AP-7 rates in Málaga decrease: new prices effective from October 2023

The AP-7 Costa del Sol highway announced this Thursday the implementation of new rates following the end of the high tourist season. Thus, from October 1 and "almost continuously" until June 2026, it will maintain prices that are almost 40% lower than those of the high season that has just ended (which basically coincides with the summer months). The concessionaire Ausol has set this low season rate at a price of 5.5 euros for the most demanded route, which runs between Málaga and Marbella (Calahonda main toll), covering a total of 50 kilometers. The price reduction is 38% compared to the previous months. Regarding the cost of using the highway along its entire length, from the capital of Málaga to Guadiaro, 105 kilometers, it has been reduced to 11.6 euros, which means a 38.5% decrease. The high and low rates are regulated by the royal decrees RD 436/1996 and RD 1099/1999 of the Government of Spain, which govern the administrative concessions of both sections. According to these regulations, the high rate includes the months from June to September, as well as the 17 days from the Friday before the start of Holy Week until the Sunday following Easter Sunday (both inclusive). The general director of Ausol, Juan Marchini, reminds that regular users who meet the conditions of frequent use of this road are not subject to the high rate neither in summer nor during Holy Week, but maintain the more economical fixed toll throughout the year. Additionally, recurrent use of the AP-7 entitles these drivers to an additional discount of up to 50%. "To obtain these discounts, it is not necessary to register anywhere, as they are applied automatically when the conditions of regularity and frequency are met. And provided that a single payment method is used, such as the same credit or debit card, or through Via-T," he points out. The Via-T system is increasingly implemented among regular users of the Costa del Sol highway, as it allows crossing the toll plaza without having to stop the vehicle and without waiting to pay, which saves time and money. Ausol has also explained that, according to a recent report by the independent organization European Motorists Associated (AEA), places the AP-7 Costa del Sol highway right in "the middle of the table" in terms of prices of concessions at the national level. Specifically, the Málaga-Estepona section (Ausol I) would be the tenth in the ranking of highways in Spain, with a price per kilometer that varies between 0.18 euros in the high season, and 0.11 euros in the low season. Meanwhile, for the Estepona-Guadiaro section (Ausol II), it falls to position number 12, thanks to a rate per kilometer of between 0.17 and 0.10 euros, respectively. AEA has taken into account the actual cost per kilometer traveled, as it is a more objective measure given that the extent of toll roads varies greatly among each other. There are 20 highway concessions throughout the country. "The model of two seasons allows the Costa del Sol highway to be among the most economical for practically eight months of the year, in the low season, in exchange for a price increase during only four months of the year and Holy Week," comments Ausol. The concessionaire believes that the public perception of a high price in the case of the Málaga highway is "influenced by its great length." With 105 kilometers in total, between Torremolinos and Guadiaro, the AP-7 is the fourth longest in Spain (after those of Bilbao-Zaragoza, Ferrol-Portugal, and Tudela-Irurzun). "It should also be considered that these 105 kilometers include the variants of Benalmádena, Marbella, and Estepona, which add about 25 kilometers, whose conservation and maintenance are also the responsibility of the concessionaire, although these sections are free for users of the A-7 highway," he adds.