Planning a Europe street journey? Questioning what you want to have the ability to drive in Europe? What package to hold and paperwork to take? Right here’s every part you might want to find out about driving in Europe, whether or not you’re travelling by automobile, motorhome, campervan, caravan, bike or the rest!
Don’t overlook to seize your FREE Driving in Europe guidelines to assist hold you organised.
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What do you might want to drive in Europe?
Whenever you’re planning a European street journey, it may well all really feel a bit overwhelming. There are questions over what paperwork you might want to take, do you want a inexperienced card, what gear do you want in your car and are breathalysers STILL a factor?
NOTE: This publish is up to date and takes under consideration all adjustments for driving in Europe after BREXIT and new French legal guidelines. There have been some adjustments to each gear you might want to carry in your car, and to paperwork you might want to carry. Particulars on each are under and all checklists have been up to date to conform.
Driving in Europe Guidelines
After I deliberate my first driving vacation to Europe, there wasn’t a straightforward useful resource or guidelines for a automobile, motorhome or campervan *cough, you realize, just like the one you will get under* and all of it felt a bit overwhelming.
So, to make your life simpler, here’s a listing of what you might want to drive in Europe. Truly, there are some belongings you NEED to take with you (legally) and there are some you SHOULD take (as a result of they make life extra enjoyable!)
Need to head to Europe together with your motorhome?
Seize your FREE (printable) guidelines and uncover 25 belongings you NEED to take with you if you journey in Europe. Make your life simpler right this moment.
Important Street Journey Equipment for driving in Europe
I’m sorry to say that many of the equipment you NEED in your Europe journey package aren’t very horny or enjoyable. However they’re geared toward rising your visibility and security and the police DO test in the event that they cease you- and so they do wonderful should you aren’t carrying every part you ought to be.
Issues you might want to drive in Europe- security gear
Not like within the UK, there are some belongings you legally MUST carry in your car when driving in Europe. These are:
- Hello-vis reflective jackets – one per individual (These MUST be accessible with out getting out of the vehicle- ie, don’t hold them within the storage until you may attain them from inside!)
- Warning triangle
- Headlight beam convertors– have to be fitted earlier than you drive in Europe.
- UK automobile sticker connected to the again of automobile or reg plates.
- First help package – obligatory in lots of international locations, together with France and Germany. Discover out what we stock in our European first help package right here
- For France – Angles Morts Stickers
TOP TIP: Purchase these necessities for driving in Europe prematurely. One of many least expensive locations is on Amazon. When you use someplace like Halfords or wait till you’re on the ferry, you could possibly spend two and even THREE instances as a lot!
Do I would like a breathalyser to drive in France or Europe?
Repeat after me- you do NOT want a breathalyser to drive in Europe.
It was a regulation France handed a number of years in the past… after which quietly eliminated for no matter cause. Many posts rating extremely in Google nonetheless listing a breathalyser of their important Europe driving equipment listing, however I promise you, you don’t want one.
(Need to see what driving guidelines ARE obligatory in France? Test them out HERE)
Different beneficial Europe driving package to hold for security
- Spare bulbs for all lights within the car
- Torch
- Hearth extinguisher – I take advantage of the Hearth Security Stick
- Blanket- helpful in case your passengers get chilly! (Do you know you should purchase a 12v heated blanket? It’s superb!)
- Water and snacks- simply in case you run into visitors or breakdown someplace distant.
Street journey equipment you MIGHT want when driving in Europe
The next package are belongings you may want to hold in your automobile, motorhome, caravan or campervan, relying on when and the place you might be planning your street journey in Europe.
- Snow chains/ winter tyres– test the foundations on the nation you might be visiting and pay shut consideration to the DATES when the snow chain/ snow tyres guidelines come into drive. When you’re undecided, learn THIS. France handed a regulation in November 2021 about winter tyres and snow chains- learn it in full right here.
- Clear Air tax in some French cities, referred to as Crit’Air. Right here’s what you want to find out about these.
- Blind Spot Stickers. In case your motorhome is over 3.5 tonnes and also you’re planning to go to constructed up areas in France, you’ll have to match these Blind spot warning stickers.
- Motorway tax/ Vignette. These are enforced in a number of international locations throughout Europe, together with Switzerland and Austria. You should have them fitted in your car earlier than/ as you cross the border. You should purchase them in garages very simply. Bear in mind, in case you are motorhoming in Switzerland in a car over 3.5t, you may want greater than a standard vignette.
- Watch out for Portugal, the place you might want to carry a short lived toll system with the intention to use among the motorways- learn our information to motorhoming in Portugal
- Pink/ white warning board signal – for bike racks or something overhanging the top of the motorhome or campervan. These should not presently obligatory in France, however they ARE obligatory if motorhoming in Italy or Spain. Get the dearer aluminium one – the cheaper variations should not authorized in Italy.
What paperwork do you might want to drive in Europe?
When you’re driving in Europe, you might want to carry the next paperwork:
- Passport (or identification card)
- Driving licence (test it’s in date!)
