What You Should Know About Renting a Car in Europe
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 พ.ค. 2024
- Want to See Europe while Driving the Back Roads? Here are some tips and advice on driving in Europe. From Renting cars, different driving rules and manual transmission, some of the differences and important issues when looking at renting a car while you visit and drive Europe. Car Insurance Needs, Car Rental Companies and Much More.
filmed in Avignon, France
Copyright Mark Wolters 2015
USA Today & 10Best's #1 Independent Travel Videographer 2014
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When I took my husband to Spain to visit my family back in 1998 we drove from Madrid to Asturias. We got lost and stopped a man walking on the road for directions. My husband was shocked when EVERYONE in the village started coming out of their homes to help us. I told my husband before we went how friendly the people were...but he didn't believe or really know HOW FRIENDLY until this experience. Our car was surrounded by soooo many helpful and curious people. It was a lot of fun and a wonderful memory :)
Italian here, random advice:
-Nowadays GMaps works perfectly well, and plus you can easily find most of the petrol stations with it. Check if your car takes petrol ("benzina, senza piombo") or diesel
-90%+ of the cars you can rent are manual: usually automatics are bigger, more expensive cars
-Speed limits: 50kmh in cities and villages (if not lower), 90kmh on country roads, 110kmh on main country roads (with 2+ lanes and separated ways) , 130kmh on highways.
-City signs are white (50kmh)
Outside city signs are blue (interurban) (90kmh)
Higway signs are green (130kmh)
-You CAN'T turn right with a red light (unlike in America)
-when you turn at a crossroad, look out for people crossing the road
-don't even try to get in the city center by car (especially in big cities, lots of ZTL): park it near the center and go on foot or with the public transport
-Who's on your right always has the right of way (if there's no light and he hasn't got a stop sign)
-On a tight mountain road, usually who's climbing has the right of way
-If you don't feel so confident driving here, rent a a small car it will all be easier
-In big cities with avenues ("corso/i", 2+ lanes roads with a smaller one-way road on each side) you can't turn left if there's not a dedicated lane: you should always get in the smaller side road (contro viale) prior to turning left.
-yellow parking lines are for handicapped; white lanes or no lanes mean free parking; BLUE lanes mean payed parking.
-While you drive always watch what other people do, especially when the road tightens
Hopefully these will be useful to somebody, have a nice trip!
"You CAN'T turn right with a red light"
I'm quite sure this is common for all of Europe.
SemmyRace appreciate you looking out fam
I work in travel an deal with citations from Europe. This will be helped to our colleagues. Thanks!
I was in Amsterdam once and could not find a place to park, fortunately those who towed my car found a nice place for it. Was an expensive way to park :-)
SemmyRace Very helpful! Thanks for the additional advice! Was wondering if Google maps would be sufficient and this is very helpful.
Some important differences from the US:
- There are no all-way stops. Stop always also means yield.
- On roads with the same priority, yield to the right, not to the first.
- Right on red is not a thing. You always need a green signal; it may be a plastic arrow but it needs to be there.
- Hazard lights on a car in front of you on a highway usually mean you are approaching a traffic jam. Turn them on at least until a car behind you turn theirs and prepare for sudden braking.
Great advise thanks! I have a question I'm trying to find on You Tube. We will be going to Ireland in a few months and before I booked a rental car I started looking up some reviews on all the companies...........what I've came across is some confusion on hidden charges, do you have a preference???? Also I declining insurance and/or getting covered by a 3rd party company, do you know what's best here? More cost effective, is one better than the other? Thanks!
cg_txfire I just get CDW from the rental company. It's hard to get any better rate if you are not living in that country and unless you go there for several months (when it's cheaper to buy a car instead of renting one), the difference is usually so small that I don't find it worth the trouble. (Note also that insurance policies in Europe are typically tied to a car, not to a person, and you may have hard time finding one that will be willing to cover a rental car. However, this is not the case for Ireland and the UK.)
drive in the right lane and use the left lane for passing unless in congestion.
No, in the UK stop means stop. Give Way means yield.
Andrew Rodgers Stop sign means stop and yield. In the US, all-way stop means only stop but you don't have to yield to other directions.
