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Europe
by Car
tolls, vignettes, and driving on the other side
Hiring a car in Europe gives you the villages, the mountain roads and the places the trains do not go. It also gives you a set of rules that vary by country and fines that arrive months later by post. None of it is difficult. All of it is easy to get wrong if nobody tells you, so here is what I tell my clients.
Vignettes and tolls, which are not the same thing
A vignette is a sticker or digital permit that lets you use the motorway network at all, bought by time period rather than distance. Switzerland, Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania all use versions of this.
If you drive onto a motorway in one of those countries without a valid vignette, you are fined. Rental cars sometimes have one for the country of hire and never for the countries you drive into afterwards.
Tolls are the other model, where you take a ticket and pay by distance. France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Croatia largely work this way.
Portugal has electronic-only tolls on some roads with no barriers, which catches out an enormous number of visitors. Sort the transponder at pickup.
Check every country on your route, not just the one you land in. This is the single most common expensive mistake.
Low emission zones
Many European cities now restrict which vehicles may enter the centre, and the schemes are all different. Some need a sticker bought in advance, some are camera enforced with online registration, some are simply barred to non-residents at certain hours.
Italy’s ZTL zones are the notorious one. They are camera enforced, they are in the historic centre of almost every Italian town, and the fines arrive at your home address many months later, often several at once.
The practical rule I give families. Do not drive into the historic centre of an Italian town. Park outside and walk in. Your hotel can sometimes register your plate, but you must arrange that before you drive in, not after.
London, Paris and many German cities have their own schemes. Check each city you plan to drive into.
Car seats and the law
Requirements vary by country and are enforced. Height and age thresholds differ, and some countries prohibit children below a certain age or height in the front seat entirely.
Rental car seats are expensive, often heavily used, and cannot be guaranteed to be the model you booked. For a long trip, bringing your own is usually better and most airlines carry them free.
If you rent seats, inspect them at pickup and refuse anything damaged or missing parts. You are the one legally responsible.
Renting, and the fees nobody quotes
Cross-border fees apply if you take the car into another country, and some countries are excluded from cover entirely, particularly further east. Declare your route when booking rather than at the desk.
One-way fees between countries are substantial. Picking up in Italy and dropping in France can cost more than the rental itself.
Automatic transmissions are far less common in Europe and cost significantly more. If you cannot drive a manual, book early and specify it, because supply is genuinely limited.
Take photographs of the car at pickup and drop-off, including the roof and the wheels, and check the fuel policy is full to full.
Driving on the other side
If you are American driving in Ireland or the UK, the difficulty is not the side of the road. It is roundabouts, single track lanes with hedges, and how narrow everything is.
Book the smallest car that fits your family. Every instinct says get something bigger and every Irish country lane says otherwise.
Take the extra insurance in Ireland specifically. Hedge scrapes are close to inevitable and Irish rental excess terms are notoriously strict.
Give yourself an easy first hour. Do not land after a night flight and immediately drive into Dublin.
When not to hire a car
City trips. A car in Paris, Rome, Amsterdam or Barcelona is a liability. Parking is expensive and difficult, the centres are restricted, and public transport is better than driving.
The right pattern for most European family trips is trains between cities, and a car only for the rural section in the middle. Pick it up when you leave the city and drop it before you arrive in the next one.
That combination gives you everything and avoids almost all of the problems on this page.
The routing question of where to take trains and where to take a car is one I answer constantly, and it usually saves people money as well as stress. Send me your itinerary and I will tell you where the car should start and stop.
Questions people actually ask
What is a vignette and where do I need one?
A time-based permit allowing motorway use, required in countries including Switzerland, Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania. Driving on motorways without one results in fines, and rental cars rarely carry vignettes for neighbouring countries.
What is a ZTL in Italy?
A restricted traffic zone covering the historic centre of most Italian towns, enforced by camera. Fines are issued to the rental company and passed on months later. Parking outside and walking in is the safest approach.
Are there car seat laws in Europe?
Yes, and they vary by country, with differing height and age thresholds and rules about front seat use. Rental seats cannot be guaranteed by model, so bringing your own is often preferable.
Are there extra fees for driving between European countries?
Yes. Cross-border fees apply and some countries are excluded from insurance cover entirely. One-way rentals between countries can be very expensive. Routes should be declared at booking.
Should I hire a car for a European city trip?
Generally no. City centres are restricted and parking is difficult and costly, while public transport is usually excellent. Taking trains between cities and hiring a car only for rural sections works better for most families.
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Written and kept current by Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with Adventures We Seek. If something here is out of date, tell me and I will fix it.
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