Alpine tunnels for trucks compared: Mont Blanc, Frejus, Gotthard and Brenner

A tractor-trailer pays the same toll at the Mont Blanc and Frejus tunnels in 2026: 404.80 EUR one way on the French platform and 411.60 EUR on the Italian platform, VAT included ( ATMB tariff sheet , valid from 2026-01-01). As of 2026-10-31, Mont Blanc tolls have risen 1.19% this year, the tunnel closes fully on the night of 2026-11-02, and no 2027 closure calendar has been published. This guide sets the two tunnels beside the Gotthard and Brenner crossings on cost and vehicle bans, plus planned closures, so a dispatcher can choose a route before winter traffic builds.

What does a truck pay at Mont Blanc and Frejus in 2026?

A tractor and semi-trailer with five axles is class 4 and pays 404.80 EUR one way on the French platform or 411.60 EUR on the Italian platform, at either tunnel. The table below shows Euro 5-6 goods vehicles in EUR with VAT, taken from the operator tariffs for Mont Blanc and for Frejus from SFTRF (French side) and SITAF (Italian side).

Why do Mont Blanc and Frejus cost the same?

The two tunnels charge the same net toll and differ only in VAT. Dividing 404.80 EUR by 1.20 gives 337.33 EUR in France, and dividing 411.60 EUR by 1.22 gives 337.38 EUR in Italy, so both platforms collect about 337.3 EUR before tax. That is our own derivation from the published tariffs, not a statement from either operator.

The 2026 Mont Blanc increase was 1.19% on light vehicle and HGV (heavy goods vehicle) tolls. The ATMB sheet says the Intergovernmental Commission set it on 2025-12-12, equal to average cumulative inflation in France and Italy between 2024-09-01 and 2025-08-31.

Is a return ticket worth it for a tractor-trailer?

A return ticket pays off whenever the truck comes back through the same tunnel inside the validity window. For class 4, the return costs 635.90 EUR against 809.60 EUR for two singles on the French platform, a saving of 173.70 EUR (21.5%). On the Italian platform it is 646.50 EUR against 823.20 EUR, a saving of 176.70 EUR (21.5%). Class 3 saves 22.2% on both sides. These savings are our own arithmetic from the tariff tables.

Returns for classes 3 and 4 are valid until midnight of the 15th day after issue. At Frejus, a driver who arrives late, or who travels in the same direction as the outbound trip, pays the difference between two single passages and the price already paid (SFTRF and SITAF tariff documents). A return does not help if the second leg goes over another pass, so buy singles in that case.

Which trucks and loads are barred at each tunnel?

Both tunnels bar goods vehicles over 3.5 t gross weight in Euro 0 to Euro 4, so the practical minimum is Euro 5. Some summaries say Mont Blanc bars only Euro 0-3. The Ministry of Transport traffic service says Euro 0-4, and the SITAF tariff document gives the same limit for Frejus.

Mont Blanc rules

Mont Blanc has barred goods vehicles over 3.5 t in Euro 0 to Euro 4 since 2020-07-01, according to Bison Fute , and vehicles first registered before 2006-10-01 are also barred unless the driver proves Euro 5 equivalence. The maximum height is 4.70 m including load. Trucks that cannot hold 50 km/h are refused, and trucks over 3.5 t are cleared at a regulation area: Passy-Le Fayet in France, 22 km before the platform, or Aosta in Italy, 44 km away. The Bison Fute page carries no date, so confirm the details with the operator before a booking.

For ADR (European rules for carrying dangerous goods by road), Mont Blanc is a category E tunnel, the most restrictive class. Bison Fute also lists UN 2919, 3077, 3082, 3291, 3331, 3359 and 3373 as barred on the access ramps, so plan as if ADR loads cannot pass.