Hey from Germany (Ulm) and thanks for your videos! We've been to many countries in southern Europe by car and yes, roads can be very, very narrow, winding and a bit scary and locals get really close when they're behind you. So my tip is...don´t get nervous or angry, don´t try to adapt to their driving style. Just find a save spot where you can let them pass by. They'll thank you for it and you can enjoy driving much more ;)
Watches videos on things I already know, purely for the fact that the presenter informs you in such a great way!
All these videos are great! And Wolter is a great host for them!!!
Don't rent a GPS! Bring your own. Load the correct maps into it before travelling. A few days GPS rental will cost more than purchasing a new GPS.
Why do I have to load maps in advance into a GPS? (I'm not disagreeing with you; I'm asking.) Here in the States I just plug in my phone and use its Maps app, with voice directions coming through the radio speakers of the car. Is that not possible in Europe? Or is it just a matter of avoiding roaming charges?
Lee Johnson Using an app like Google Maps, that downloads map data on the fly, requires a data plan, and international data roaming can be insanely expensive. Using an app like Sygic, where you load maps in advance, avoids that, but: loading maps for one country tends to be a pretty big download, which might take forever on some random hotel WiFi, or not work at all. Doing it with your broadband at home before you leave can save you from a lot of aggravation.
Use Google maps. Since international data roaming varies by cell provider, it's best to download maps for offline use of places you plan to travel.
Waze works in several countries as well. Completely free.
Just download the HereWeGo app. It is my favorite mapping app and it works offline everywhere.
As for toll roads: In some countries (ie Hungary, Austria) you don't need to pay during your travels. Instead, you need a special sticker (called a vignette) proving that this is prepaid for a certain period of time, up to a year at most, usually. The vignette is almost always included in the car rental, so you don't have to worry about it. I was stopped once by the police in Austria for a vignette check - be prepared for that, and be prepared for high fines if you don't have a valid one. So check that before leaving the car rental.
i really like your videos, they also help me to improve my english since the way you talk is very very nice to not native speakers's ears.
I wish I could rent a Manual transmission here in the US.
Finally a car rental instructional video which says ask for an auto. It amazes me when I want a video aimed at Americans without them mentioning it. It's the number one most important things. No good hiring cars that are 95% manual to a demographic that are 95% unable to drive manual.
"Ask for an auto"? What are you going to rent at a car rental...a lawn mower?
Lillian Flactiff I'm actually from the UK and driven nothing but manuals. It just impresses me how many videos fails to mention it when its the most important thing they need to know. Generally the most vital function of a car is the ability to make it move haha.
if you're curious, as of 2013, the total amount of brand new cars sold with a manual transmission in the states was a measly 3.9%, needless to say, and it's already happening (my stepbrother for example) we won't even know what a manual transmission is, and just say "where is the D?"
Justin Noker Yeah that ain't any good if you want to hire a rental car here. I'm sure most rental companies will give manuals by default or more likely because they don't have any auto's. Here it's actually hard to get a auto in any car other than the high end ones.
mrdojob yeah, luckily if I ever visit I have a close friend over there just to drive me around lol
Just wanted to say that I love all of your info and advice for travelling abroad. I'll be heading to Sweden here soon and I got a lot of great info from you so thank you!
Thanks so much for the tips. We’re gonna go to Europe next month. This is very helpful!
Also stay on the LEFT when you are driving in the UK
One more thing to be aware of when driving in a city is to be careful with trams. Countries tend to have different laws regarding them, though in general trams always have a right of way on intersections unless it is regulated by signage or traffic lights. When parking next to tram tracks make sure that trams can pass you. Be careful when overtaking trams, or in general when crossing the tracks. They have a much longer stopping distance than a car. The last one is especially true if it's an old model of trams, those will turn your car into a pancake if they hit you.
Thanks for these videos, I'm moving to Europe soon so this is very helpful.
Seeing this is 2022 LOL how's Europe
The cruise control thing is not quite true... Most modern European cars have cruise control, but in most cases you don't use it.
Because in the US, you put the cruise control on 55mph and leave it there all day... Not in Europe. There is lots of traffic, lot's of speed limits, sometimes roadworks. So you need to be in control. The only places where cruise control works are major highways and even then you need to be cautious (Especially in Germany). Because if you linger in the left lane for too long you will find an angry BMW, or Mercedes in your mirrors with flashing headlights.
