Planning a nice holiday abroad but want to take your own car? Taking your own car can be convenient and make it much easier to get around, but there are a few important things to consider if you plan on doing this and you won’t want to take any risks. Keep reading to discover what the main considerations are.

Ensure License is Valid

It might be obvious, but you always need to check that your license will be valid for the entirety of your trip. This is something that can be easy to forget about, but you certainly won’t want to set off with an invalid driving license as this will always be checked when entering a new country.

Have the Right & Necessary Documentation

There will also be various documentation that you need and it is important to have all of this paperwork in the car at all times. In addition to your driving license, you will also need your passport, vehicle registration certificate, certificate of motor insurance and an international driving permit if required. Despite Brexit, you do not need an IDP in most cases but you should always check what is required beforehand. You should also have your travel insurance documents, COVID test result if needed and vaccination certificates if needed.

Ensure You Have the Necessary Cover

You also want to make sure that you have the right car insurance in place when driving abroad. In many countries, it is now required that you carry a green card as proof of car insurance for UK citizens. You may also want to consider European car insurance and European breakdown cover if you are driving your own car. You will want to check with your car insurance company beforehand to see what cover you already have in place and for a copy of your green card. It is also important to take out travel insurance for your holiday to protect you against various threats.

Familiarise Yourself With Road Rules

It is also important to read up on the road rules and etiquette of the country that you are travelling to so that you know what to expect and can quickly adapt. In addition to learning what side of the road they drive on you want to know what the speed limits are for motorways and built-up areas, tolls, low emission zones and anything specific to where you are visiting. As an example, if you have a Satnav in France that shows the position of speed cameras then this function will need to be deactivated as it is illegal.


Hopefully, the information in this post will help you to prepare for taking your car abroad and allow you to have a fun, enjoyable and memorable trip.

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