United Kingdom → Austria

Driving in Austria when you know the UK

Differences first, worst-to-get-wrong first. Rules that match are folded away at the bottom.

Driving to Austria from the UK: what to check before you go

These are the key destination rules to check first. The comparison below shows every verified difference. Follow local signs and instructions on the road.

Which side of the road do you drive on in Austria?: In Austria you drive on the right.
What is the speed limit in Austria?: 130 km/h on motorways, 100 km/h on country roads and 50 km/h in towns and cities. Those are the national default limits, which apply where no sign says otherwise.
What is the drink driving limit in Austria?: The legal limit in Austria is 0.5 g/l. A breath reading of 0.25 mg/l is the same thing. Drivers who passed their test recently are held to 0.1 g/l.
What do you have to carry in your car in Austria?: You must carry a first aid kit, a warning triangle and a high-visibility vest.

Read the full driving rules in Austria and the required car equipment in Austria .

Looking to rent a car? Rental agencies often have there own rules on driving ages and equipment, make sure you check with them before you travel.
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What's different (15)

Which side of the road you drive on

Critical

UK · homeLeftChecked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destinationRightFrom the RAC's list of the European exceptions: the UK, Ireland, Cyprus and Malta drive on the left, and every other European country drives on the right.Checked 16 Aug 2026 · official source

Speed limit on the motorway

Critical

UK · home70 mph — about 113 km/hChecked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destination130 km/h — about 81 mphChecked 16 Aug 2026 · official source

Speed limit on country roads

Critical

UK · home60 mph — about 97 km/hSingle carriageway roads.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destination100 km/h — about 62 mphChecked 16 Aug 2026 · official source

Speed limit in towns and cities

CriticalVaries by region

UK · home30 mph — about 48 km/hEngland and Scotland. Wales uses 20 mph as the default in built-up areas.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Wales20 mph — about 32 km/hThe default in built-up areas. Some roads are signed back up to 30.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destination50 km/h — about 31 mphChecked 16 Aug 2026 · official source

How much alcohol you may have in your blood

CriticalStricter than at homeVaries by region

UK · home80 mg/100ml — about 0.8 g/lEngland and Wales. Scotland uses a lower limit.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Scotland50 mg/100ml — about 0.5 g/lChecked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destination0.5 g/l — about 50 mg/100mlA breath reading of 0.25 mg/l is the same thing.Checked 16 Aug 2026 · official source

Whether you need an International Driving Permit

Critical

UK · homeNot requiredA full foreign licence is accepted on its own for visits.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destinationDepends on where your licence is fromAn EEA licence is enough on its own. A licence from anywhere else works without a translation only if its categories are the standard A to E, or if it is written in German; otherwise carry an International Driving Permit or a translation with it. Some countries' licences are not accepted at all, so check yours before you travel rather than at the desk.Checked 20 Aug 2026 · official source

What you must carry in the car

Critical

UK · homeNothing — no equipment is legally requiredNothing is legally required. Drivers arriving from most of continental Europe expect a triangle and a vest to be compulsory here; they are not.Checked 20 Aug 2026

Austria · destination

First aid kit
Warning triangle
High-visibility vest

The first aid kit is the one people forget. A hire car does not always have all three — check before you drive away. Only the driver's vest is required, though ÖAMTC advises carrying one for every person in the car.Checked 19 Aug 2026 · official source

Youngest age you may drive

Important

UK · home17 yearsChecked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destination18 yearsAustria's own L17 scheme issues a licence at 17, but that is for Austrian learners. A visitor drives at 18.Checked 16 Aug 2026 · official source

Winter tyres

Important

UK · homeNot requiredChecked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destinationRequired whenever the road is icy or snowyNot a date rule. Inside the winter season a car may only be driven in wintry conditions — snow, slush or ice on the road — with winter tyres on all four wheels. Snow chains on at least two driven wheels are the alternative. Ask the hire company what the car is fitted with.Checked 16 Aug 2026 · official source