Also if you drive to an old, historic part of town, be very careful. Lots of one-way streets and some streets are too small for cars! Trust me, even as a European I've done the mistake of driving through old parts of town, only inches away from people and walls. I had to do a 10-point turn to fit through a gap in Sozopol with my Mercedes. A car far too large for a town where most people either walk, or ride a scooter.
It would be best to park away from the tiny streets and then go on foot.
Megadriver That is generally true in the US too since, even with our larger highways, they are not always controlled access, I.e., freeways. Most folks will use cruise on rural interstates at 70-85 mph, as the weather dictates.
Megadriver europeans don't use cruise control every time because they don't really respect speed limits and roads turn a lot
uh? the part with dont respect speed limits might be true; but well i am always setting the cc (in german tempomat) to something like 260 :'D
- no really; i doubt that thats a reason more like the rules on the autobahn are so complex and sometimes its so crowded with fast moving cars so you're constantly switching between power and braking ^^(very ecofriendly :/ )
Rental cars won't have cruise control unless you rent a "luxury" class. That's what he's talking about here.
HenryLoenwind many cars nowadays have cruise control - its not exclusive to luxury cars, whether the car is a rental or not
Wow, this is packed with great information! Thanks for sharing!
You hit on all the points I tell people. Great video for travelers. I have been going to Ireland for a long time, but last year I decided to take the plunge and drive through the countryside. I never had a problem until I got to Galway. The roads and parking garages are tiny. Before I went last year, I read the entire Irish driving manual. The fun part comes when you cross for the Republic into Northern Ireland. The road signs are different and you switch back to MPH. :)
+Jefferson Davis yeah, I forgot about that one :)
You are so kind to respond. Thank you for words of advice. I sure do enjoy all your videos. Thank you.
Liked and subscribed as soon as I watched this video , very interesting video on Car driving in Europe 😀
This video seems more aimed at the American audience, so let me summarise. 1. always prebook an automatic. they are very rare here as 95% of us drive manuals (stick shift). 2. Use Google maps. it hardly uses any data and automatically re-routes you when the is traffic ahead. 3. Don't speed. the cameras will catch you and the rental company will take the money from your credit card. 4. In the UK we drive on the left, the driver sits on the right. our signs are in Miles, and the dials on the car have both miles and km. In Ireland they drive on the left but measure in km. 5. Don't ask locals for the nearest gas station. we will think you want gas bottles for a fire and you will waste everyone's time. refer to it as a petrol station. 6. our prices are in litres not gallons. 7. I noticed in the USA you have to go into the shop to pay first and then fill up? here you simply fill up and pay at the end. pumps with attendants are very rare. in my 5 years driving on the continent I only saw this in Romania. 8. our cars tell you the outside temperature, but in Celsius not Fahrenheit. 9. Most of the rental cars do have cruise control, but the company will not bother to show it to you, you have to find it yourself but it's not hard. 10. oh yeah, Don't turn right on a red light. it's illegal, usually because it means there are pedestrians and cyclists crossing. 11. in the Netherlands, cyclists are everywhere and have right of way except at traffic lights. if you are turning right into another Street, give way to any cyclists in the red Lane. also don't park or even walk in the red cyclist Lane. 12. Also in NL, Belgium and France, for some silly reason you have to give way to traffic coming out of a side road. Finally 13. don't drive in Poland. it's terrifying. hope this helps.
Richard Dybowski For silly reason they drive on left in UK.
You have to pay first and then pump due to idiots driving off without paying.
@@ep6927 We think driving on the right is silly. It's a tradition mate, and your driving on the right is, to us, a sellout to the French, from whom you adopted that system.
In Europe they do not have right turn on red.
because we aren't stupid
+karl ticehurst Actually, turning right on red is a really great idea
Also we use roundabouts a lot more
+karl ticehurst Turning right on red is a good thing. It clears intersections a lot faster. Though there are plenty of places that it's not safe to do so there are plenty that are.
+tomschnadelbach In Germany they do. It's a green arrow on a black sign. You then have the option to turn right on red if you wish.
