Turkey by campervan: driving, tolls and rules
Driving a campervan in Turkey: speed limits, tolls, low-emission zones, required equipment and key road rules. What to know before you go.
Published 18 September 2026Last checked 18 September 2026
Currency
Turkish lira
TRY, not the euro. 55.90 TL to €1 on 18 September 2026
Insurance
Green card, TR box open
A crossed out TR box means the policy does not cover Turkey
Driving
Right
Every toll road needs an HGS account
Language
Turkish
English on the coast, much less inland
Power
230V, type F
Same two-pin plug as most of Europe
Emergency
112
One number for police, fire and ambulance
Driving
Driving
There are no cash lanes on Turkey's tolled motorways and bridges, and this is what catches foreign vehicles. The national roads authority states plainly that foreign-plated vehicles using them must hold an HGS account with enough balance to cover the toll. You open one at a PTT branch, including the branches at the customs gates themselves, or at a bank. Do it as you cross, not when you meet the first barrier.
Speed limits, from the roads authority's published table
| Vehicle category | Town | Two-way road | Divided road | Motorway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Car, M1 | 50 | 90 | 110 | 130, or 140 on a concession motorway |
| Panel van, N1 | 50 | 85 | 100 | 110 |
| Light truck, N1 | 50 | 80 | 85 | 95 |
| Minibus, M2 | 50 | 80 | 90 | 100 |
| Bus, M2 and M3 | 50 | 80 | 90 | 100 |
All figures are km/h. The roads authority's table has no row for a motor caravan, although the road traffic law defines one as a vehicle not used for freight whose interior is fitted for holidaying. In practice the limit follows the category printed on your registration document, so a coachbuilt motorhome on an M1 base and a converted panel van on an N1 base are not on the same line. The 130 and 140 motorway figures for cars were set by an Interior Ministry instruction in June 2022.
HGS, the thing that catches foreign vehicles
- Open the account at a PTT branch at the border gate. The roads authority names the customs-gate PTT offices specifically, alongside branches and banks inside the country.
- Keep a balance. The requirement is not just to have an account but to hold enough to cover the crossing.
Fuel and filling up
- Petrol Ofisi's published board in September 2026: diesel 96.30 lira a litre in European Istanbul, 97.40 in Ankara, 97.70 in İzmir, 98.70 in Antalya and 99.00 in Van.
- Petrol on the same board ran 80.40 to 82.90 lira a litre over the same cities, and autogas 34.99 in Istanbul.
Tolls a van meets, 2026 tariffs, VAT included
| Road or bridge | Class 1, car | Class 2, long van |
|---|---|---|
| Edirne to Istanbul on the O-3, the road in from Kapıkule | 168.00 TL | 193.00 TL |
| Bosphorus: 15 Temmuz Şehitler and Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridges | 59.00 TL | 75.00 TL |
| Bosphorus: Yavuz Sultan Selim bridge | 110.00 TL | 145.00 TL |
| Osmangazi bridge over the Gulf of İzmit | 1,170.00 TL | 1,870.00 TL |
| 1915 Çanakkale bridge over the Dardanelles | 1,170.00 TL | 1,465.00 TL |
The two long suspension bridges are the expensive ones, and both are avoidable. The Osmangazi bridge saves a long drive round the Gulf of İzmit and charges accordingly, and the Çanakkale bridge does the same across the Dardanelles where a ferry has always run. Check the bridge class table too: the roads authority lists which classes each Istanbul bridge takes, and karavan appears explicitly on the Yavuz Sultan Selim list, not on the other two.
What overstaying the vehicle's permitted period costs, 2026 figures
Past three months the Ministry of Trade applies the customs law instead, and the penalty becomes a quarter of the vehicle's customs duties, which on a motorhome is not a parking-ticket sort of number. The permitted period is visible online through the foreign-plated vehicle service, and the Ministry sends reminders to a verified email address if you register one.