thumb|right|500px|Highways in Hungary in December 2020 (outdated).
Dark blue lines depicts sections in use, turquoise lines show sections under construction, while light gray represents proposed  highways.
Controlled-access highways in Hungary are dual carriageways, grade separated with controlled-access, designed for high speeds.
The legislation amendments defined two types of highways: motorways () and expressways ().
The main differences are that motorways have emergency lanes and the maximum allowed speed limit is , while expressways may be built without them and the speed limit is .
According to the Állami Autópályakezelő Zrt. ("State Motorway Management Plc.")
, the total length of the Hungarian motorway system was 1,646 kilometers in 2020.
The construction of the Hungarian motorway system started in 1964 with M7, which finished in 1975 between Budapest and the Lake Balaton.
The total length of the system reached 200 km in 1980, 500 km in 1998 and 1000 km in 2007.
The Hungarian motorway network currently comprises 13 motorways, 13 expressways, of which 18 of them are at least partially operational, and 12 (M1, M5, M7, M15, M19, M25, M30, M31, M35, M43, M51 and M70) have been completed as of October 2021.
Highway system
Motorways
The motorways in Hungary,  (abbr. M), are defined as two-lane motorways in each direction, with emergency lane.
The speed limit is 130 km/h or 80 mph.
Their road signs are white on blue.
M1
thumb|250px|M1 between Budapest and Tatabánya The M1 starts from the western part of Budapest, it connects the Hungarian capital with Győr and northwestern part of Hungary, towards Vienna.
The motorway is part of the Pan-European Corridor IV, and European route E60, E65 and E75.
Average daily traffic is 75,510 near Budapest and 56,421 vehicles/day near Győr.
The construction of the motorway began 1964, it took more than thirty years to reach Hegyeshalom and the Austrian border.
Its significance has increased since the change of regime in 1990, and today it is the most important western connection in Hungary.
Main junctions:
File:AB-Kreuz-blau.svg M1-M85 Győr-west, towards to Sopron and Szombathely (M86)*
File:AB-Kreuz-blau.svg M1-M15 Mosonmagyaróvár-west, toward to Bratislava
M3
thumb|left|250px|M3 in Kisbag rest area The M3 starts from north-eastern part of Budapest, it connects the Hungarian capital with Nyíregyháza and northeast part of Hungary, towards Mukachevo.
The motorway is part of the Venice-Trieste-Ljubljana-Budapest-Lviv-Kyiv line Central-East Europe Corridor V, and European route E71, E79, E573 and E579.
This is one of the most important route of the Hungarian motorway and road network, the southwest-north-eastern diagonal main line of traffic forming part of Budapest.
Through Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and through Slovakia, creates a highway connection to the countries of north-eastern Europe.
Main junctions:
File:AB-Kreuz-blau.svg M3-M30 Emőd, toward to Miskolc and Košice
File:AB-Kreuz-blau.svg M3-M35 Görbeháza, toward to Debrecen and Oradea (M4)
M5
thumb|250px|M5 near Lajosmizse The M5 starts from Budapest, it connects the Hungarian capital with Szeged and southeast part of Hungary, towards Belgrade.
It was the third motorway in Hungary that reached the border.
The motorway is part of the Pan-European Corridor X, and European route E75.
The motorway was built in the 1980s and reached the Serbian border in March 2006.
Main junctions:
File:AB-Kreuz-blau.svg M5-M43 Szeged-north, toward to Makó and Arad-Timișoara
M6
thumb|left|250px|M6 near Százhalombatta
The M6 starts from Budapest (M0-M6 Interchange), it connects the Hungarian capital with Mohács, on the right bank of the Danube in the south, towards Osijek and Sarajevo.
The motorway is part of the European route E73.
The motorway is planned to reach the Croatian border by 2022.
Main junctions:
File:AB-Kreuz-blau.svg M6-M8 Dunaújváros-south, toward to Veszprém and Kecskemét
File:AB-Kreuz-blau.svg M6-M60 Bóly, toward to Pécs
M7
thumb|250px|M7 in Köröshegy Viaduct
The M7 starts from western part of Budapest, it connects the Hungarian capital with Lake Balaton and southwestern part of Hungary, towards Zagreb.
The motorway is part of the Pan-European Corridor V, and European route E71.
Average daily traffic is 62,779 near Budapest and 49,273 vehicles/day near Székesfehérvár.
The motorway was built in the 1960s and reached the Croatian border in October 2008.
Main junctions:
File:AB-Kreuz-blau.svg M7-M70 Letenye, toward to Maribor and Venice
File:Pentelehíd.jpg|Pentele Bridge in M8 File:M15 autópálya, Magyarország (2010).jpg|M15 near Rajka File:M30 - freeway - bridge.jpg|Sajó Bridge in M30 File:M35 Debrecen–Berettyóújfalu.jpg|M35 near Derecske File:M43 Szeged-Sándorfalva közelében-2 2010-09-13.JPG|M43 near Szeged-Sándorfalva File:M60 Kozármislenynél, Pécsudvard látkép.jpg|M60 near Kozármisleny Expressways
The expressways in Hungary,  (abbr. M as well) are defined as dual carriageways with lower standards than that of a motorway, but with the same restrictions.
