Planning a Europe street journey? Questioning what you want to have the ability to drive in Europe? What equipment to hold and paperwork to take? Right here’s the whole lot you should find out about driving in Europe, whether or not you’re travelling by automobile, motorhome, campervan, caravan, bike or anything!
Don’t neglect to seize your FREE Driving in Europe guidelines to assist maintain you organised.
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What do you should drive in Europe?
While you’re planning a European street journey, it may possibly all really feel a bit overwhelming. There are questions over what paperwork you should take, do you want a inexperienced card, what gear do you want in your automobile and are breathalysers STILL a factor?
NOTE: This submit is up to date and takes under consideration all modifications for driving in Europe after BREXIT and new French legal guidelines. There have been some modifications to each gear you should carry in your automobile, and to paperwork you should 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 simple useful resource or guidelines for a automobile, motorhome or campervan *cough, you recognize, 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 should drive in Europe. Truly, there are some stuff 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 stuff you NEED to take with you while you journey in Europe. Make your life simpler right now.
Important Highway Journey Equipment for driving in Europe
I’m sorry to say that many of the equipment you NEED in your Europe journey equipment aren’t very horny or enjoyable. However they’re geared toward growing your visibility and security and the police DO examine in the event that they cease you- and so they do effective when you aren’t carrying the whole lot you ought to be.
Issues you should drive in Europe- security gear
Not like within the UK, there are some stuff you legally MUST carry in your automobile 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 maintain them within the storage until you possibly can attain them from inside!)
- Warning triangle
- Headlight beam convertors– have to be fitted earlier than you drive in Europe.
- UK automobile sticker hooked up to the again of automobile or reg plates.
- First support equipment – obligatory in lots of nations, together with France and Germany. Discover out what we stock in our European first support equipment right here
- For France – Angles Morts Stickers
TOP TIP: Purchase these necessities for driving in Europe upfront. One of many least expensive locations is on Amazon. In the event you use someplace like Halfords or wait till you’re on the ferry, you might spend two and even THREE occasions as a lot!
Do I want 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 motive. 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? Verify them out HERE)
Different beneficial Europe driving equipment to hold for security
- Spare bulbs for all lights within the automobile
- Torch
- Hearth extinguisher – I exploit 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.
Highway journey equipment you MIGHT want when driving in Europe
The next equipment are stuff you would possibly 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– examine the principles on the nation you might be visiting and pay shut consideration to the DATES when the snow chain/ snow tyres guidelines come into drive. In the event you’re unsure, 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 must match these Blind spot warning stickers.
- Motorway tax/ Vignette. These are enforced in a number of nations throughout Europe, together with Switzerland and Austria. You have to have them fitted in your automobile 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 automobile over 3.5t, you would possibly want greater than a standard vignette.
- Watch out for Portugal, the place you should carry a short lived toll system so as to use a few of the motorways- learn our information to motorhoming in Portugal
- Pink/ white warning board signal – for bike racks or something overhanging the tip of the motorhome or campervan. These usually are not presently obligatory in France, however they ARE obligatory if motorhoming in Italy or Spain. Get the costlier aluminium one – the cheaper variations usually are not authorized in Italy.
What paperwork do you should drive in Europe?
In the event you’re driving in Europe, you should carry the next paperwork:
- Passport (or identification card)
- Driving licence (examine it’s in date!)
- Automobile Insurance coverage documents- examine you might be lined for driving in Europe
- Breakdown cowl
- Automobile V5 logbook (which should present your appropriate handle)
- Automobile have to be legally taxed and MOT’d
- Trailer certification (if required)
- Inexperienced card (if required- often just for trailers. Verify & get out of your automobile insurer)
- Worldwide Driving Allow if required
- Private journey insurance coverage
Do I want a world driving allow to drive in Europe?
Most UK residents don’t want an IDP to drive within the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein when you have a card driving licence issued within the UK.
You would possibly want one when you have:
- a paper driving licence solely
- a licence issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man
(In the event you do want an IDP, right here’s an in-depth information on find out how to get an Worldwide Driving Allow and which one(s) you want from a UK submit workplace.
