Driving in Europe: the rules, documents and tips you need to know

Around two million Brits will embark on driving holidays in Europe this year, with the majority heading for France, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

And in this guide, we'll take you through the rules to obey and the documents to take. Our team of expert reviewers spend a lot of time testing new cars on the Continent, and have offered by their top tips, too.

What documents do I need to drive in Europe?

It’s important to be aware of the latest requirements for driving in the EU, to ensure you enjoy your trip without any unexpected problems or hold-ups.

There are three essential documents you need to take with you if you’re driving your own car in Europe:

• The car’s V5 registration document.
• Your photocard driving licence.
• A copy of your car insurance certificate to show that you have cover for the vehicle.

The requirement for a green card, which acts as proof of insurance, has changed, and this is no longer needed for most EU countries.

Road tester’s tip "If you do need an insurance green card, ask your insurer for it at least one month before you’re travelling to ensure you get it in good time. In my experience, paperwork that's held up is a headache you can do without." — Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

The rules on the expiry date of British passports and driving licences changed on 31 January 2020, when the UK left the European Union. From that date, you must have at least six months remaining on your passport and driving licence when you enter the Schengen region, which encompasses the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Although the technical requirement is that you need only have three months left on these documents, the fact that you can stay in the Schengen area for 90 days means border staff will check there’s at least six months remaining.

Kit to take when driving in Europe

In addition to these documents, it’s mandatory to carry certain items in your car when driving in Europe. For Austria, France and Germany, you must have a first aid kit, and for France you also need a warning triangle and a fluorescent safety vest for each person travelling in the vehicle. The high-vis jackets need to be kept inside the car, rather than in the boot.

All British-registered cars travelling into Europe must also display a UK sticker on their rear end unless the car has Euro number plates, which show a circle of 12 stars on a blue background. The requirement for Cyprus, Malta and Spain is for a UK sticker regardless of the type of numberplate. If your car has an old GB sticker, you need to replace it with a UK one.

The other important requirement for your car is that its headlights are adjusted for driving on the right-hand side of the road instead of the left, so they don’t dazzle oncoming drivers.

In many new cars, especially those with adaptive LED headlights, you can adjust the beam from left to right via a menu in the infotainment system. However, older cars are less likely to have this, and you’ll need to either buy and fit headlight-beam converter stickers, or visit a garage to have the beams adjusted.

Road tester’s tip "Don’t leave it to the last minute to alter your car’s headlights, because there might be a wait if you have to book your car into a workshop to have this done." — Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Other recommended items

You’re not legally required to take these items, but they might be useful en route:

• Fire extinguisher
• Replacement bulbs
• Torch
• Spare fuel can
• Extra oil and water for topping up the engine
• Plenty of drinking water
• Up-to-date road map or sat-nav with appropriate maps
• Blanket
• Sunblock
• European Health Insurance Card (this gives you access to public healthcare at the same rate as residents of the country you’re visiting)

Road tester’s tip "Using a sat-nav not only gives you directions but also provides helpful information on what lane you should be in, which exit to take off a motorway and what speed limit to stick to. If you don’t have an onboard sat-nav, I always recommend using Google Maps on your phone. Just remember to keep your phone in a holder at all times, rather than in your hand or lap." — Doug Revolta, Head of Video

Do I need a driving permit to drive in Europe?

When the UK left the EU following Brexit, it became mandatory for all Brits driving their own car or a hire car there to have an International Driving Permit (IDP), but most countries no longer require this.

As a general rule, as long as you have a photocard driving licence issued in the UK, you don’t need an IDP for the Schengen nations. However, you might need an IDP to drive in some EU countries (and Norway) if you have a paper driving licence or a photocard issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man.

There are three different IDPs, although only two are used in most EU states and European Economic Area (EEA) countries. It’s worth checking the gov.uk website to check which type you might need. You might need more than one IDP if you’re planning to travel through more than one country.

The IDP is currently available only from certain shops in the PayPoint network, at a cost of £5.50. That means you’ll have to pay £11 if you need two individual permits. You’ll need to present the cashier with your UK driving licence photocard and a passport-approved photograph of yourself. If you have an old-style paper driving licence, you will also need to present a valid UK passport as proof of identity.

Car insurance when driving in Europe

All UK vehicle insurance policies provide the minimum EU requirement of third-party cover for driving your car in Europe, but it’s worth considering upgrading this to comprehensive cover or adding extra cover for theft of or damage to your car while abroad.

Before altering your insurance, draw up a list of all the countries you’re planning on driving through, so you can share this information with your insurer. You might also need to ask your insurer for a green card, which serves as proof of insurance for your car. Green cards are no longer required for UK drivers visiting the 30 countries of the European Economic Area (EEA), plus Andorra, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Switzerland. However, they’re compulsory in some other European countries, Asia and North Africa.

Extend your breakdown cover

Your standard breakdown cover isn’t likely to provide assistance if your car suffers a fault outside the UK, so you’ll need to extend this or buy additional cover from another provider.

