Key points:
- Tolls on all 10 national toll roads in Ireland will rise from 1 January 2027.
- Heavier HGVs will pay 20 to 30 cents more on the M50 and the PPP toll roads.
- The southbound Dublin Tunnel toll in the morning peak rises from €14 to €15; other tunnel rates stay unchanged.
- TII says tolls follow inflation, citing CPI of 3.6%.
- The IRHA wants the increases stopped or suspended, and protesters are considering action in Dublin in November.
What changes from 1 January
According to TII, as reported by the Irish public broadcaster RTÉ, the increases are:
- M50: +10 cents for cars with a tag or video account, +20 cents for unregistered cars; for heavier HGVs +20 or +30 cents,
- goods vehicles up to 2,000 kg: +10 cents for tag or unregistered users, +20 cents for video account users,
- PPP toll roads: +20 cents for HGVs and +30 cents for HGVs over 3,500 kg with four or more axles; on the M3 Clonee–Kells, HGVs pay 10 cents more,
- Dublin Tunnel: the southbound toll between 6am and 10am on weekdays rises from €14 to €15; all other tunnel rates are unchanged.
For a car on the M50 with a tag account, the toll will be €2.70. Without an account, it will be €4.00.
Why TII is raising tolls
TII says the level of tolls is regulated through an inflation adjustment mechanism under the toll bye-laws. It cites consumer price inflation of 3.6% between August 2025 and August 2026. Toll income pays for the operation, maintenance and renewal of the national road network and supplements funding from the Exchequer.
The Dublin Tunnel increase, TII says, “reflects the increasing volumes of traffic being experienced in southbound peak period”. The authority also wants to protect capacity for HGVs travelling to Dublin Port.
Hauliers: “price gouging”
The IRHA has reacted sharply. Its president, Ger Hyland, called the decision “another example of price gouging by TII” and said operators “will not stand for this”.
According to Hyland:
- hauliers already pay over €8 at most toll booths,
- stopping and restarting at a booth costs one to two litres of diesel,
- members pay 60 to 80 cents per litre more for diesel than a year ago.
The IRHA is seeking a meeting with Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien and wants the increases stopped or suspended. It has also renewed its call for express lanes for trucks at toll plazas.
Organisers of April’s fuel protests are considering a one-day protest in Dublin in November. Asked about new protests, Hyland said: “Desperate times make desperate people.”
What it means for UK hauliers
The increases will also hit operators from Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Trucks arriving at Dublin Port from Holyhead or Liverpool use the Dublin Tunnel and the M50, while traffic between Belfast and Dublin uses the tolled M1. Ferry crossings via Holyhead are already under pressure, with drivers complaining about the lack of parking near the port.
Each increase is small on its own, but for a truck making several toll passages a day, the costs add up over a year. Operators with regular Irish work should check whether their rates and fuel or toll surcharges reflect the new charges before January. Current toll rates are listed on the TII website.
