This information may change. Always check the official source.Last verified: August 2026 by Ondřej Kadlec
Driving in Ireland: the three basics
Drives on the
left
The driver sits on the right and overtakes on the right. Roundabouts turn clockwise.
Your licence
EU licence is enough
An EU, EEA or Swiss licence is valid as it stands. A licence from anywhere else works alongside an International Driving Permit, which hire desks and police expect to see.
Motorways
Tolls by distance
Motorways charge for the distance driven, at barriers or by camera. Budget for it on a long drive; it is rarely trivial.
The M50 around Dublin has no barriers and must be paid online by 8pm the next day; every other toll has a booth.
Ireland drives on the left, and the M50 around Dublin is a barrier-free toll that must be paid online by 8pm the next day.
Left-hand traffic, distances in kilometres, and one toll that catches almost every visitor.
The M50 has no barriers. A camera reads the plate and the toll must be paid by 8pm the following day at eflow.ie. Miss it and it becomes a penalty, then a bigger one; hire companies pass it on with a fee.
Every other toll has a booth and takes cards.
The alcohol limit is 0.5 g/l, and 0.2 g/l for learner and professional drivers.
Speeds are in kilometres per hour here and miles per hour in Northern Ireland, on the same island and with no border check to remind you.
Rural roads are narrow, walled and fast. The national speed limit on a boreen that fits one car is 80 km/h, which is a limit and never a target.
Comments
No comments yet. Share the first one.
Share a tip
Sign in to continue.