If you’re planning on making more than one foreign foray in the next year, we’d recommend annual European breakdown cover. Otherwise, single-trip cover might be the best value if your trip is for a week or less. Using online comparison sites, we found single-trip cover for a week for around £55, and annual cover for around £120.

Rather than simply adding European cover to your existing policy, it’s worth shopping around to check out the best prices and any special deals. It’s also important to check the small print before choosing cover to ensure that it provides all the services you’re likely to require, such as a decent allowance to pay for your vehicle to be fixed, onward travel for your entire party and sufficient allowance to pay to get your car home if it can’t be fixed while abroad. Other services, such as the provider having a 24/7 helpline might also be important to you.

Prepare to drive on the right

It might sound obvious to state that the rest of Europe drives on the other side of the road from us, but it’s easy to forget. While it’ll be easy to remember this as you disembark a ferry in a line of traffic, you also need to remember to go the other way around roundabouts and when leaving car parks and petrol stations. Sticking a Post-It note on your dashboard with an arrow can be a useful reminder.

European speed limits and fines

The motorway speed limit in most European countries is 130km/h (80mph), although some stretches of the German autobahn are still unrestricted, meaning they have no speed limit.

Motorway speed limits can be reduced in bad weather (generally to 110km/h or 68mph) when it’s raining), and some European countries have different speed limits for the winter and summer months. The limit on most rural roads is 80km/h or 90km/h (50-56mph) and on urban streets it is 50km/h (31mph).

Just like the UK, many European countries have speed cameras and police speed checks. In France, fines range from €45-€1500 (£38-£1260), so it’s vital to find out the speed limits in every country you’re driving through, and to abide by them on your trip.

Road tester’s tip "Driving an electric car at 130km/h on a European motorway might use up range faster than you’re used to in the UK, so factor this in when planning charging stops." — Lawrence Cheung

European motoring offences

There are a number of other laws to bear in mind. For example, it’s against the law in most European countries to use any device that is capable of detecting speed traps or cameras. If you use a sat-nav with a speed camera alert in the UK, where it is legal, you must deactivate this feature while driving in Europe.

It is also illegal to use headphones or earphones while driving in Europe, whether or not they are connected to music or being used for phone calls. If you’re caught doing so, you could be fined around €135 (£113). This is stricter than UK law, which doesn’t list driving while wearing headphones as a specific offence, but states that a driver could be prosecuted for not driving with enough care and attention.

The laws regarding handheld mobile phone use are similar to those in the UK. Anyone caught using a mobile phone (for any purpose) anywhere other than in a designated parking space, and with the engine turned off, is likely to face a fine of at least €135 (£113).

European motorways versus non-toll roads

Many European countries charge a toll to travel along their most modern motorways. Driving from Calais to Marseilles on French autoroutes will cost around €90 in tolls, but you can use routes nationales (the equivalent of the UK’s A-roads) instead; these are free of tolls.

However, journeys generally take longer on non-toll roads, so you might have to factor in an overnight stopover, which will bump up the cost. So, to avoid paying over the odds to travel or being caught out en route, use an online planner to work out the cost of the roads you’re planning on using and the best route for you.

While most motorways in France that are subject to tolls have barrier toll gates, certain motorway sections (A4, A14, A79) have become completely barrier-free in a bid to free up the flow of traffic.

On these stretches of road, your car’s numberplate is scanned when you pass a detection gate, and you need to pay the toll fee, either at a machine in a service station or online soon afterwards, or you’ll face a hefty fine. If you’ve not paid within 72 hours, €10 is added to the toll amount. If you haven’t paid after 10 days, the amount goes up to €90, and after 60 days it increases to €375.

Road tester’s tip "Bear in mind that European toll windows are on the wrong side of the car for the driver to reach out the window and pay. I always make sure my front passenger is ready and prepared to take on this task." — Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

European low-emission zones

There are hundreds of different low-emission zones and schemes to restrict traffic and cut pollution in cities across Europe. These could mean that you have to pay more to drive through an urban area, or you may even be denied access altogether at certain times. For example, Italy has more than 350 camera-enforced Limited Traffic Zones; drive into one in a non-compliant vehicle or at the wrong time and you’ll get an automatic fine.

France has the Crit’Air badge system, which operates in a number of cities including Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nice, Toulouse and Strasbourg. You’ll need to pre-purchase a compliance sticker for your car and display it on the windscreen to avoid a fine.

We’d recommend checking in advance for low-emissions zones in any cities you’re planning on visiting.

Towing a caravan or trailer in Europe

If you are driving with a trailer or caravan with a gross weight of more than 3500kg, you might need to register it before travelling and it might need its own registration plate that’s different from the one on your car. Find UK Government guidance on trailer registration on the gov.uk website.

European emergency services phone number

Store 112 in your mobile phone contacts; it’s the emergency number for the police, fire brigade and ambulance services when in Europe. 

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