United Kingdom → Greece

Driving in Greece when you know the UK

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

Driving to Greece 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 Greece?: In Greece you drive on the right.
What is the speed limit in Greece?: 130 km/h on motorways, 90 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 Greece?: The legal limit in Greece is 0.5 g/l. Drivers who passed their test recently are held to 0.2 g/l.
What do you have to carry in your car in Greece?: You must carry a warning triangle, a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher.

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

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.
We earn a commission if you book through this link, at no extra cost to you. How we make money.

What's different (13)

Which side of the road you drive on

Critical

UK · homeLeftChecked 3 Aug 2026

Greece · 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

Greece · destination130 km/h — about 81 mphThe official table gives "130/110" for a car under one heading covering both motorways and expressways: 130 on the motorway, 110 on the expressway. Follow the signs, which is what the table says to do.Checked 16 Aug 2026 · official source

Speed limit on country roads

Critical

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

Greece · destination90 km/h — about 56 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

Greece · 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

Greece · destination0.5 g/l — about 50 mg/100mlChecked 16 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

Greece · destination

Warning triangle
First aid kit
Fire extinguisher

Three items, more than most of Europe asks for. The extinguisher goes with the car's number plate, not the driver: it is required in Greek-registered cars, which includes almost every hire car, and not in a car you drove in on foreign plates. Since 18 June 2026 the first aid kit has to meet a set standard and be kept in the cabin within reach, not in the boot. A high-visibility vest is not required here, which will surprise anyone arriving from Portugal, Spain or Italy.Checked 20 Aug 2026 · official source

Youngest age you may drive

Important

UK · home17 yearsChecked 3 Aug 2026

Greece · destination18 yearsThis is the EU-wide minimum for a category B licence, taken from the EU's own page rather than from a Greek one. Greece has not been checked for a lower national age.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

Greece · destination

Engine up to 50 cc
Power up to 4 kW
Top speed up to 45 km/h

A Greek category B licence covers category AM only if the holder has had the B licence for more than six years and is at least 27 years old (Article 4, paragraph 2 of Presidential Decree 51/2012 as amended). The decree's Annex II describes the AM machine as a two-wheeler with a design speed of 45 km/h and either a combustion engine of up to 50 cc or an electric motor of up to 4 kW: the engine limit is for petrol and the power limit for electric. Mopeds that cannot exceed 25 km/h need no licence at all (Article 3). With the national code 121 added to a Greek B licence, after at least five practical lessons and under the same six-year and age-27 conditions, the holder may also ride category A1 motorcycles up to 125 cc, but only inside Greece. The decree does not say whether a foreign B licence gets the AM allowance.Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source

Hands-free phone calls

Good to know

UK · homeAllowedThe phone must be in a holder or fully hands-free, and must not block your view.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Greece · destinationAllowed, with restrictionsThe phone must sit in a hands-free cradle with a speaker, or be used with a wireless earpiece. Holding it to your ear is not allowed even on a call.Checked 16 Aug 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

Greece · destinationAllowed, with restrictionsTwo-wheeled mopeds and motorcycles without a sidecar may ride between lanes of the same direction only when traffic fills the road and the other vehicles are stopped, on roads with at least two lanes per direction, at no more than 20 km/h, with dipped headlights on and giving way to others. Article 21, paragraph 9 of Law 5209/2025, still present in the ministry's 2026 codified text.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

Greece · destination

Top speed at least 70 km/h

The code sets no engine-size floor and does not name mopeds. It bans from motorways and expressways any motor vehicle that by construction, or for any other reason, cannot exceed 70 km/h on a level road (Article 33, paragraph 1), so the test is whether the machine can go faster than 70, not how big it is. A moped is defined in Article 4, number 36 as a vehicle with a maximum design speed of 45 km/h, so every moped is excluded.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

Greece · destinationRequired at all timesDuring daytime hours moped and motorcycle riders must ride with at least one front dipped headlight and one rear red light on. At night and in poor visibility lights are required for every vehicle. Article 39, paragraph 4 of Law 5209/2025.Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source

Typical fines

Minor

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

Greece · destination

Drink driving — fine 200–2000 EUR, possible driving ban (200 euro over the limit that applies to you, 700 euro over 0.8 g/l, 1,200 euro over 1.1 g/l. The licence is taken for six months in the lower bands and 180 days over 1.1. A second offence over 1.1 within two years costs 2,000 euro and the licence for five years.)

Fines are set by the highway code, not by the officer. The figures above are the ones published for drink driving; other offences are not yet recorded here.Checked 16 Aug 2026 · official source

Known on one side only (24)

Whether you need an International Driving Permit

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

Greece · destinationNot yet verified

Which side you overtake on

UK · homeRightChecked 3 Aug 2026

Greece · destinationNot yet verified

Speed limit on a dual carriageway

UK · home70 mphChecked 3 Aug 2026

Greece · 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

Greece · destinationNot yet verified

Alcohol limit for drivers who passed their test recently

UK · homeNot yet verified

Greece · destination0.2 g/lThe same 0.2 limit also covers anyone on a motorbike or a moped.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

Greece · 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

Greece · 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

Greece · 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

Greece · destinationNot yet verified

Winter tyres

UK · homeNot requiredChecked 3 Aug 2026

Greece · destinationNot yet verified

What a rider must wear or carry

UK · homeNothing beyond a helmetNo law requires protective clothing beyond the helmet. Eye protection is advised, and if worn it must meet an approved standard.Checked 2 Sep 2026

Greece · destinationNot yet verified

How you pay for motorways

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

Greece · destinationNot yet verified

Alcohol limit for professional drivers

UK · homeNot yet verified

Greece · destination0.2 g/lChecked 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

Greece · destinationNot yet verified

When you must switch your headlights on

UK · homeNot requiredHeadlights are required at night and when visibility is seriously reduced.Checked 3 Aug 2026

Greece · 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

Greece · 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

Greece · 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

Greece · 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

Greece · destinationNot yet verified

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

Greece · destinationNot yet verified

Congestion charges

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

Greece · destinationNot yet verified

Emergency number

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

Greece · 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

Greece · 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

Greece · destinationNot yet verified

Same in both (4)

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
Youngest age you may ride the smallest class of scooter — 16 years official source