Largest motorbike or scooter you may ride on a car licence

Important

UK · home

Engine up to 50 cc

A full car licence lets you ride a moped up to this engine size without L plates or a moped test. If you passed your car test on or after 1 February 2001 you must first complete a compulsory basic training (CBT) course. Anything larger needs CBT and the motorcycle tests. The Highway Code's Annex 2 defines the two-wheeled moped class by a maximum design speed of 45 km/h (28 mph) rather than by engine size; that figure is not on the page cited here. Stated for licences issued in Great Britain; the source does not say whether foreign car licences get the same allowance.Checked 2 Sep 2026

Austria · destination

Engine up to 50 cc
Top speed up to 45 km/h

A category B licence includes class AM, so it covers a moped with no extra step. The source defines a moped by both thresholds together: engine size and approved design speed. It gives no power figure. Riding up to 125 cc (11 kW) on a B licence needs "Code 111" entered on the licence first: B held for at least five years without a break, out of the probationary period, and a practical course. Code 111 is a national provision for Austrian-issued licences. The source does not say whether a foreign B licence gets the moped allowance.Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source

How you pay for motorways

Important

UK · home

Toll booths
City charges

Almost all motorways are free. The M6 Toll and several bridges and tunnels charge. London and Durham charge to drive in the city centre.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destination

Vignette sticker

Buy the vignette before you join a motorway or expressway — there are no toll booths and no chance to pay at the entrance. Sold as a sticker at petrol stations near the border, or as a digital vignette online. Some tunnels and alpine passes charge separately on top.Checked 16 Aug 2026 · official source

Youngest age you may ride the smallest class of scooter

Good to know

UK · home16 yearsCategory AM. CBT, a theory test and a practical test are needed for a full moped licence.Checked 2 Sep 2026

Austria · destination15 yearsTraining may start two months before the 15th birthday, but the licence is only issued at 15. Under 16 needs a parent's consent.Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source

Riding between lanes of slow traffic

Good to know

UK · homeAllowedNo law bans filtering. The Highway Code tells riders to take care and keep their speed low when filtering in slow-moving traffic, and tells drivers to expect it.Checked 2 Sep 2026

Austria · destinationAllowed, with restrictionsYou may ride forward between vehicles that have stopped, at a red light or in a jam, but only if there is enough room. Do not cross solid lines, do not use the hard shoulder or the emergency corridor, and do not ride between vehicles that are still moving.Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source

Smallest motorbike allowed on the motorway

Good to know

UK · home

Engine at least 50 cc
Power at least 4 kW

The rule is set by engine size, not vehicle class: riders of motorcycles under 50 cc (4 kW) must not use motorways, so a machine of exactly 50 cc is allowed. The Highway Code gives the power figure in brackets as the equivalent of the engine size rather than as a separate test. Riders holding only a provisional motorcycle licence must not use motorways either.Checked 2 Sep 2026

Austria · destination

Top speed at least 60 km/h

Framed as a design speed, not a vehicle class: motorways and expressways may only be used by vehicles built for at least this speed and allowed to exceed it, so a machine that tops out exactly at the threshold does not qualify. A moped is limited to 45 km/h, so it is banned; ÖAMTC's speed table marks mopeds as prohibited on both Autobahn and Autostraße. A 125 cc motorcycle is allowed. The source states the rule on its quads and trikes page as the general rule for all vehicles; there is no engine-size floor.Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source

Headlights on a motorbike in daytime

Good to know

UK · homeNot requiredDipped headlights in daylight are advised to make the rider easier to see, but they are not required.Checked 2 Sep 2026

Austria · destinationRequired at all timesDipped beam or daytime running lights at all times, day and night. Daytime running lights alone are only allowed in good visibility.Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source

Known on one side only (21)

Which side you overtake on

UK · homeRightChecked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destinationNot yet verified

Speed limit on a dual carriageway

UK · home70 mphChecked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destinationNot yet verified

Speed limit when towing a trailer or caravan

UK · home

Motorway — 60 mph
Dual carriageway — 60 mph
Country roads — 50 mph

Checked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destinationNot yet verified

