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 the whole lot you want to find out about driving in Europe, whether or not you’re travelling by automotive, motorhome, campervan, caravan, bike or anything!
Don’t neglect to seize your FREE Driving in Europe guidelines to assist hold you organised.
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What do you want to drive in Europe?
Whenever you’re planning a European street journey, it may possibly all really feel a bit overwhelming. There are questions over what paperwork you want to take, do you want a inexperienced card, what gear do you want in your automobile and are breathalysers STILL a factor?
NOTE: This put up is up to date and takes into consideration all adjustments for driving in Europe after BREXIT and new French legal guidelines. There have been some adjustments to each gear you want to carry in your automobile, and to paperwork you want to carry. Particulars on each are beneath 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 automotive, motorhome or campervan *cough, you understand, just like the one you may get beneath* and all of it felt a bit overwhelming.
So, to make your life simpler, here’s a checklist of what you want to drive in Europe. Really, 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 whenever you journey in Europe. Make your life simpler at the moment.
Important Highway 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 attractive or enjoyable. However they’re geared toward rising your visibility and security and the police DO test in the event that they cease you- they usually do positive if you happen to aren’t carrying the whole lot you ought to be.
Issues you want to 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 particular person (These MUST be accessible with out getting out of the vehicle- ie, don’t hold them within the storage except you may attain them from inside!)
- Warning triangle
- Headlight beam convertors– have to be fitted earlier than you drive in Europe.
- UK automotive sticker connected to the again of automotive or reg plates.
- First assist package – obligatory in lots of international locations, together with France and Germany. Discover out what we stock in our European first assist package right here
- For France – Angles Morts Stickers
TOP TIP: Purchase these necessities for driving in Europe prematurely. One of many most cost-effective locations is on Amazon. If you happen to use someplace like Halfords or wait till you’re on the ferry, you can 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 legislation France handed a couple of years in the past… after which quietly eliminated for no matter purpose. Many posts rating extremely in Google nonetheless checklist a breathalyser of their important Europe driving equipment checklist, however I promise you, you don’t want one.
(Need to see what driving guidelines ARE obligatory in France? Examine them out HERE)
Different really helpful Europe driving package to hold for security
- Spare bulbs for all lights within the automobile
- Torch
- Fireplace extinguisher – I take advantage of the Fireplace 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 site visitors or breakdown someplace distant.
Highway journey equipment you MIGHT want when driving in Europe
The next package are stuff you would possibly want to hold in your automotive, 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 principles on the nation you might be visiting and pay shut consideration to the DATES when the snow chain/ snow tyres guidelines come into power. If you happen to’re unsure, learn THIS. France handed a legislation in November 2021 about winter tyres and snow chains- learn it in full right here.
- Clear Air tax in some French cities, known 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 automobile earlier than/ as you cross the border. You should buy 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 want to carry a short lived toll machine with the intention to use among the motorways- learn our information to motorhoming in Portugal
- Crimson/ white warning board signal – for bike racks or something overhanging the tip of the motorhome or campervan. These aren’t presently obligatory in France, however they ARE obligatory if motorhoming in Italy or Spain. Get the dearer aluminium one – the cheaper variations aren’t authorized in Italy.
What paperwork do you want to drive in Europe?
If you happen to’re driving in Europe, you want to carry the next paperwork:
- Passport (or id 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 handle)
- Automobile have to be legally taxed and MOT’d
- Trailer certification (if required)
- Inexperienced card (if required- normally just for trailers. Examine & get out of your automobile 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 would possibly want one you probably have:
- a paper driving licence solely
- a licence issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man
(If you happen to do want an IDP, right here’s an in-depth information on the right way to get an Worldwide Driving Allow and which one(s) you want from a UK put up 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 checklist 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
If you happen to’re travelling Europe in a motorhome or camper, listed here are some additional stuff you would possibly discover useful:
Tolls in Europe
Most international locations in Europe which don’t have vignettes have tolls. Usually, the tolls are automated and take card funds, however if you happen to can carry change you’ll discover the queues for these lanes are usually shorter.
We LOVE our automated toll move (It was known as Sanef, however now it’s Emovis which permits us to breeze by 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. Fee is taken mechanically if that’s what you like. They’ve comparable methods 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’ll fortunately tour Europe with out it, but it surely actually does assist.
Driving in Europe- issues to do earlier than you allow
Don’t neglect to do these important automobile checks earlier than you allow with the intention to be sure to don’t have any disagreeable surprises in your journey!
Fundamental automobile upkeep:
- Examine tyre strain
- If the automobile hasn’t been began for some time, begin the engine and provides it a run, simply to make certain!
- BRAKES. Examine 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 commonly!
- Tyre tread. In case your tread could be very low and also you’re about to set off driving round Europe, take into account doing the identical. If you happen to’re going for a few weeks and your tread is okay, you ought to be positive till you get again. If you happen to’re unsure, ask your native storage.
- Windscreen. Examine for chips, cracks or different imperfections. You might be coated 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 all of your lights, indicators and many others 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 purpose to positive 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 in regards to the starter battery or motorhome home battery (or some other battery you could have), get it checked and substitute if essential
- Examine fluid in washer fluid reservoir
- Examine windscreen wipers
- Examine something mounted to the surface of the motorhome is safe
- Examine door locks- a lot simpler to get it mounted now than later! We fitted an extra motorhome door lock for safety.
- Examine to make sure bolts haven’t labored free on bike rack
- Examine towbar and all electrics
- Examine straps for fraying
- Examine tread on trailer tyres
- Examine brakes if it’s a braked trailer
- Examine fixings on roof packing containers/ exterior baggage carriers to make sure they’re nonetheless correctly fitted.
- If you happen to’re planning a motorhome, campervan, RV or caravan journey, test as many automobile methods as possible- heating, aircon, fridge, photo voltaic panel, water, bathroom, batteries… if you happen to discover an issue now you continue to have time to repair it earlier than you journey if you want to.
What to do in case you are renting a automobile on your European street journey?
If you’re hiring a motorhome or camper in Europe, it’s YOUR accountability to ensure the automobile has the required security gear. The on-the-spot fines apply to you as the driving force, not the corporate. Examine prematurely with the corporate what package they are going to present with the automobile and what you will want to deliver.
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 pleased you adjust to the native legal guidelines.
Be sure to have proof which you could 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 ideas you would possibly discover useful:
For extra data, go to our Europe journey part for recommendation, vacation spot concepts and extra.
Final replace on 2025-04-12 / Affiliate hyperlinks / Photos from Amazon Product Promoting API