Frejus rules

Frejus bars goods vehicles over 3.5 t in Euro 0 to Euro 4 unless the Prefects of Savoie and Turin jointly grant a special authorisation, and the maximum height is 4.30 m (SITAF tariff document). That is 40 cm lower than Mont Blanc, which matters for tall box bodies and reefers.

ADR traffic can use Frejus under escort. SITAF lists escorted hazardous goods at 165.80 EUR and SFTRF at 163.10 EUR. Some ADR classes may only transit between 23:00 and 05:00, according to SITAF, so a night slot has to fit the driving and rest plan.

What does Gotthard cost a truck when there is no tunnel toll?

We found no separate tunnel toll for trucks at the Gotthard road tunnel. A truck over 3.5 t pays the Swiss distance-based heavy vehicle fee (LSVA) for every kilometre driven in Switzerland, foreign trucks included, so the cost depends on distance and on the weight and emission class of the truck. The rate for the cheapest category, Euro VI, has been 2.39 Rappen (0.0239 CHF) per tonne-km since 2025-01-01, and no increase is scheduled for 2027-01-01 (details in our guide to the Swiss LSVA rates , citing Swiss Parliament news of 2026-06-03).

As a worked example, a 40 t Euro VI truck driving 300 km in Switzerland pays 286.80 CHF, about 310.8 EUR at 0.9227 CHF per EUR (ECB rate of 2026-10-23). That is our calculation, not a published tariff. It cannot be set directly against the 404.80 EUR tunnel gate fee, because the LSVA covers the whole Swiss distance and the tunnel fee covers one passage.

Time is the other cost. The road tunnel is about 17 km long and has an automatic metering (dosing) facility, and the heavy-traffic centre at Erstfeld can hold up to 500 waiting trucks ( Land Tirol, 2025-04-04 ). We found no primary source for hourly dosing rates, vehicle spacing, daily caps, Euro-class limits, ADR rules, or closure dates at the Gotthard, so we do not quote any. The Swiss federal roads office is the place to check them.

How do Brenner tolls and bans compare with the tunnels?

The Brenner is a motorway pass with no gate fee, so its cost is spread over many kilometres and its main risk is lost time. On the Austrian side the A13 Brenner is a special-toll section with a separate night rate between 22:00 and 05:00, and the A12 Unterinntal stretch from Kufstein to Innsbruck-Amras carries +25% on the basic per-km rate. A truck with four or more axles, Euro VI, CO2 class 4, pays 0.5091 EUR per km excluding 20% VAT on the general network in 2026. Our Austrian GO-Maut rates guide covers the full table. We could not verify the A13 section amounts in EUR or the A22 Autobrennero truck tolls on the Italian side, so we give no figure for either.

Timing rules matter more than price here. Tirol applies a winter night ban and Euro-class restrictions for heavy trucks on the A12, which our Tirol and Brenner winter restrictions guide sets out. Block clearance (a metering system that lets a fixed number of trucks through per hour) also applies at Kufstein on selected days. ADAC lists the remaining 2026 dates as 2026-11-04, 2026-11-11, 2026-11-18, 2026-11-25 and 2026-12-09, with a maximum of 250 trucks per hour on the A12 southbound at the Kufstein-Nord exit for trucks over 7.5 t. Dates for the first quarter of 2027 start on 2027-01-07, and extra days can be ordered at short notice, for example after accidents.

The rules are also under legal challenge. In case C-524/24, Italy v Austria, the Advocate General's opinion of 2026-07-16 found the night ban, the sectoral ban, and the winter Saturday ban contrary to EU law and judged the metering compatible. The opinion is non-binding, and we found no judgment as of 2026-10-31 (see our summary of the Court opinion ).

When are the tunnels closed this winter?

Mont Blanc has one confirmed full closure so far: both directions from 22:00 on 2026-11-02 to 06:00 on 2026-11-03, for maintenance, according to the ATMB closure calendar (banner timestamp 2026-10-30). The ATMB calendar covers only October and November 2026 and lists nothing for 2027.

