Stop at a service station but how much will it cost me? Up to 8 euros for a sandwich and crazy prices for drinks, ice cream and coffee too

Not just petrol and toll booths, the costs of a trip on Italian motorways can also increase due to stops at roadside restaurants, where the products (water, breakfast, sandwiches, ice cream, etc.) have truly prohibitive prices

With the arrival of summer, thousands of people are preparing to travel to various holiday destinations, but the stops along Italian motorways could prove more expensive than expected. This is according to an investigation conducted by Altroconsumo which highlighted how the prices in the refreshment points of motorway service areas are significantly higher than those found in normal city bars.

In reality, we had all already noticed it but now the consumer magazine puts the situation on paper, with an estimate of the prices of various products.

For the investigation they were 22 different service areas were examined along the main motorway routes, from the metropolitan area of ​​Milan to that of Naples, passing through Rome and Venice. The results highlight how a vast range of products all have a common characteristic: truly exaggerated prices!

Crazy prices in truck stops

Among the products that have reached the most absurd prices are the sandwiches. According to the data collected, the average price of a sandwich is around 7 euros, with some peaks that can reach up to 8 euros. This means that, compared to the average 4.20 euros spent in traditional bars, you can pay up to 70% more for a simple sandwich.

Also to have breakfast it’s definitely expensive. A cappuccino costs around 1.84 euros, while for a brioche you spend an average of 1.72 euros. These are decidedly higher prices than the national average for breakfast at the bar, where a cappuccino costs on average 1.64 euros and a brioche 1.57 euros.

In practice, on the motorway you pay 12% more for a cappuccino and 26% more for a croissant. Even for a simple person coffee the situation is similar, the average price of 1.35 euros represents an increase of 14% compared to the 1.17 euros spent on average in bars.

There are no discounts even for the purchase of a fundamental good such as water and bottled mineral water represents a significant cost for travellers. The the average price of mineral water is around 3.16 euros per litre for small bottles. This price is significantly higher than the approximately 35 cents per liter for a half-liter bottle found in supermarkets (Altroconsumo data, March 2024).

Also drinks are high priced. A glass of orange soda or cola can cost up to 8 euros per liter and even in this case the smaller formats, such as 330 ml or 450 ml bottles, are more expensive per liter than the larger versions.

As regards energy drinks, the expense has an average cost of around 13.57 euros per litre. Again, smaller sizes such as 250ml cans tend to cost more per liter than larger packs.

THE ice creams packaged represent another common purchase in service areas, with a average cost of around 3 euros per pack. The price per kilo of these ice creams often exceeds 38 euros, with some variants even costing over 50 euros per kilo. We are talking about figures considerably higher than the approximately 17 euros per kilo for similar ice creams found in supermarkets.

As regards Magnum Algida ice creams, a peculiarity was then noticed. They are found in rest areas in 3 different formats with significant differences in price per kilo. For example, the 86 g format is sold for 36.18 euros per kilo, while the smaller 69.5 g format reaches 47.17 euros per kilo. This means that the price per kilo of the smaller format is 30% higher than that of the larger format.

As regards the french fries, in the rest areas you can mainly find the San Carlo, Pringles and Amica chips brands. Prices vary significantly depending on the format: small 45 g packets cost on average 2.50 euros, which corresponds to 55.56 euros per kilo; the larger 190 g formats have an average cost of 3.52 euros (equivalent to 18.51 euros per kilo).

For Tuc crackers, the standard 100 g format varies in price from 2.44 euros to 3.55 euros per pack. This indicates a significant variation based on the point of sale, with an average of 3.16 euros per pack.

Finally also analyzed the chocolate which in truck stops has average prices for a 100 g bar of around 3.70 euros, with extremes ranging from 1.20 euros to 6.29 euros. The brands vary widely in price per kilo: Lindt is among the most expensive brands with a price of 5.49 euros per pack, which corresponds to 48.21 euros per kilo; Novi and Ritter Sport have lower prices, respectively 3.87 euros and 3.36 euros per pack.

On average, the cost of chocolate on the motorway is around 34.61 euros per kilo, significantly higher than the 19 euros per kilo of what you buy in supermarkets.

In short, considering these crazy prices, It’s definitely better to bring water bottles from home with water and soft drinks (an excellent choice also from an environmental point of view) along with a well-stocked cooler of sandwiches, fresh fruit, snacks and everything you need to make the most of your trip, without contributing to this price speculation.

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Source: Altroconsumo

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