- Automobile Insurance coverage documents- test you might be coated for driving in Europe
- Breakdown cowl
- Automobile V5 logbook (which should present your appropriate tackle)
- Automobile have to be legally taxed and MOT’d
- Trailer certification (if required)
- Inexperienced card (if required- often just for trailers. Test & get out of your car insurer)
- Worldwide Driving Allow if required
- Private journey insurance coverage
Do I would like a global driving allow to drive in Europe?
Most UK residents don’t want an IDP to drive within the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein you probably have a card driving licence issued within the UK.
You may want one you probably have:
- a paper driving licence solely
- a licence issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man
(When you do want an IDP, right here’s an in-depth information on tips on how to get an Worldwide Driving Allow and which one(s) you want from a UK publish workplace.
Planning to take your motorhome to Europe?
Driving in Europe- Different helpful belongings you may want
We’ve been touring Europe in our motorhome for a number of years. We’ve tried all types of kit- some helpful, some not a lot.
Here’s a listing of issues we extremely advocate when driving in Europe, however that are NOT important:
RELATED: Planning a winter motorhome journey? Learn this to see different gear you may want
Motorhome/ Camper journey equipment for Europe
When you’re travelling Europe in a motorhome or camper, listed here are some additional belongings you may discover useful:
Tolls in Europe
Most international locations in Europe which don’t have vignettes have tolls. Usually, the tolls are computerized and take card funds, however should you can carry change you’ll discover the queues for these lanes are usually shorter.
We LOVE our computerized toll cross (It was referred to as Sanef, however now it’s Emovis which permits us to breeze via the tolls when touring in France, Spain & Portugal.)
It’s a bit field which sticks to the windscreen and every time we undergo a toll it provides itself to our invoice, which is emailed to us on the finish of the month. Cost is taken mechanically if that’s what you like. They’ve comparable techniques for Scandanavia as well- we used BroBizz after we have been over 3.5 tonnes on our motorhome vacation to Norway
It’s not an important motorhome accent, and you’ll fortunately tour Europe with out it, nevertheless it actually does assist.
Driving in Europe- issues to do earlier than you permit
Don’t overlook to do these important car checks earlier than you permit with the intention to ensure you don’t have any disagreeable surprises in your journey!
Primary car upkeep:
- Test tyre stress
- If the car hasn’t been began for some time, begin the engine and provides it a run, simply to make certain!
- BRAKES. Test your brakes and brake fluid. Please. Halfords do a free brake test and after our horrible expertise of driving down a mountain in Switzerland with none brakes, we test ours repeatedly!
- Tyre tread. In case your tread could be very low and also you’re about to set off driving round Europe, think about doing the identical. When you’re going for a few weeks and your tread is okay, you ought to be wonderful till you get again. When you’re undecided, ask your native storage.
- Windscreen. Test for chips, cracks or different imperfections. You could be coated by insurance coverage in Europe, but when it cracks fully, it’s going to eat into your vacation time. Higher to get it sorted now and never have to fret about it.
- Lights. Make certain all of your lights, indicators and so forth are working. It’s scary what number of motorhomes and caravans we’ve seen with indicators or brake lights which aren’t working accurately. Don’t give the European police a straightforward cause to wonderful you. (And people fines are on the spot!)
- Washer fluid
- Oil
- Water ranges in radiator you probably have an older motorhome/ campervan.
- Adblue
- Battery- in case you are in any doubt concerning the starter battery or motorhome home battery (or another battery you might have), get it checked and exchange if crucial
- Test fluid in washer fluid reservoir
- Test windscreen wipers
- Test something mounted to the skin of the motorhome is safe
- Test door locks- a lot simpler to get it mounted now than later! We fitted a further motorhome door lock for safety.
- Test to make sure bolts haven’t labored free on bike rack
- Test towbar and all electrics
- Test straps for fraying
- Test tread on trailer tyres
- Test brakes if it’s a braked trailer
- Test fixings on roof containers/ exterior baggage carriers to make sure they’re nonetheless correctly fitted.
- When you’re planning a motorhome, campervan, RV or caravan journey, test as many car techniques as possible- heating, aircon, fridge, photo voltaic panel, water, rest room, batteries… should you discover an issue now you continue to have time to repair it earlier than you journey if you might want to.
What to do in case you are renting a car on your European street journey?
If you’re hiring a motorhome or camper in Europe, it’s YOUR accountability to verify the car has the required security tools. The on-the-spot fines apply to you as the motive force, not the corporate. Test prematurely with the corporate what package they are going to present with the car and what you’ll need to carry.
Take a listing of what’s legally required with you and test it off one after the other as you might be given the handover. Don’t drive till you might be blissful you adjust to the native legal guidelines.
Be sure to have proof that you may take the car throughout a border into one other nation if that’s what you’re planning on doing.
I hope you now really feel higher ready for driving in Europe.
Different Europe Journey ideas you may discover useful:
For extra data, go to our Europe journey part for recommendation, vacation spot concepts and extra.
Final replace on 2025-04-20 / Affiliate hyperlinks / Photographs from Amazon Product Promoting API