This is good info! Being from The Netherlands i give you this advice: bikes are everywhere so pay attention. And try a rental bike too: it's a nice way to get around in a city because car traffic is usually very dense ans your just focussing on the traffic while biking makes you part of the city life.
Never "kiss" a car in germany. Seriously, don't bump into other cars when you trying to parallel park! The germans love their cars and they take better care of them as of their kids :)
So, bumping into kids -> okay, bumping into cars -> not okay!!!
There are places in the world where bumping into cars is okay? What!?
White People In France and Spain (at least the regions I have visited) it seems quite normal to squeeze your car into a gap and bump the car infront and behind of you... but as I said, not in Germany!
I've been to Paris and the traffic there is terrible. Even then I would never imagine for it to be acceptable to bump into a car. Where I live, if you do that even on accident, you better leave and find another parking spot, because the owner of the car you bumped will be pretty mad if he finds a scratch.
yes in france, especially paris its a unwritten rule to not-set your parking brake so others can squeeze in :D
thats why the citroen cactus (maybe youve never heard of it in the us --> GOOGLE IT! looks that hilarious :DD)
Would you damage your neighbours house on purpose? Exactly! A single scratch or ditch could lower the value on re-sale by $500-$1,000
Just when I thought I had seen all of your videos, another one pops up lol. Great scenes BTW. :). I am glad that the cc's these days have chips :).
In the uk, we use mph, but our signs are the same design as the rest of Europe so just remember not to do 30 k in a city. We will get pissed.
Drunk?
Very helpful video on Europe Rental cars and driving 👍
I own a Ford Focus ST, 6-speed manual. Win-win for renting on my trip to Czech Republic!
I found the motorists in Belgium and the Netherlands to be more polite than in North America. It is much easier to change lanes in heavy traffic.
The weirdest thing in the Netherlands is that the traffic lights are on the near side of the intersection. So if you make the mistake of pulling right up to the intersection, you can't see the light.
we use a rental company called economy car rental.They are great with full insurance and no excess to pay.
Used them twice,Bulgaria & Spain with no problems.
Safe driving!
I always use my mobile phone with some offline maps app as a GPS navigation. Because you can use it for everything... like making itineraries or also when you walk around the city and you get lost. You just need to have a car holder for your mobile phone with you.
And about the bagage in your car... not only pack yourself light, but do not forget to use cover in your trunk to hide what you have inside. For stealing a camera or your notebook the robber needs just a second and a heavy brick. So be careful and do not put your things in the car on a display (also do not leave any valuable things on the seats!!!). Make your car less interresting for robbers. :)
Great tips. I've been looking for a good video about filling up with gas and yours is about the best one out there. One thing about driving on the expressways in the EU. Trucks own the right hand lane. You may say to stay in the right lane and when traffic is light, this is OK. Trucks have a max speed limit and that is generally slower than the speed you are driving. They are apt to pull out into the right lane at a moment's notice to pass the truck in front of them so you constantly have to watch out for this. I believe that in most countries in the EU, trucks are not allowed to drive on Sunday, which is great. However, this is only one day out of the week.
En europe le moins chère est le diesel en général, l'essences est moins chères dans les supermarchés et tu trouvera les prix les pluys élevées sur autoroutes.
En fonctions des pays la quantité de station service de supermarché varie, en France c'est la majorité en Italie elle sont rare par exemple.
Nice views of Scotland. Not just the hills and castles, always identifiable from the cloudy skies.
:(
Thanks for your informative videos! I'm planning on visiting the US sometime next year, so a video with tips about renting a car in the US would be nice too :))
I really like how you do your videos outside!
Your video is so very helpful. Thank you!
Malta and Cyprus drive on the left too
And Ireland he never mentioned Ireland. He only said the Uk he forgot about Ireland.
all ex british colonies to be presice
Exept for Canada
@@stankargul9511 and, uhm, the US
Thanks a lot, your video and recommendation is the One of the best on the whole TH-cam!!!
+Yra Ponyatkin thank you. I'm glad our videos can help.
Most rental companies have larger cars as well as compacts, for instance when I was at the rental in Shannon airport Ireland they had Jaguars & Range Rovers. Modern luxury cars like Jags & Mercs will be auto transmission std.
