The Cost of Driving Across Turkey: Tolls by Route

Driving from İstanbul to Ankara on the motorway costs a car 338 TL in tolls, and İstanbul to Edirne is 168 TL. Take the Aegean route over the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge and the bridge alone is 1,170 TL, with the full corridor at 1,480 TL.

Those are the numbers you need to plan a trip. They’re oddly hard to find in one place. Tolls sit in big junction-by-junction tables, across 19 schedules, and several are run by private firms.

Here’s what the main long-distance routes cost, using the official 2026 tariffs, so you can budget before you set off rather than reconciling afterwards.

Key Takeaways

• İstanbul to Ankara costs a car 338 TL in motorway tolls, while İstanbul to Edirne costs 168 TL and the mega-bridges cost 1,170 TL each.
• State motorways are much cheaper than the newer private ones, sometimes by a factor of five.
• Coastal and rural state roads are free, so the toll question is usually about time rather than access.

Toll Costs on the Main Corridors

Every figure below is the full-length toll for a Class 1 car, checked on 20 July 2026.

Route	Toll	What it covers
İstanbul to Edirne	168 TL	Full motorway to the Bulgarian border region
İstanbul to Ankara	338 TL	About 380 km of the Anatolian motorway
İzmir to Çeşme	53 TL	The short peninsula run
İzmir to Aydın	73 TL	Towards the southern Aegean
Aydın to Denizli	590 TL	The Pamukkale corridor
Ankara to Niğde	925 TL	Private motorway towards Cappadocia
Adana to Gaziantep	102 TL	The southern route east
Gaziantep to Şanlıurfa	102 TL	Continuing east
Malkara to Çanakkale	1,480 TL	Includes the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge

Source: KGM 2026 tariff schedules.

The pattern worth noticing is who built the road:

Road	Car toll	Built by
İstanbul to Edirne, 212 km	168 TL	The state (KGM)
Ankara to Niğde	925 TL	A private concession

Newer roads are faster, and they’re priced to match.

Adding the Bridges

Bridges are separate from motorway sections. On some routes they’re the single biggest line in the budget.

Crossing	Class 1 (car)
15 July Martyrs or Fatih Sultan Mehmet	59 TL each way
Yavuz Sultan Selim	110 TL each way
Eurasia Tunnel, day	330 TL
Eurasia Tunnel, night (00:00-04:59)	165 TL
Osmangazi Bridge	1,170 TL
1915 Çanakkale Bridge	1,170 TL

Remember that Bosphorus crossings are charged both ways since 2022, so a return trip doubles. More in our İstanbul bridge tolls guide and the mega-bridge guide.

Three Worked Examples

Here’s how it adds up on trips people actually make.

Trip	Toll cost	Notes
İstanbul to Cappadocia and back	About 2,500 TL	The Ankara to Niğde private corridor does most of the damage
Bulgaria to the Aegean, skipping İstanbul	1,480 TL	Malkara to Çanakkale, bridge included, no Bosphorus crossing
A week on the Aegean from İzmir	Under 300 TL	İzmir to Çeşme 53 TL, İzmir to Aydın 73 TL, free coastal roads for the rest

The Cappadocia run has a free alternative on state roads, which costs nothing and adds several hours to the drive. The Bulgaria route matters most for caravans and big campervans, because it skips the Bosphorus entirely.

Flying in and collecting a car? İstanbul Airport car rental tolls covers the charges you’ll meet leaving the terminal.

What Changes the Total

Three factors move the number more than route length does. Here’s what to watch:

Vehicle class. Tolls are priced by axles and wheelbase:

Route	Class 1 car	Class 2 van
İstanbul to Ankara	338 TL	390 TL
Osmangazi Bridge	1,170 TL	1,870 TL

Our vehicle classes guide shows where the boundaries sit.

Whether you use the motorway at all. Türkiye’s state roads are free and often perfectly good:

• The motorway buys you time, not access
• Coastal routes are frequently prettier on the free road
• On a schedule, the motorway usually wins outright

Two rules that can override distance. If the system has no record of where you joined, or if you leave from the junction you entered, you’ll be charged the longest-distance fare for that exit.

Fuel is the other half of any road-trip budget:

• Prices move too often for a figure here to stay honest
• Check the pumps close to your departure date
• On long routes fuel usually outweighs tolls, except where a mega-bridge is involved

Paying for It

All of this comes off a single HGS balance attached to your plate:

• One balance covers state motorways, private motorways, bridges, and the tunnel
• There’s no separate product for the private roads
• There are no toll booths and no cash option anywhere on the network

For a foreign-plated car, that means one account set up before you start. Registration through the Vignetim app needs no Turkish ID or bank account, and it goes live immediately. Tolls come off at the official rate, with no commission added. You can register your plate here, or read the full guide.

The Short Version

Turkish motorway tolls are modest, but the bridges are not. İstanbul to Ankara costs a car 338 TL, while a single mega-bridge crossing costs 1,170 TL on its own. Where a private firm built the road, expect several times the state rate.

Budget in three steps:

1. Add up the corridors and crossings you’ll actually use
2. Add a margin if you’re not in an ordinary car
3. Remember the free state roads are always an option when time allows

One funded plate covers the lot. How the HGS system works explains the mechanics, the 2026 tariff list covers your route, and Turkish speed limits are worth a look before you drive. You can register a foreign plate if the car is your own.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much are tolls from Istanbul to Ankara?

You’re looking at 338 TL for the full motorway run of roughly 380 km, at 2026 rates. A Class 2 vehicle pays 390 TL and a five-axle heavy vehicle 811 TL. The parallel state road is free, but it’s considerably slower.

What does it cost to drive from Istanbul to Izmir?

The motorway route crosses the Osmangazi Bridge at 1,170 TL for a car, with motorway sections charged separately by distance. Going around the Gulf of İzmit on free roads avoids the bridge toll but adds substantial time.

Are there free alternatives to Turkish toll roads?

Yes. The state network, marked devlet yolu, is free throughout the country and often in good condition. You trade time for money, and on coastal routes the free roads are usually the prettier choice.

How much should I budget for tolls on a two-week trip?

It’ll depend almost entirely on bridges. A coastal Aegean trip can stay under 300 TL, while an itinerary crossing the Bosphorus and using private motorways to Cappadocia can pass 2,500 TL. Work out your bridges first, then add the corridors.

Do toll prices change during the year?

Yes. Türkiye’s tariffs rose twice in 2026, on 1 January for state motorways and 1 July for bridges, private motorways, and the tunnel. Check the verification date on any price list before budgeting.

Is fuel or tolls the bigger cost in Turkey?

On most long routes fuel is the bigger line, but a single mega-bridge crossing at 1,170 TL can rival a full tank. Pump prices move often, so check them near your departure date.

Sources

• Karayolları Genel Müdürlüğü – 2026 motorway and bridge toll tariffs
• Karayolları Genel Müdürlüğü – HGS
• Eurasia Tunnel (ATAŞ) – tolls and payment