Understanding Road Transportation in Hungary
Market Monday - Week 8 - Facts, figures and insights into road transportation in Hungary
About this series
The transportation landscape in Europe represents one of the world's most sophisticated logistics networks, where over thirty countries intersect in a complex web of trade routes and regulatory frameworks. This comprehensive series examines the key transport markets that drive Europe's logistics sector, offering data-driven insights and practical market intelligence.
Our analysis combines real-world data from the Transporeon platform with official statistics from Eurostat, focusing primarily on full truckload road transport while maintaining relevance for other transport segments.
With this edition of the series, we are updating .pdf overviews with the newest available data from Transporeon, Eurostat and other sources. Updates for all other overviews for countries with released articles will soon be available in a separate post.
The Hungarian road transportation market
Thanks to a dynamic, export-oriented economy and a GDP exceeding 200 billion Euros, Hungary is deeply integrated into the European Union markets. The country serves as a key manufacturing hub, particularly in the automotive, electronics, and pharmaceutical sectors, with strong ties to Germany and other European partners.
Though landlocked, Hungary functions as a crucial transit hub connecting Western Europe, the Balkans and Eastern Europe, linking major economies like Germany, Austria, Poland, and Romania.
The strategic role is reflected in its transportation profile: in 2024, international transport dominated at 77%, while domestic transport accounted for 23% of transports, highlighting Hungary's specialty on cross-border logistics.
Download the country overview in the highest available resolution including a description of all values:
Let's explore what makes Hungarian road transport market unique among the other European countries:
Demand characteristics
Domestic transport flows in Hungary are slightly imbalanced in favor of flows from western Hungary to the Budapest metro area and to eastern regions. Industry clusters near the northern borders, including the Budapest area, along with hubs around Pécs, Debrecen and Szeged, have shaped demand patterns and road network development.
Developed manufacturing clusters help Hungary generate more outbound (54%) than inbound (46%) observed transports. In international transport flows, notable imbalances exist with Romania (outbound advantage) and Poland (mostly inbound transports).
Toll characteristics
Hungary operates a kilometer-based road toll system similar to Germany and Austria, with final rates calculated based on driven distance, road category, vehicle and emission classes.
While Hungary’s toll rates are lower than in Germany or Austria, they still represent a significant cost share for traffic, reaching up to 20% in our models, which is more than in neighboring Eastern European countries.
The toll calculations include infrastructure and external charges (noise and pollution), aligning with Eurovignette Directive requirements. The system also features yearly inflationary adjustments, with infrastructure costs stated in national currency and external charges stated in Euros. The national toll payment and collection system “HU-GO” is well integrated within the EU's EETS framework, enabling seamless toll payments for international haulers.
Infrastructure characteristics
Hungary ranks 15th in European motorway network density, with 1.871 kilometers of motorways showing below average utilization rates for goods transported.
The highway network is centered around Budapest, with major motorways and expressways extending to national borders, intersected by transverse expressway roads.
Hungary’s strategic positioning serves four vital European transport corridors, connecting major ports from the North and Baltic seas to the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
Upcoming expansion plans include M1 motorway in 2025, featuring addition of two three-lane sections and an Intelligent Transport System, followed by M3 with M7 expansions in 2027. These developments are part of a comprehensive plan to add 1,750 km of roads and numerous interchanges, bridges and bypasses by 2035.
Capacity characteristics
Foreign cabotage has historically maintained a low share in the domestic market. Despite favorable geographical positioning, foreign carriers serve local markets only occasionally, accounting for 0,4% of observed traffic - ranking 15th and falling below the 3% European average.
This, coupled with a 16% decline in new heavy trucks registration in 2024 (exceeding the EU average decline of 12%), raises concerns about mid-term domestic capacity availability. Current medium-level rejection rates for Hungarian transports and reported driver shortages further heighten these concerns.
Rate characteristics
Hungarian domestic transport rates are generally higher than in neighboring countries: for predominantly short-distance domestic transports toll expenses, border fuel price variations and location specifics significantly influence pricing.
International traffic imbalances affect cross-border rates, with lower prices for northbound transports compared to southeastern or western routes within the Schengen area. Routes over non-Schengen borders with Serbia and Ukraine face additional cost pressure due to usually significant border delays, ranging from 30 minutes to several days during peak congestion periods.
Conclusion
Hungary holds a strategic position at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe, making it vital to an inner Schengen area cargo movement. Its transport market maintains a strong international focus, supported by an EU-compliant toll system and efficient infrastructure with extra available capacity. While current market conditions remain stable with moderate capacity fluctuations and competitive rates, declining heavy truck registrations and other factors signal potential future capacity constraints. Overall, despite challenges including rising fuel costs, higher toll expenses and driver shortages, Hungary's deep integration into European supply chains ensures its continued significance in EU transportation.
For more detailed insights and updates, stay tuned for the upcoming editions of the "Understanding Road Transportation" series.
Oleksandr Kulish
Consultant