Check out their fleets on-line before booking, some ancient cities, towns & villages will have some very narrow roads that the above mentioned vehicles will not pass through.
First of all: You're a lovely couple, I whish you all the best and many more great trips :)
Second: (maybe this is out of date, I last checked in 2015) When renting a car (in Germany), be aware that some countries - especially eastern countries - may not be covered in the rental company's insurance. For example Sixt won't let you go to Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary etc. Only Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark and basically anything west of Germany. So if your rental car gets damaged or parts or the whole thing is being stolen - no coverage!
You are so great traveler... Keep going on in making videos about the same subject. We need to know more about driving in Europe/Switzerland.
+laimona2020 I am from Switzerland. Very similar to Germany except speed limit on Autobahn is 120 km/h and you need a "Autobahn vignette" (english term?) to use the Autobahn in Switzerland. But if you rent a car, that should be already included. Also check for other speed limits in cities, there are often 50 km/h inside a town or sometimes already 30 km/h. No turn on red here too! Check for cyclists, we are everywhere and have the same rights as every other road user.
+HelenaRG71 Thank you very much. Good information.
+laimona2020 You are welcome. I forgot to say that not everywhere in Switzerland you really need a car. I am from Zurich and we have a really excellent public transport system (Tram, Bus, Train, also within the city). Overall, Switzerland has an excellent and perfect working train network, you can go almost everywhere with public transport and often you can watch then the nice landscape while driving in a car can be very stressful. As said in the video, everything is small, not much parking space or it will cost a lot to park.
+HelenaRG71 I think you are right. Taking public transportations much better to enjoy the great scenes.
And parking in Swiss cities is a nightmare ;) It's official policy to limit parking spots and try to get everyone on the public transport system (which is indeed excellent in Switzerland), you can leave your car in a parking lot somewhere on the outskirts of town (often not free either, but at least you can park!)
A car isn't always as necessary as that. Avignon has a nice new TGV station, which was recently upgraded to give a connection to the city centre. You can easily reach various major places from the TGV station, e.g. Paris and Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Thanks for the info, even if I'm seeing it 5 years later.
I love your site. Very well explained
Hey, Wolter i enjoy your videos. Some remarks though about driving in Europe and especially in Greece where i live.
Roundabouts: Make sure who has the right of way at the country you visit, not all countries have the same rule, in Greece for example unless specified with a sign the car that enters the roundabout has the right of way. This can get deadly if you don't pay attention and i have avoided many collisions with tourists driving without paying attention at roundabouts.
Tolls: As you mentioned have some coins and if you don't have any coins don't use large paper bank notes eg a 50 euro to pay in order to brake it for change, the delay you will cause will frustrate those that wait behind you. It is also good to ask the cashier at the toll booth how much the next toll costs.
When driving make sure make sure you have valuables/luggage at the boot or trunk (as you Americans say) not the back of the car as you mentioned in order to avoid theft. Also keep your wallet or purse (for women) under the seat not the back or at an exposed place inside your car with the windows down in order to avoid being stolen while driving. In big cities thieves can be a person (or two) on a motorcycle and while you wait at a traffic light or stuck at a traffic jam, they can snatch your wallet/purse, especially if the car windows are down and run away on their motorcycle.
When driving a scooter, ATV, motorcycle, don't drive in the middle of the lane, the roads are narrow and if you take the whole lane with a scooter you can cause a traffic jam and annoy many drivers, please drive as right to the lane as possible.
Another thing to pay attention is pulling over at a road. I see this with many tourists in Greece, they pull over at the road in order to allow the cars behind them to overtake them and not cause a traffic jam but they stop at the middle of the road with the danger of causing an accident. The roads are narrow and it is best to drive at the speed limit and when you find a large enough area then pull over and allow the cars behind you to overtake you, the drivers behind you may get annoyed but safety first.
Mark the term for the box in carparks where you pay is "Pay Station". In the UK they can be inside public walkways that go under the roads - we call these Subways. The pay station can also be inside a super or hyper market. Most of these now take cards but as you say coins are always useful in case they are no operating properly AND it is a good way to get rid of those irritating coins.
note that the autobane when there are no speed limit there is a soft limit of 130km/h and if you drive faster and something happens and it chould be coursed by the high speed you might get into extra trubel with the insurence from the car rental
We hired a motorhome in Frankfurt and went to Munich, Salzburg, Innsbruck, into Switzerland (went all over Switzerland-loved it), then into Italy, France, Geneva, and through the Black Forest to Frankfurt. Awesome trip!!
