What to carry
What you must carry in your car in Croatia
A hire car does not always come with these. Check the boot before you drive away. Every item links to the official source it was checked against, with the date.
Required by law
What you must carry in the car
- Warning triangle
- First aid kit
- Spare bulbs
- Spare tyre or repair kit
- High-visibility vest
From the Regulation on the technical condition of vehicles, articles 94 to 100. Two of these come with an exception. You do not need spare bulbs if the car's lights have no filaments — xenon, neon or LED. You do not need a spare wheel if the tyres are run-flat or the car carries a temporary repair kit, such as a can of sealant. A hire car does not always have all of this, so check before you drive away. The vest must be worn whenever you get out and work beside the car on the road. A private car does not need a fire extinguisher; taxis, company cars, vans, lorries and buses do.
Checked 9 Sep 2026 · official source
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Winter equipment
Tyres and chains are equipment too, and the rules usually apply only between set dates or on signed roads.
Winter tyres
Required between set dates
On the designated winter sections of public road, which include every motorway, winter equipment is compulsory from 15 November to 15 April whatever the weather and whatever the road looks like. For a vehicle up to 3.5 t "winter equipment" means one of two things: four winter tyres marked M+S, M.S., M&S or 3PMSF on all four wheels, or four summer tyres with at least 4 mm of tread on all four wheels plus snow chains carried ready for the driven wheels. Studded tyres are banned. Separately, Article 193 of the Act forbids driving without winter equipment whenever the road is covered in snow or ice, on any road and on any date. Ask the hire company what the car has.
Checked 9 Sep 2026 · official source
When winter tyre rules apply
15 November to 15 April
15 November of one year to 15 April of the next.
Checked 9 Sep 2026 · official source