First Day Abroad

Driving in United Kingdom: licence, roads and tolls

Part of the United Kingdom arrival guide.

This information may change. Always check the official source.Last verified: August 2026 by

Driving in United Kingdom: the three basics

Drives on the
left

The driver sits on the right and overtakes on the right. Roundabouts turn clockwise.

Your licence
Your own licence is enough

A full licence from any country is valid here on its own, for a set period from the day you arrive. No International Driving Permit is required of anyone - a hire desk may still ask for one as a translation.

Motorways
Mixed

Most roads are free and specific crossings, city zones or concession motorways charge. The catch is that several of them have no barrier and expect payment afterwards.

Your own licence is enough for 12 months from the day you last arrived, whichever country issued it - though a hire desk may still ask for an International Driving Permit as a translation if yours is not in the Latin alphabet. Motorways are free apart from the M6 Toll. The Dartford Crossing and London's congestion and ULEZ charges are paid online, not at a barrier, and a missed payment becomes a fine.

Britain drives on the left with almost no motorway tolls, but London's charges and the Dartford Crossing are paid online or become fines.

Left-hand traffic, free motorways almost everywhere, and a handful of charges that are paid online rather than at a barrier.

  • The Dartford Crossing has no booths. Pay online by midnight the day after, or it becomes a penalty charge.
  • London charges twice. The Congestion Charge applies in the centre on weekdays and part of the weekend, and ULEZ applies to older vehicles across all London boroughs, every day. Both are camera-enforced and both are paid online.
  • The M6 Toll north of Birmingham is the only tolled motorway and it has ordinary barriers.
  • The alcohol limit is 0.8 g/l in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and 0.5 g/l in Scotland - the same island, two limits.
  • Speed limits are in miles per hour, 70 on motorways and dual carriageways, 60 on single carriageways, 30 in built-up areas unless signed otherwise. Wales uses 20 mph as its default urban limit.
Report a change

Suggest a correction

JPEG, PNG or WebP, up to 5 MB. Location metadata is removed.

Corrections and photos are private and visible only to the review team.

Comments

No comments yet. Share the first one.

Share a tip

Sign in to continue.

Sources (1)

What this guide was checked against. Rules and prices change — follow the official link before you rely on a detail.