expressway)

Opening of new highway sections

Construction of new motorways in recent years has been hampered due to corruption scandals and austerity measures as well as owing to new European rules under which old EIA assessments lapsed. In the coming years, the highway network expansion focuses on connecting all major cities into the highway network, and on the completion of highways in the border region of Hungary. Construction of non-radial roads continues to be slow.

Sign	From	To	Length	Construction started	Planned opening	Notes
	Győr	Tét	17.6 km	10/2020	Q4/2023	connects the city of Pápa into the highway system
	Tét	Pápa	18.4 km	10/2020	Q4/2023	connects the city of Pápa into the highway system
	Bóly	Ivándárda	20 km	07/2021	Q1/2024	extends the motorway to the border with Croatia
	Lakitelek	Szentkirály	4.6 km	02/2020	Q1/2024
	Sopron North (Fertőrákos)	Sopron North-West	4.0 km	12/2019	Q3/2024	includes a 780 m long tunnel
	Kecskemét (M5)	Szentkirály	32.3 km	03/2022	Q1/2025	completes M44 and connects the city of Békéscsaba into the highway system

See also

• Transport in Hungary
• Roads in Hungary
• List of controlled-access highway systems
• Evolution of motorway construction in European nations

References

General

• Magyarország autóatlasz (Road atlas of Hungary), Dimap-Szarvas, Budapest, 2004
• Magyarország autóatlasz (Road atlas of Hungary), Dimap-Szarvas, Budapest, 2013

External links

• National Toll Payment Services Plc (in Hungarian, some information also in English)
• Home page of the National Toll Payment Services Plc.
• Detailed map of the Hungarian motorway system (2021)