Planning to take your motorhome to Europe?
Driving in Europe- Different helpful stuff you would possibly want
We’ve been touring Europe in our motorhome for a number of years. We’ve tried all kinds 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 would possibly want
Motorhome/ Camper journey equipment for Europe
In the event you’re travelling Europe in a motorhome or camper, listed below are some further stuff you would possibly discover useful:
Tolls in Europe
Most nations in Europe which don’t have vignettes have tolls. Usually, the tolls are automated and take card funds, however when you can carry change you’ll discover the queues for these lanes are typically shorter.
We LOVE our automated toll go (It was once referred to as Sanef, however now it’s Emovis which permits us to breeze by the tolls when touring in France, Spain & Portugal.)
It’s somewhat 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. Fee is taken mechanically if that’s what you like. They’ve comparable techniques for Scandanavia as well- we used BroBizz once we have been over 3.5 tonnes on our motorhome vacation to Norway
It’s not an important motorhome accent, and you may fortunately tour Europe with out it, nevertheless it actually does assist.
Driving in Europe- issues to do earlier than you permit
Don’t neglect to do these important automobile checks earlier than you permit so as to be sure to don’t have any disagreeable surprises in your journey!
Fundamental automobile upkeep:
- Verify tyre strain
- If the automobile hasn’t been began for some time, begin the engine and provides it a run, simply to make sure!
- BRAKES. Verify your brakes and brake fluid. Please. Halfords do a free brake examine and after our horrible expertise of driving down a mountain in Switzerland with none brakes, we examine ours often!
- Tyre tread. In case your tread may be very low and also you’re about to set off driving round Europe, think about doing the identical. In the event you’re going for a few weeks and your tread is okay, you ought to be effective till you get again. In the event you’re unsure, ask your native storage.
- Windscreen. Verify for chips, cracks or different imperfections. You might be lined by insurance coverage in Europe, but when it cracks utterly, it’s going to eat into your vacation time. Higher to get it sorted now and never have to fret about it.
- Lights. Ensure that all of your lights, indicators and so on 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 simple motive to effective you. (And people fines are on the spot!)
- Washer fluid
- Oil
- Water ranges in radiator when you have an older motorhome/ campervan.
- Adblue
- Battery- in case you are in any doubt in regards to the starter battery or motorhome home battery (or every other battery you could have), get it checked and exchange if essential
- Verify fluid in washer fluid reservoir
- Verify windscreen wipers
- Verify something fastened to the surface of the motorhome is safe
- Verify door locks- a lot simpler to get it fastened now than later! We fitted a further motorhome door lock for safety.
- Verify to make sure bolts haven’t labored free on bike rack
- Verify towbar and all electrics
- Verify straps for fraying
- Verify tread on trailer tyres
- Verify brakes if it’s a braked trailer
- Verify fixings on roof containers/ exterior baggage carriers to make sure they’re nonetheless correctly fitted.
- In the event you’re planning a motorhome, campervan, RV or caravan journey, examine as many automobile techniques as possible- heating, air conditioning, fridge, photo voltaic panel, water, bathroom, batteries… when you discover an issue now you continue to have time to repair it earlier than you journey if you should.
What to do in case you are renting a automobile on your European street journey?
In case you are hiring a motorhome or camper in Europe, it’s YOUR duty to ensure the automobile has the required security gear. The on-the-spot fines apply to you as the driving force, not the corporate. Verify upfront with the corporate what equipment they are going to present with the automobile and what you will have to convey.
Take an inventory of what’s legally required with you and examine it off one after the other as you might be given the handover. Don’t drive till you might be pleased you adjust to the native legal guidelines.
Be sure you have proof that you would be able to take the automobile 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 suggestions you would possibly discover useful:
For extra data, go to our Europe journey part for recommendation, vacation spot concepts and extra.
Final replace on 2025-04-13 / Affiliate hyperlinks / Pictures from Amazon Product Promoting API
