What a taxi costs in Madrid in 2026

In Madrid the taxi fare is not set by the driver or by an app. It is set by the City Council and it is the same in every taxi in the city. There is no surge pricing, no rain surcharge, and no different rate on a Friday night than on a Tuesday at the same hour.

These are the figures in force for 2026, approved in November 2025 with an average rise of 2.36%.

The two standard tariffs

There are two, and which one applies depends on the day and the hour — not on the taxi or the route:

• Tariff 1 — weekdays, 07:00 to 21:00.
• Tariff 2 — nights, weekends and public holidays, slightly higher.

The meter starts from an initial amount and adds from there by distance travelled and by time spent stationary in traffic and at lights. The exact figures are revised by the City Council each January and are displayed inside the vehicle, so you can always check them during the ride.

To give you a sense of scale: an ordinary trip across the centre — say Sol to Chamberí — usually lands between €8 and €12 on Tariff 1. Crossing the city end to end, between €20 and €30.

The airport rate: a flat €33

This is the one that causes most confusion, and it is actually the simplest.

Between Barajas airport and anywhere inside the M-30 ring road the fare is €33, flat. It is not an estimate: it is a closed rate that cannot take supplements for luggage or for the number of passengers.

It makes no difference whether it is three in the morning, whether there are four of you with four suitcases, or whether the M-40 is jammed. Thirty-three euros.

Outside the M-30, the meter applies at whichever tariff matches the hour and the day. If you are heading to Pozuelo, Alcobendas or Las Rozas, the amount depends on the distance.

Stations and IFEMA

There is a specific rate for short trips from Atocha and Chamartín stations and from the IFEMA exhibition centre, with a minimum of €8 in 2026. It is the first increase since the rate was created in 2019.

It makes sense when you think about it: these are places where a taxi can spend a long time in the rank and then make a five-minute journey.

Supplements

Supplements are fixed by regulation and there are few of them. The most notable is for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve: €7 for journeys ending between 21:00 and 07:00 the following day. It went up in 2026 after more than fifteen years unchanged.

What matters is what does not exist: no luggage surcharge on the airport rate, no fee for paying by card, and no price that moves with demand.

What changes when you book

Everything above describes the taxi that stops for you in the street. Booking is a different thing, and the difference is not on the meter.

The car waits for you, not the other way round. At the agreed time it is at your door, outside your hotel, or in the arrivals hall. No queue, no raised hand, no watching an app count down.

The driver already knows who you are. They have your flight and they track it, so if you land late the pickup moves by itself. They know how many bags and how many of you. Ask, and they meet you with a name sign and take the luggage off your hands.

And you know what you are getting into before you get into it. In the street you get whichever vehicle turns up, in whatever condition. Booking, you know a high-end electric car with a professional driver in a suit is coming, and that does not depend on the luck of the rank.

It is a different service from the one in the street, and that is where its value sits: not in paying less, but in not having to deal with anything.

And if you would rather know the price up front

You can. As well as the official meter fare, we can agree a fixed price before the journey: you confirm it when booking and that is the amount, traffic or no traffic.

It is what people travelling for work tend to choose, along with anyone going to an event with an uncertain finishing time, or who simply prefers not to watch a meter. For day trips and long-distance journeys it is the norm.

How to check it yourself

Every Madrid taxi displays its fares inside the vehicle and must issue a receipt if you ask. The meter shows which tariff is running at any moment, and you can ask the driver to explain it.

The official figures are published by Madrid City Council and updated each January.