A provisional schedule from late summer lists further full closures in November and December 2026, including each night from 22:00 to 06:00 between 2026-12-14 and 2026-12-17 ( trans.info, 2026-08-28 ). That is a single source and we could not match the later dates on the ATMB page, so treat the December nights as provisional until the operator confirms them. Updates are posted on the tunnel site and in the TMB Mobility app.

For 2027, nothing is published. Do not plan around a rumoured January to April series. Frejus is a similar gap: we found no published closure calendar or winter restriction for 2026-27 in the sources we checked, which is not the same as there being none. Ask SFTRF and SITAF directly. On the French approaches, the mountain winter-equipment rules run from 1 November to 31 March, covered in our guide to the Loi Montagne and truck chains .

Alpine crossings side by side

The table collects what the sources confirm. Cells marked "not verified" mean we found no primary source, not that no rule exists.

Which Alpine crossing should a dispatcher choose?

There is no single cheapest Alpine crossing, because the four options charge in different ways. Mont Blanc and Frejus cost the same gate fee, so the choice between them rests on distance, access roads, height, ADR needs, and closure risk. Gotthard and Brenner costs depend on kilometres driven, so only a price calculated for the actual lane can answer the question.

A few rules of thumb follow from the data above:

• Load with ADR cargo: Frejus allows escorted transit at set fees and hours, while Mont Blanc is a category E tunnel. Confirm with the operator either way.
• Tall bodies: Mont Blanc takes up to 4.70 m including load, Frejus 4.30 m.
• Older trucks: Euro 0-4 goods vehicles cannot use either tunnel, and the A12 admits Euro 0 to V trucks over 7.5 t only with proof of Euro VI, so check the route before dispatch.
• Round trips: buy a return when the truck comes back through the same tunnel inside 15 days, which saves 21.5% for class 4.
• Tight delivery windows: compare the Kufstein block clearance days and the Mont Blanc closure nights with the delivery date before choosing, and add buffer for Gotthard dosing.

Frequently asked questions

Do Mont Blanc and Frejus really cost the same for a truck?

Yes. The ATMB, SFTRF, and SITAF tariffs show identical Euro 5-6 toll amounts for each class on each platform in 2026. Only the VAT rate differs, 20% on the French platform and 22% on the Italian platform.

What does a five-axle truck pay at Mont Blanc in 2026?

A five-axle tractor-trailer is class 4. It pays 404.80 EUR one way and 635.90 EUR return on the French platform, or 411.60 EUR one way and 646.50 EUR return on the Italian platform, VAT included.

Which Euro classes can use Mont Blanc and Frejus?

Goods vehicles over 3.5 t in Euro 0 to Euro 4 are barred at both tunnels, so Euro 5 is the minimum. Mont Blanc also bars vehicles first registered before 2006-10-01 unless the driver proves Euro 5 equivalence.

How long is a return ticket valid?

For classes 3 and 4, a return ticket is valid until midnight of the 15th day after issue. At Frejus, a late arrival pays the difference between two single passages and the price already paid.

Is there a Mont Blanc closure calendar for 2027?

Not as of 2026-10-31. The ATMB closure page lists the night of 2026-11-02 and nothing for 2027, so check the operator site and the TMB Mobility app before planning winter or spring runs.

Can ADR loads use Mont Blanc or Frejus?

Mont Blanc is a category E tunnel and Bison Fute lists several UN numbers as barred on the access ramps, so plan as if ADR cargo cannot pass. Frejus allows escorted ADR transit at fixed fees, and some classes only between 23:00 and 05:00.

Does the Gotthard road tunnel have a truck toll?

We found no separate tunnel toll for trucks. The Swiss LSVA applies per kilometre driven in Switzerland to trucks over 3.5 t, so cost depends on distance, weight, and emission class.

Planning a lane across the Alps and unsure which crossing fits the cargo and the calendar? Request a compliance-aware freight quote and we will price the route with the toll and closure rules above built in.