Driving abroad, country by country
Three things decide whether a hire car is a good idea: which side of the road the country drives on, whether the licence in your pocket is valid there, and how the motorways charge. The table below answers all three for every country we cover; the guides underneath add what the table cannot say.
Side of the road, licence and tolls by country
| Country | Drives on | Licence | Motorways |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Andorra | Right | EU licence valid | Mixed |
| Argentina | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Armenia | Right | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Australia | Left | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Austria | Right | EU licence valid | Vignette |
| Azerbaijan | Right | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Bahrain | Right | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Belgium | Right | EU licence valid | Free |
| Belize | Right | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Bolivia | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Brazil | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Bulgaria | Right | EU licence valid | Vignette |
| Cambodia | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Canada | Right | Licence + IDP | Mixed |
| Chile | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| China | Right | Local permit only | Tolls |
| Colombia | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Costa Rica | Right | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Croatia | Right | EU licence valid | Tolls |
| Cuba | Right | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Cyprus | Left | EU licence valid | Free |
| Czechia | Right | EU licence valid | Vignette |
| Denmark | Right | EU licence valid | Mixed |
| Dominican Republic | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Ecuador | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Egypt | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| El Salvador | Right | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Estonia | Right | EU licence valid | Free |
| Finland | Right | EU licence valid | Free |
| France | Right | EU licence valid | Tolls |
| Georgia | Right | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Germany | Right | EU licence valid | Free |
| Greece | Right | EU licence valid | Tolls |
| Guatemala | Right | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Honduras | Right | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Hong Kong | Left | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Hungary | Right | EU licence valid | Vignette |
| Iceland | Right | EU licence valid | Free |
| India | Left | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Indonesia | Left | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Ireland | Left | EU licence valid | Tolls |
| Italy | Right | EU licence valid | Tolls |
| Jamaica | Left | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Japan | Left | IDP required | Tolls |
| Jordan | Right | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Kazakhstan | Right | Licence + IDP | Mixed |
| Kenya | Left | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Kosovo | Right | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Kuwait | Right | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Kyrgyzstan | Right | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Laos | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Latvia | Right | EU licence valid | Free |
| Liechtenstein | Right | EU licence valid | Free |
| Lithuania | Right | EU licence valid | Free |
| Luxembourg | Right | EU licence valid | Free |
| Macao | Left | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Malaysia | Left | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Maldives | Left | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Malta | Left | EU licence valid | Free |
| Mexico | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Moldova | Right | Licence + IDP | Vignette |
| Monaco | Right | EU licence valid | Free |
| Montenegro | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Morocco | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Nepal | Left | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Netherlands | Right | EU licence valid | Free |
| New Zealand | Left | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Nicaragua | Right | Licence + IDP | Free |
| North Macedonia | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Norway | Right | EU licence valid | Tolls |
| Oman | Right | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Panama | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Papua New Guinea | Left | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Peru | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Philippines | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Poland | Right | EU licence valid | Mixed |
| Portugal | Right | EU licence valid | Tolls |
| Qatar | Right | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Romania | Right | EU licence valid | Vignette |
| San Marino | Right | EU licence valid | Free |
| Saudi Arabia | Right | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Serbia | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Singapore | Left | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Slovakia | Right | EU licence valid | Vignette |
| Slovenia | Right | EU licence valid | Vignette |
| South Africa | Left | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| South Korea | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Spain | Right | EU licence valid | Mixed |
| Sri Lanka | Left | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Sweden | Right | EU licence valid | Mixed |
| Switzerland | Right | EU licence valid | Vignette |
| Taiwan | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Tanzania | Left | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Thailand | Left | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| Turkey | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| United Arab Emirates | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
| United Kingdom | Left | Own licence valid | Mixed |
| United States | Right | Licence + IDP | Mixed |
| Uzbekistan | Right | Licence + IDP | Free |
| Vatican City | Right | EU licence valid | Free |
| Vietnam | Right | Licence + IDP | Tolls |
Other topics
- Visa and entry requirements by country
- eSIM and SIM cards by country
- Airport to city centre, country by country
- Getting around, country by country
- Money, cards and ATMs by country
- What things cost, country by country
- Traveler safety, country by country
- Health and medical care by country
- Where to stay, country by country
- Everyday practicalities, country by country
- Customs and what you cannot bring, country by country
- Plug types and voltage, country by country
- Emergency numbers by country
- Weather and the best time to visit, by country