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Driving

A BP filling station in Paranhos, Porto, with pumps under a green and white canopy, cars waiting on the forecourt and calcada paving in the foreground

Portugal Lifts the Biodiesel Ceiling in Road Diesel to Ten Percent on 1 October, and Drops the Guarantee of Low-Ethanol Petrol

Decreto-Lei n.º 188/2026 raises the FAME limit in diesel from 7 to 10 percent and makes keeping a 7 percent grade on sale a legal duty backed by a fine. On the petrol side, the obligation to offer a maximum-5-percent-ethanol grade is repealed.

The Portugal Brief 21 Sep 2026

Rows of new Volkswagen T-Roc cars lined up on the quayside at the port of Setubal in Portugal in front of the orange and white hull of a Grimaldi car carrier

While Volkswagen Sheds 50,000 More Jobs Worldwide, Portugal and Spain Are Being Asked to Build One in Ten of Its Cars

Ten billion euros goes to Autoeuropa, Martorell, Pamplona and the Sagunto battery plant, and the group's Iberian production chief says a record million vehicles is reachable next year. August output here fell 45 percent.

The Portugal Brief 20 Sep 2026

A Prio filling station on a Portuguese roadside with a car at the pumps under the canopy and a price board listing diesel and petrol prices in euros

Diesel Tax Falls Another Cent on Monday, and the Prime Minister Refuses to Go Further: 'I Am Not Going to Be the Father of Austerity'

Friday's gazette order sets the extraordinary rebate at 10.88 cents a litre on diesel and 7.42 on petrol. Montenegro put the measures at 2,300 million euros this year and ruled out the deeper cut Iniciativa Liberal wants.

The Portugal Brief 19 Sep 2026

Cars parked along a tree-lined Lisbon street beside a blue parking sign

The Cartão de Estacionamento for People With Disabilities in Portugal in 2026: A Practical Guide to the 60 Percent Threshold, the Free Ten-Year Card, and Where It Is Recognised Across the EU

Portugal's disabled parking card is free, lasts ten years and is recognised across the European Union. It is also narrower than most people assume. Who qualifies, what the medical certificate has to say, how to apply, and what the card actually lets you do.

The Portugal Brief 18 Sep 2026

A level crossing beside Silves station in the Algarve, with rails running across a black rubber road surface, a red signal board and a blue Saida exit sign on the platform

Portugal Rewrites Its Level Crossing Rulebook After 27 Years, and Gives Drivers Ten Seconds to Get Across

A decree-law published in Wednesday's gazette bans new level crossings outright, sets measured thresholds for closing the ones that remain, and writes a civil liability chapter that defines when the infrastructure manager is at fault. It starts on 1 March 2027.

The Portugal Brief 16 Sep 2026

Traffic in motion blur on both carriageways of the A20 motorway in Porto, under gantry signs for Matosinhos, Leixões and Viana do Castelo.

After a Car Accident in Portugal in 2026: A Practical Guide to the Declaração Amigável, the Eight Days to Tell Your Insurer, and the Fundo de Garantia Automóvel

Signing a declaração amigável at the roadside halves every deadline your insurer is working to. What the law guarantees: two working days to first contact, thirty to a decision, eight to payment, double-rate interest when they are late, and 200 euros a day for a missing reasoned reply.

The Portugal Brief 12 Sep 2026

The shopfront of the Escola de Conducao Campanha driving school in Porto, its windows lettered with carta de conducao and homologacao services and hung with road sign decals.

Portugal Unpicks the Troika-Era Merger That Built the IMT, Blaming It for Bottlenecks, and Moves Rail Safety to the Transport Regulator on 1 October

Decree-Law 179/2026 revokes the 2012 statute outright and takes effect on 1 October. Its preamble says the bailout-era merger of four bodies produced inefficiencies and bottlenecks. Every senior management post is vacated on day one, and rail safety moves to the AMT within 90 days.

The Portugal Brief 07 Sep 2026

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