What most tourists get wrong about driving a rental in Croatia in 2026 is the “young driver speed limit.” The rule that drivers under 25 must drive 10 km/h below the posted limit applies only to “mladi vozač” status, which Croatian law defines as a person who holds a Croatian-issued driving licence and is 24 years old or younger (Zakon o sigurnosti prometa na cestama, Article 222). A foreign tourist with a US, UK, German, or other non-Croatian licence is not bound by this clause, regardless of age. Speed limits in Croatia are uniform across the country and well-signposted on motorways, expressways, and rural secondary roads. The Ministry of the Interior (mup.gov.hr) publishes the official speed schedule under the Road Traffic Safety Act, and the Croatian Auto Club (HAK) summarises real-world fine ranges that traffic police apply when limits are exceeded. The fine schedule under the Road Traffic Safety Act increases sharply with the size of the violation. Speeding 11–30 km/h over the urban limit currently triggers a fine of around €60, exceeding the limit by 30–50 km/h carries a fine of around €260, and exceeding by more than 50 km/h is around €660 plus possible licence withdrawal and driving prohibition. Mobile speed cameras are common on the D75 between Pula and Rovinj, and on the A9 around the Vodnjan and Kaštel toll plazas during peak summer weekends. Croatian police accept Visa and Mastercard for on-the-spot fines, so you do not need to find a post office or bank if you are pulled over for a minor speeding violation. The Istrian Y, locally called Istarski ipsilon, is the network of two motorway segments that link Pula to the rest of Croatia and to the Slovenian border. Bina Istra concession company operates this network under a long-term concession agreement, which is a separate operator from Hrvatske autoceste (HAC) — the company that runs all other Croatian motorways. This matters because tolls, ENC tags, and discount schemes from HAC do not automatically apply on Bina Istra’s A8 and A9, and vice versa. A Pula→Trieste day trip via the A9 typically costs around €8 in Croatian Bina Istra tolls plus the Slovenian segment, where you must purchase an electronic e-vignette through the official portal vinjete.dars.si. The 7-day Slovenian e-vignette costs €15.60 and is required even for transit on the short stretch from the border to Trieste. A Pula→Ljubljana run uses the A9 plus the Slovenian A1 and totals roughly the same Croatian toll plus the same single Slovenian vignette purchase. Bina Istra applies a seasonal surcharge of 10% on A8 and A9 from 1 June to 30 September. The surcharge appears on the receipt automatically; there is no opt-out. The A8 between Pula and Rijeka becomes especially busy on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings during July and August, and the Učka tunnel can see 30-minute backups at peak season departure days. Sources: bina-istra.com toll calculator, hac.hr toll schedule. If you plan more than two return trips on the A8 or A9 — for example a Pula → Rijeka day trip plus a Pula → Trieste run — installing a Bina Istra ENC tag becomes worth the deposit even for a 7–10 day rental. Toll plazas on the Istrian Y and on HAC motorways accept three payment methods: cash in euros, contactless or chip-and-PIN credit/debit card, and ENC (Elektronička naplata cestarine) electronic transponder. Each method has trade-offs that affect both speed and cost. Most rental cars in Pula do not come with an ENC tag installed. SIXT, Enterprise, and Europcar can supply one on request for a daily fee plus the discounted toll passes, while local suppliers such as Last Minute Rent a Car and Nova Rent a Car typically expect tourists to use cash or card lanes. If the rental contract does not list ENC equipment explicitly, assume the car does not have it and budget for cash or card payment at every plaza. Some Croatian motorway plazas downgrade contactless card processing during peak Saturday traffic to keep the queues moving. Carry a small reserve of euro coins so you can clear the barrier if your card is rejected. The Croatian government has officially confirmed that the Crolibertas free-flow tolling system launches on 1 March 2027. The system uses 212 ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) detection portals along the entire HAC and Bina Istra network. There will be no more toll booths, no more paper tickets, and no more cash queues — vehicles drive through at posted speed and the system reads the licence plate.