The speed limit is 110 km/h or 70 mph.
Their road signs are white on blue.
File:M0 Eastern Sector.JPG|Eastern section of M0 File:M2 háttérben a Naszály - panoramio.jpg|M2 near Vác File:M9 autóút vége.jpg|The end of M9 near Dusnok File:Korongi.jpg|Korongi Bridge in M70 File:Csorna M86-M85 fonódás.JPG|M85-M86 near Csorna File:M86 Szombathely 2014 07 01.JPG|M86 near Szombathely File:Route 21 Zagyvaszántó.jpg|R21 near Zagyvaszántó.
Fast roads
The fast roads in Hungary,  (abbr. R) are defined as dual carriageways with lower standards than that of an expressway, but the level intersection (e.g., traffic light node, roundabout) is permissible.
The speed limit is also 110 km/h or 70 mph.
(Fast road category was ceased in 2018, these roads will become main roads.)
;2x2 traffic lanes main roads
Road 22px between M3 and Gyöngyös (7 km)
Several parts of Road 22px between Budapest and Püspökladány (40 km) (The way between Budapest and Püspökladány is about 165 km/103miles)
Road 22px between M5 and Kecskemét (8 km)
Road 22px between Szekszárd and Tolna (4 km)
Several parts of Road 22px between Veszprém and Székesfehérvár
In the future this sections will be part of M8.
Road 22px between Budapest and Szentendre (4 km and 9 km within the city limit of Budapest)
Several parts of Road 22px between Hatvan and Salgótarján
In the future this sections will be part of R21.
Road 22px between Miskolc and Sajóbábony (10 km)
Road 22px between Békéscsaba and Gyula (11 km)
Road 22px between Szeged and Hódmezővásárhely (24 km)
Road 22px between Pécs and Pécs-Pogány International Airport (10 km)
Road 22px between Sopron and the border with Austria (4 km)
Toll requirements
thumb|325px|Hungarian highway network.
Legend of sections:
The e-vignette user charge system applies to motorcycles, passenger cars and their trailers, as well as cargo vehicles with a maximum permissible gross weight of 3.5 tonnes, campers and buses, and their trailers.
These vehicles are authorized to use the Hungarian toll speedway network's roads exclusively with pre-purchased –purchased prior to entering a toll speedway section– road use authorization, i.e. e-vignettes.
The amount of toll charges depends on the category of the vehicle and the type of the e-vignette.
The category of the motor vehicles must be determined according to the official entry that appears in the vehicle registration certificate, based on the maximum permissible gross weight of the motor vehicle and the number of persons it is allowed to transport.
Hungarian system has 2 main type in terms of salary.
1, time-based fee vignettes (E-matrica) with a validity of either 10 days (2975 HUF), 1 month (4780 HUF) or 1 year (42980 HUF).
The following motorway sections are toll-free for cars up to 3.5 t:
the following sections of the M0 expressway: - 63 km
the section between Main Road 1 (exit -1) and the M5 motorway (exit 32),
the section between M4 expressway (exit 41) and M3 motorway (exit 68),
Megyeri Bridge (the section between Main Road 11 and Main Road 2), (exit 74-77).
the M31 motorway - 12 km
the section of M4 expressway (sign of Main Road 4) between the road leading from Vecsés to Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport (section between km section 19+550 and km section 20+518)
the M8 motorway
the Pécs south-west loop section of the M60 motorway between roads no. 58 (exit 30) and 5826 (exit 32) - 2 km
2, regional vignettes
History
Development of the overall length (at the end of):
Hungarian highways network since 1964 Gallery
File:KRESZ-1.svg|Traffic sign for an autópálya (motorway) File:KRESZ-3.svg|Traffic sign for an autóút (expressway)
This list contains the limited-access roads (expressways) in Hungary with (at least) four traffic lanes and median.
Opening of new motorways
Construction of new motorways in recent years has been hampered due to corruption scandals and austerity measures as well as owing to new European rules under which old EIA assessments lapsed.
In the coming years, the highway network will be expanded first of all near Budapest and border region of Hungary.
Construction of non-radial roads continues to be slow.
See also
Transport in Hungary
Roads in Hungary
List of controlled-access highway systems
Evolution of motorway construction in European nations
References
;General
Magyarország autóatlasz (Road atlas of Hungary), Dimap-Szarvas, Budapest, 2004
Magyarország autóatlasz (Road atlas of Hungary), Dimap-Szarvas, Budapest, 2013
External links
National Toll Payment Services Plc (in Hungarian, some information also in English)
Home page of the National Toll Payment Services Plc.
Detailed map of the Hungarian motorway system (2021)
