Tips for driving abroad in 2024

Driving abroad can be a great way to explore another country. Whether you’re hiring a car, or plan or taking your own with you – we’ll cover everything you need to know including the paperwork you need to take with you, the laws in different countries, and which side of the road you should drive on.

In the UK we’re used to driving on the left side of the road in a right-hand-drive car. But the majority of countries abroad drive on the right side of the road. This means the steering wheel is on the left hand side of the car and drivers overtake from the left side of the vehicle being overtaken.
Most European countries follow right-hand traffic, except for Cyprus, Ireland, Malta and the United Kingdom. In America too, drivers follow right-hand traffic except for Guyana and Suriname. Aside from the initial confusion of knowing which side of the road and adapting accordingly, right-hand drive cars are likely to have headlights that point in a direction that will dazzle oncoming traffic. Some modern cars will have a feature in a menu somewhere to fix this, but in most cases, it’s worth investing in deflector strips, which blank out the offending parts of the headlight. When travelling to a different country, you could either take your own car or hire a car abroad – the documents you’ll need and the procedures you’ll have to follow will depend upon how you get a car.

You should be able to drive your car in most countries, but there are a few things to keep in mind:

Make sure you have the right documents

Carrying the right documents when driving abroad is important as you’ll need to present these if stopped and asked for proof. When driving abroad, you’ll need to carry all the documents you usually need to drive in the UK – your V5C, insurance and tax papers and an MOT. You’ll also need to carry your: • Passport • Travel insurance documents • Valid driving licence • Vehicle registration certificate (original, not a copy) • Motor insurance certificate

Check whether you need additional documents

1. Some countries may also need additional taxation and licencing documents, for example, Liechtenstein, Mexico and Somalia require you to have an International Certificate for Motor Vehicles (ICMV) as well, so make sure you check the country’s specific laws and requirements. 2. If you’re driving in the EU, you’ll need a UK sticker on the car unless it has an EU number plate. If you’re going outside of the EU, however, it’s advisable to have the sticker on anyway. 3. Outside of the EU, you might require an international driving permit and a visa, depending on the country. Learn more about international driving permit and whether you need it or not. 4. Some countries outside the EU require you to pay import duty when taking your own car – make sure you check whether you require it or not. The amount of duty charged will depend upon the country you’re visiting. If the country you’re visiting requires you to pay import duty, you could consider buying a CPD Carnet instead (if applicable) – this allows you to take your own car to the foreign country for a short period of time, without paying duty. Make sure you apply at least four weeks in advance.

Check your driving licence is valid for driving abroad

If you have a full UK driving licence (not provisional) then it should be valid for driving abroad. You can use your UK photocard driving licence in the EU even after Brexit - obviously, as long as it’s valid for driving in the UK too. You won’t be able to drive abroad if you’ve been disqualified in the UK. Remember that your physical driving licence card needs to be updated every 10 years, and the photo needs to be up-to-date on each renewal. Make sure that your licence isn’t set to expire while you’re away as you need to have a valid licence once you come back to the UK. Your driving licence should also include the correct address and correct name if it has changed. You can update your address for free here.

Under the current EU rules, your UK car insurance policy should give you automatic third-party cover in the EU, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Serbia and Switzerland. But this may not be true for other countries – depending upon your insurance provider and the level of cover - so make sure you confirm that your car is covered in the country you’re driving in by checking the policy’s terms and conditions.
You can either check your insurance policy documents or contact your insurance provider to find out whether your car is insured to drive abroad. This will also show you the level of cover your policy offers, and how long you're insured for. Some policies may limit the number of days you're covered for. When driving abroad, make sure you carry a copy of your insurance certificate, so you can prove you are covered. Various non-EU countries like Albania, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Iran, Israel, Morocco and Tunisia require a “green card” from your insurer to prove your car is insured. A green card is basically an international insurance certificate that can help prove you have a minimum cover on your policy. The green card should be free, but you may be asked to extend your cover if the insurer sees fit. If you do need to extend your insurance, make sure you include all the countries you’ll travel through. You can compare car insurance deals to get the best quote for your car. Just remember that, in most countries, you must drive on the right, so you may therefore find it easier to hire and drive a left-hand drive car.

Hiring a car in the country you’re travelling to saves you the hassle of taking your own car and sorting out documents. This can, however, be more costly depending upon the car you hire and for how long.
You will need your full UK driving licence and passport to hire a car. You may also need an international driving permit (IDP) and green card to hire a car – depending upon the requirements of the country you’ll be driving in. You don't need an IDP to drive in the EU, but may need one in other countries. Just note than IDPs are no longer available from the Post Office, so you'll have to find a participating PayPoint store to get one. Some rental companies may also request your driving licence information – you’ll need a DVLA driving licence code for this. You can request this up to 21 days ahead of your trip. Usually, insurance is covered in the hiring cost but make sure to confirm what level of cover you’re getting and the amount of hire excess you get to claim back any extra costs you may incur. Some companies may have a minimum age limit or a certain number of years of driving experience required when hiring out cars – make sure you ask the company before making any payments. If you’re hiring or leasing a car in the UK to drive abroad, you’ll need a VE103 certificate.

Different countries have different laws, but some of them are more obvious than others.

Speed limits are the easiest ones to spot. In most countries they’re similar to British speed limits – just remember that they’re likely to be in kilometres per hour, not miles per hour.
Germany’s network of Autobahns is wrongly thought of as being a high-speed free-for-all, with no speed limits. In fact, most of the motorway network in Germany is now limited. Large sections are still de-restricted, with an advisory limit of 130 kmh (81mph), but it’s very important to be certain that you’re on a de-restricted stretch, as speed limits are rigorously enforced and heavily punished.

In many European countries, it’s a legal requirement to carry certain things in the car. In France for example, it’s a requirement to carry at least two disposable breathalysers in the car (it’s also worth remembering that the drink-drive limit is lower than in the UK). These must be certified by the authorities.
Also mandatory in France are warning triangles (to be placed behind the car in the event of a breakdown) a fire-extinguisher, reflective jackets – which must be easily accessible and therefore not in the boot – and replacement light bulbs for your car, as it is illegal to drive with any of your lights not working.

In many countries, the police have the right to fine you there and then – even taking you to a cashpoint – and collect the fines themselves, rather than going through the whole administrative process that we have in the UK.

Toll roads aren’t something we encounter much in the UK, except for a small section of the M6 or the occasional bridge.
Many roads in other countries, particularly parts of Europe, have toll gates. French tolls (péages) are almost ubiquitous and will involve stopping to pay for your journey. You can either pay using spare change, or you can fit an electronic tag which communicates with sensors in the booths and debits your bank account every time you use it. This tag also allows you to use separate lanes which are often less busy and sometimes non-stop, lifting the barriers automatically as you drive through slowly.

Driving on the continent is pretty similar to driving in the UK – it just takes a little bit more planning, research and organisation.
Make sure you know the rules of the road in the countries you’re going to and, above all, don’t give the local law enforcement any excuse to book you – it can be much more expensive and much more sudden if you get caught doing something wrong abroad. Lastly, and most importantly, don’t forget to drive on the right side of the road! You can shop for left-hand cars on Auto Trader UK.