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France’s A69 opens today amid toll price controversy – how do other roads compare?
A return journey on the new motorway will cost €17 but it there are pricier autoroutes
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The A69 motorway in south-west France opened today (November 6) after months of delays, protests and legal challenges, bringing renewed debate over its toll prices.
It was originally set to open in September. However, the road’s launch was pushed back to mid-October before being postponed again.
The 53km route between Castres, Tarn, and Verfeil, Haute-Garonne, officially opened this morning.
Its launch came with frustration, however, over the cost of using the new road, as motorists have to pay €8.50 each way to travel its full length.
This means that a return journey between Castres and Verfeil costs €17, or €20.40 if the journey includes the section connecting Verfeil to Toulouse.
During the construction period, local authorities expected a return fare of €13, but the final price turned out to be significantly higher.
Furthermore, a proposed arrangement involving subsidies from the state and local authorities that was supposed to reduce toll prices by around a third, was ruled out by the Conseil d’État in September.
"I have always fought for the arrival of the A69. I have defended it consistently, because this motorway is essential to opening up the south of the Tarn, to its economic development and to the future of our territory,” Christophe Ramond, president of the Tarn departmental council, said in a press release on November 5.
However, he also criticised its cost. “I continue to actively defend it today. But I say it plainly: an essential motorway must also be accessible,” he said.
“It is scandalous to find ourselves in this situation, abandoned in the middle of nowhere by the state just hours before the A69 is due to open,” he added.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot welcomed its opening in a post on X and said that the government was still looking at ways to make the tolls cheaper.
“With local authorities, we continue to explore possible legal solutions to allow users to benefit from the most attractive tariffs,” he wrote.
Dans quelques heures, les premiers automobilistes pourront circuler sur l’A69. C’est l’aboutissement d’un projet engagé il y a plusieurs années. Quelles qu’aient été les positions de chacun sur ce dossier, nous pouvons nous satisfaire de voir cette étape franchie et ce projet entrer dans une nouvelle phase. Soutenue par les élus du territoire, l’A69 entre désormais dans sa phase d’exploitation. Avec les collectivités, nous continuons à explorer les solutions juridiques possibles pour permettre aux usagers de bénéficier des tarifs les plus attractifs. Le hasard du calendrier veut que cette ouverture coïncide avec le lancement du TGV M, magnifique aventure industrielle, technologique et humaine. Deux projets, deux secteurs, deux ambitions différentes, mais une même démonstration : la France est capable de concevoir, de porter et de concrétiser de grands projets de transport au service de la mobilité des Français.
— Philippe Tabarot (@PhilippeTabarot) November 6, 2026
How does the A69 compare with other motorways?
The full €8.50 toll for the A69 works out at approximately 16 cents per kilometre for a standard car.
This places it among France's more expensive motorway routes, although there are roads with higher rates.
The A65, which connects Langon in Gironde with Pau in Pyrénées-Atlantiques, costs €30.20 for a standard car travelling its full 150km length in 2026. This amounts to around 20 cents per kilometre.
The A86 Duplex, an underground motorway tunnel in the Paris region, is even more expensive. Its toll can reach €14.90 for a journey of around 10km, equivalent to approximately €1.49 per kilometre.
The A14 in the Paris region also has a high rate, at up to 54 cents per kilometre.
Other examples include the A41/A41N, connecting Chambéry with Switzerland, which costs 21.26 cents per kilometre, followed by the A49 between Valence and Voreppe at 18.26 cents and the A51N between Le Pont-de-Claix and Monestier-de-Clermont at 16.92 cents.
The A69's rate of around 16 cents places it just below these three routes.
