Istanbul to London by car
2,995 km, about 32 hours of driving, 10 countries. Estimated total €597 (one way).
What this estimate assumes
Diesel, 6.5 l/100 km, 2 people, one way, passenger car (class 1), a 14-day trip. Starting from the European side of İstanbul — the Bosphorus charge depends on which bank you set off from.
Calculate for your own car →Total estimated cost
€597
- Fuel
- €380
- Tolls
- €216
- Per person
- €298
- Per km (fuel only)
- €0.13
- Per km (tolls included)
- €0.20
- Distance
- 2,995 km
- Duration
- 32 h 28 min
All amounts are estimates and do not replace official tariffs. · Data as of: 2026-08-17
Return trip
€1,193
Exactly twice the one-way figure. No vignette on this route lasts long enough to cover a 14-day return, so each direction buys its own.
What each country charges
- Turkey: a closed motorway system, €3.42 by entry and exit gate.
- Bulgaria: motorways are paid by vignette, which comes to €5.30 for this trip.
- Serbia: charged by the kilometre; €20 over 448 km.
- Croatia: charged by the kilometre; €20 over 349 km.
- Slovenia: motorways are paid by vignette, which comes to €16 for this trip.
- Austria: motorways are paid by vignette, which comes to €36 for this trip.
- Germany: no motorway charge for a car.
- Belgium: no motorway charge for a car.
- France: charged by the kilometre; €0 over 56 km.
- United Kingdom: no motorway charge for a car.
Country breakdown
| Country | Distance | Fuel | Tolls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | 257 km | €2416.7 L × €1.42 | €3.42
|
| Kapıkule – Kapitan Andreevo | |||
| BulgariaThe vignette is required on most first-class national roads, not just motorways. Prices include the increase of 1 August 2026. The weekend vignette is valid only from Friday 12:00 to Sunday 23:59. | 351 km | €4022.8 L × €1.77 | €5.30
|
| Kalotina – Gradina | |||
| Serbia | 448 km | €5729.1 L × €1.95 | €20
|
| Batrovci – Bajakovo | |||
| Croatia | 349 km | €4222.7 L × €1.84 | €20
|
| Croatia → Slovenia border crossing | |||
| Slovenia | 64 km | €7.724.2 L × €1.85 | €16
|
| Slovenia → Austria border crossing | |||
| AustriaSpecial sections such as Brenner, Tauern and Karawanken are charged separately. Annual and 2-month digital vignettes only become valid 18 days after purchase. | 303 km | €4019.7 L × €2.04 | €36
|
| Austria → Germany border crossing | |||
| GermanyGerman motorways are free for cars. Some cities require an emissions badge (Umweltplakette). | 710 km | €10546.1 L × €2.27 | €0Free |
| Germany → Belgium border crossing | |||
| BelgiumFree for cars; the Liefkenshoek tunnel is the exception. | 279 km | €3918.2 L × €2.17 | €0Free |
| Belgium → France border crossing | |||
| France | 56 km | €8.043.7 L × €2.20 | €0
|
| Ferry | 42 km | €0 | €116
|
| United KingdomMotorways are free; only a few structures charge: the M6 Toll (up to £12), the Dartford crossing (£3.50, free 22:00-06:00), the Tyne and Mersey tunnels. London adds an £18 daily congestion charge and £12.50 ULEZ for vehicles above the emissions limit — those are zone charges rather than road tolls, so they are not in the total; a foreign plate pays the same as a British one. The Channel Tunnel line carries Le Shuttle's published lowest Standard fare; a real crossing can be two or three times that depending on the day and hour. | 130 km | €188.4 L × €2.12 | €0Free |
Lines naming a toll plaza are the published price of a plaza the route actually drives through. Lines reading "tolled road" have their distance measured from the route but charge a national average rate; lines reading "motorway (assumed)" assume the distance too, because plaza-level data does not exist yet for that country. Bridge, tunnel, vignette and published transit prices are actual prices.
About this route
The answer to what happens when a sea crossing is added to the end of the corridor, and it is sharper than expected. The way we measured runs through Belgium and France after Germany and takes the Channel by ferry — so the crossing is paid for with a ticket rather than by the kilometre, and that single ticket is more than half of everything the trip pays in crossings. Britain itself charges a car nothing for its motorways, so the hundred and thirty kilometres on the island contribute zero. Eleven countries and a stretch of sea: the most divided sum on this site, and a demonstration that one line can outweigh whole countries.
What this figure leaves out
Accommodation, food, waiting at borders, tyres and wear, green card insurance, parking. Only fuel and the charges on the road itself are counted.
Other routes
Route geometry measured on 2026-08-26. Prices are recalculated from current data on every deployment. · estimate