Alcohol limit for drivers who passed their test recently

UK · homeNot yet verified

Austria · destination0.1 g/lEvery new Austrian licence is probationary for three years. If your own licence is that new, drink nothing at all.Checked 16 Aug 2026 · official source

Turning at a red light

UK · homeNot allowedRed means stop for every direction. A separate green arrow is the only exception.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destinationNot yet verified

Age below which a child needs a child seat

UK · home12 yearsUntil age 12 or 135 cm tall, whichever comes first.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destinationNot yet verified

Height below which a child needs a child seat

UK · home135 cmUntil 135 cm tall or age 12, whichever comes first.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destinationNot yet verified

What the lines and painted kerbs mean

UK · home

Double yellow line — no parking. No waiting at any time, even without an upright sign.
Single yellow line — no parking during signed hours. The hours are on nearby time plates, not on the road.
Double red line — no stopping. Red routes. No stopping at any time.
Single red line — no stopping. Red routes. Applies during the times shown on nearby signs.
White zigzag line — no stopping. Marks the approach to a pedestrian crossing.

Checked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destinationNot yet verified

Alcohol limit for professional drivers

UK · homeNot yet verified

Austria · destination0.1 g/lLorry and bus drivers, and anyone carrying schoolchildren.Checked 16 Aug 2026 · official source

How long you may drive on your own licence

UK · home12 monthsCounted from when you last entered Great Britain.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destinationNot yet verified

Who has priority at a roundabout

UK · homeTraffic already on the roundabout goes firstGive way to traffic approaching from your right, unless signs say otherwise.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destinationNot yet verified

Parking on the pavement

Varies by region

UK · homeNo single national answer:

EnglandAllowedExcept London, where it is banned. Discouraged everywhere, and obstructing the pavement can be fined.Checked 3 Aug 2026

ScotlandNot allowedChecked 3 Aug 2026

WalesAllowedDiscouraged, and obstructing the pavement can be fined.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destinationNot yet verified

Parking facing against the traffic

UK · homeAllowedBy day only. At night you must not park facing against the traffic flow unless in a recognised parking space.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destinationNot yet verified

How far you must park from a junction or crossing

UK · home

A junction — 10 m

Advisory rather than a fixed law, except where markings say otherwise.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destinationNot yet verified

When winter tyre rules apply

UK · homeNot yet verified

Austria · destination1 November to 15 AprilChecked 16 Aug 2026 · official source

Low-emission zones

UK · homeIn many citiesLondon has its own ultra low emission zone. Clean air zones operate in Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Tyneside, and Scottish cities have separate low emission zones. Most only charge vehicles that miss emissions standards.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destinationNot yet verified

Congestion charges

UK · homeIn some citiesLondon and Durham.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destinationNot yet verified

Emergency number

UK · home999112 also works and reaches the same service.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destinationNot yet verified

Whether police can fine you on the spot

UK · homeYes — visitors must pay at the roadsideFixed penalties are normally paid later, not at the roadside. A driver who cannot give a UK address must pay a deposit on the spot.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destinationNot yet verified

What you should carry, but do not have to

UK · home

Warning triangle
First aid kit
Fire extinguisher
High-visibility vest

Advised, not required. One motorway exception is worth knowing: do not set a warning triangle out on a motorway hard shoulder — get behind the barrier instead.Checked 20 Aug 2026

Austria · destinationNot yet verified

Typical fines

UK · home

Holding a phone — fine from 200 GBP, 6 points (Drivers who passed their test within the last 2 years lose their licence instead.)

Checked 3 Aug 2026

Austria · destinationNot yet verified

Same in both (6)

Holding a phone while driving — Not allowed official source
Who must wear a seatbelt — Everyone, in every seat official source
Helmets on a motorbike or scooter — Required for rider and passenger official source
What a rider must wear or carry — Nothing beyond a helmet official source
When you must switch your headlights on — Not required official source
Hands-free phone calls — Allowed official source