Guide to Driving In UK - Drive Safe in UK

With our Drive Smart guide you're fully prepared to hire a car in UK and stay safe on unfamiliar roads.

URBAN SPEED LIMIT

30 mph

urban
More info  

RURAL SPEED LIMIT

60 mph

rural
More info  

motorway speed limit

70 mph

speed limit
More info  

Drink Drive Limit

 80mg

drink and drive limit
More info  
urban
You drive in UK on the Left side  
urban
The currency in UK is GBP £
urban
To rent a car is  21 years and to drive is 17 years of age
urban
Current fuel price in UK 1.65 €/Ltr

Driving Laws in UK

Driving in UK
Pocket guide to driving in UK
Profile:
UK
London
GBP £
Driving in UK
SPEED: (mph)
30
60
70
Speed limit in UK
Holiday:
Rush hour in UK
Cameras:
YES
YES
Speed cameras in UK
FUEL:
1.65
1.88
EUR/Litre
Fuel prices in UK
See World Fuel Prices for full statistics
MIN AGE:
17
21
Min driving age in UK
DRINK:
80mg
Blood alcohol content
Drink driving in UK
EMERGENCY:
999
Emergency phone number in UK
DOCUMENT:
Driving documents in UK
PHONES:
Yes
Hands free only
Mobile phone driving in UK
SEATBELTS:
Yes
Yes
Seat belt in UK
See here for current child seats law in UK

Are there any special requirements for driving or hiring a car in UK?

Overtaking in the UK
ON NON-MOTORWAYS - Rule 163 of the Highway Code states only overtake on the left if the vehicle in front is signalling to turn right, and there is room to do so stay in your lane if traffic is moving slowly in queues. If the queue on your right is moving more slowly than you are, you may pass on the left.

ON MOTORWAYS - Rule 268 of the Highway Code states – do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake. In congested conditions, where adjacent lanes of traffic are moving at similar speeds, traffic in left-hand lanes may sometimes be moving faster than traffic to the right. In these conditions you may keep up with the traffic in your lane even if this means passing traffic in the lane to your right. Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake.

Is overtaking on the left an offence?
Overtaking on the left is lawful if done in accordance with the above guidance. However, whilst there is no specific offence of overtaking on the left, if a driver undertook another vehicle, other than in the circumstances described above e.g. in the case of someone hogging lane 2 on a motorway, they may be prosecuted for careless driving.

The United Kingdom is the only set of countries in Europe which marks the speed limits and distances in miles rather than kilometres. Traffic on a roundabout has priority, you will find roundabouts to be much more prevalent in the UK than other parts of the world.

No Right Turn UK Road Sign
Priority is marked at junctions. If a driver is giving way to you they will often flash their lights to signal that you can go ahead. Give way to any emergency services vehicles such as ambulances and police cars with flashing lights.

Z Bend Warning Sign in the UK

Rules of the road

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Emergency Services Numbers

Police Police: 999 or 112

Police Fire: 999 or 112

Police Ambulance: 999 or 112

Notes: 112 additional emergency number

DieselUnleaded
Mar , 2023

€ 1.88

€ 1.65

Feb , 2023

€ 1.91

€ 1.67

Jan , 2023

€ 1.96

€ 1.70

Dec , 2022

€ 2.13

€ 1.85

Parking Information

Parking regulations

Parking regulations
Parking restrictions are determined by lines on the road, generally these are yellow, red or white. If there are no lines at all you can park on the side of the road without restriction. A solid yellow line means there are restrictions in place & you need to refer to the signs placed at regular intervals along the road to see what these restrictions are (e.g. no parking Mon-Fri 7am-10am, 4pm-6pm) If there are no signs, the general rule is no parking Mon-Sat between 8am and 6pm, Sundays and Bank Holidays have no parking restriction unless otherwise stated.

A double yellow line means no parking or waiting at any time. A single red line means no stopping or parking between certain times (see local signs), double red line means no stopping at any time. Red lines are generally only found in London or other major city centres.

Broken white lines marking parking spaces at the side of the road mean refer to the signs as parking / waiting times may be limited (e.g. Mon-Fri 30mins, no return within 1 hour). Zig-zag white lines mean no parking and are often found outside of schools and crossing points.
 
Paid parking
Paid parking is often by meter, ticket machine or in multi-storey car parks where you may be issued with a card ticket you have to feed into a machine when you return to your car and then pay the appropriate fee.
 
Enforcement
Enforcement of parking is done by traffic wardens who will photograph your car as proof you broke the law. You'll get a ticket but you can reduce the fine by paying quickly. If your car still isn't moved after a reasonable period of time it will be clamped or towed away. Fees for unclamping or reclaiming your car can be steep.
 
Disabled parking
Blue Badge parking for the disabled is common in the UK. It allows you to park for free in all municipal car parks for up to two hours. It allows you to park in restricted parking areas for up to two hours as long as you're not causing an obstruction. There are plenty of parking spaces reserved for the disabled closer to where you may want to go.

Emergency Information

Emergency Information

Police Police: 999 or 112

Police Fire: 999 or 112

Police Ambulance: 999 or 112

The emergency services are on 999. This will allow you to be connected to police, ambulance, fire or coastguard. 
 

What to do in an emergency

You should stop and put on your hazard warning lights to warn other drivers. If the accident is serious, phone the emergency services on 999. Make sure uninjured drivers move to safety, but do not move injured drivers. On motorways keep away from the hard shoulder and the central reservation if possible. There are orange emergency telephones located at short intervals on motorways if needed. Share insurance details with any other drivers involved. If the accident is minor and with no injuries, the police need not be involved.

Handy Guides

World Driving Guides

Road Signs

Handy Phrases

The UK's language differences compared to American or Australian English can be resolved using these words or phrases:
 
  • Petrol – Gasoline
  • Clampers – Your car could be clamped and towed if you park illegally.
  • Hard Shoulder – Left hand lane of motorway only to be used for stopping in emergencies.
  • Services – Motorway rest stops.
  • Zebra crossings - Pedestrian crossings
  • Excess – Deductible (insurance)
  • Gearbox – Transmission
  • Boot – Trunk
  • Bonnet – Hood
  • Bumper – Fender
  • Detour – Diversion
  • Indicators - Blinkers

UK Fuel Price History

DieselUnleaded
Mar , 2023

€ 1.88

€ 1.65

Feb , 2023

€ 1.91

€ 1.67

Jan , 2023

€ 1.96

€ 1.70

Dec , 2022

€ 2.13

€ 1.85

Nov , 2022

€ 2.17

€ 1.90

Oct , 2022

€ 2.07

€ 1.87

Sep , 2022

€ 2.12

€ 1.96

Aug , 2022

€ 2.31

€ 2.18

Jul , 2022

€ 2.32

€ 2.23

Jun , 2022

€ 2.17

€ 2.06

May , 2022

€ 2.12

€ 1.95

Apr , 2022

€ 2.12

€ 1.96

Month, YearDiesel €/ltrUnleaded €/ltr
Mar , 2023 1.88 1.65
Feb , 2023 1.91 1.67
Jan , 2023 1.96 1.70
Dec , 2022 2.13 1.85
Nov , 2022 2.17 1.90
Oct , 2022 2.07 1.87
Sep , 2022 2.12 1.96
Aug , 2022 2.31 2.18
Jul , 2022 2.32 2.23
Jun , 2022 2.17 2.06
May , 2022 2.12 1.95
Apr , 2022 2.12 1.96

Hiring a Car

With our Drive Smart guide you're fully prepared to hire a car in UK and stay safe on unfamiliar roads.
Phil Partridge
Posted by Phil Partridge
About the Author -

Travel writer, car rental guru, Phil has rented cars all over the world and shares his knowledge and experience on the Rhinocarhire.com Blog. Favourite country to visit: France.

Visitor Comments

  • 28/08/2019

    Chris

    ON NON-MOTORWAYS Rule 163 of the Highway Code states only overtake on the left if the vehicle in front is signalling to turn right, and there is room to do so stay in your lane if traffic is moving slowly in queues.

    If the queue on your right is moving more slowly than you are, you may pass on the left ON MOTORWAYS Rule 268 of the Highway Code states – do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake. In congested conditions, where adjacent lanes of traffic are moving at similar speeds, traffic in left-hand lanes may sometimes be moving faster than traffic to the right. In these conditions you may keep up with the traffic in your lane even if this means passing traffic in the lane to your right. Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake.

    OFFENCE Overtaking on the left is lawful if done in accordance with the above guidance. However, whilst there is no specific offence of overtaking on the left, if a driver undertook another vehicle, other than in the circumstances described above e.g. in the case of someone hogging lane 2 on a motorway, they may be prosecuted for careless driving.

    GENERAL ADVICE Always take extreme care when overtaking on the left, as there may be a number of dangers e.g. Pedestrians crossing the road that are hidden by stationary vehicles in other lanes. Other drivers may not see you and suddenly move back to the left.
  • 06/02/2019

    Nigel Beckett

    Big Dave is correct. There is no law stating that overtaking on the left is illegal.
  • 31/10/2018

    Vistor

    arking regulations for yellow lines is incorrect, it should read: If there are no lines at all you can park on the side of the road without restriction. A solid yellow line means there are restrictions in place & you need to refer to the signs placed at regular intervals along the road to see what these restrictions are (e.g. no parking Mon-Fri 7am-10am, 4pm-6pm). A double yellow line means no parking or waiting at any time. A single red line means no stopping or parking between certian times (see sign), double red line means no stopping at any time. Broken white lines marking parking spaces at the side of the road mean refer to the signs as parking/waiting times may be limited (e.g. Mon-Fri 30mins, no return within 1 hour)
  • 31/10/2018

    Rich

    he drink driving limit within Scotland has been 50mg per 100ml of blood since December 2014. It remains 80mg per 100ml in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
  • 31/10/2018

    Alf

    Re: Big Daves comment that it is simply not true that it is illegal to overtake on the left, oh yes it is unless it is in a one way street or slow ie: a crawling traffic jam
  • 31/10/2018

    Big Dave

    "Overtaking on the left is illegal". That is simply not true.
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