Biggest concerns (as an Australian); prices of fuel, most European towns seem to be a "No Parking" zone, apart from the Autobahns, city and town roads and streets are ridiculously narrow. Learn the local roadsigns (very different to Australia/US signs), use a GPS and no matter what you're driving, just stick to the right lane. OK, give it a burst on the Autobahn, but remember you're not as experienced at high speed driving as the locals. German drivers are a hell of a lot better, more polite and willing to share the road than Aussies. We saw little villages in out of the way places that made the trip worthwhile-places that weren't touristy and overpriced. Best experience-Bergkase from a roadside stall in the Swiss Alps, and Filisur in Grissons (CH). Being able to drive through 4 countries in one day was a novelty for an Australian.
Don Coleman As a fellow Aussie, the concept of driving through so many different ancient cultures is incredible, I'd love to experience Europe by motorhome! Were you able to manage with English or would you need to learn local languages?
I speak German, which made it easier. In larger towns where there are a lot of tourists English is widely understood. In the small Swiss villages we saw, only the local language was spoken. I think there are apps for translating. Learning a few key phrases in the local language like "thank you" go a long way, but you'll get by with just English. I thoroughly recommend driving around Europe by motorhome if you're adventurous enough. Getting herded around on a Contiki bus with the "if today's Tuesday, this must be Paris" lightning speed tours wouldn't be fun.
Excellent...as usual!!! Lots of great advice here!!!
Thank you mike
Haha you're so recognizable, love the videos. Remember you from a Rio video I saw months ago
It's my young santa claus loom that sticks ;)
Funny moment: when you said, "One- or two-euro coins," I thought you meant, "One- or two-year-old coins."
I was, as you can imagine, slightly baffled . . . for about two seconds.
+Nick Hentschel ;)
I take the back roads all the time in the US, I would love to do that in Europe. Taking common roads vs the highway
Perhaps the most important tip for Americans, apart from the rule of keeping to the outside lane, is I think that overtaking on the outside lanes is strictly forbidden.
This is for good reason called undertaking instead of overtaking.
+Tilman Baumann - This is very true. You can "undertake" if the cars in the inside lane are stationary or moving very slowly indeed, like a crawl.
+brighton dude Actually, they don't need to move slowly, they need to be in a continuous stream which can sometimes happen even when they move fast, e.g. after the police reopens a highway tunnel. Also, in some countries (e.g. the Czech Republic) but definitely not all (e.g. Germany), you don't need to keep right on highways in city limites and it's legal to undertake there.
Well one learns something every day :)
There are lots of areas, especially in the countryside, where there's no cell signal and you can't use your Google Map. Use Here we go map with downloaded local maps. It worked well for me in Italy. Unlike the US, you don't have the freedom to hog the left lane. Use it to pass then move back to the right lane.
I drove in Germany for a long time. Tips: Germany's free limited access superhighways (autobahn) draw in lots of drivers from the rest of Europe. In summer especially, they go through Germany to avoid toll highways in other countries. July/August in Germany on the autobahns is awful and subject to gridlock nearly anywhere, any time. Off the autobahns, if you don't see a speed limit sign, it's 50 kph the moment you pass a village, town or city limit sign. The speed limit resumes 100 kph the moment you cross out of the village, town, or city limit. German drivers are accustomed to following MUCH CLOSER than we are accustomed to in America. I felt like I was being tailgated for about three months until I just accepted the closer following distances. Public transit is really good and the roads are more suited to pedestrians, so a driver in Europe feels more "second class citizen" than in the USA where "the car is king." Fuel prices are insane in Europe and I shudder to consider how European rental car companies exploit this issue. When in Romstadt, driver as the Romstadter do. My friends thought I was crazy my first month back to driving in the USA, but I was just driving like a German. :)
In Croatia, you may pay your parking by your mobile phone. There is an information on a sign where you send an sms with your car plates number and receive the confirmatin. 10 minutes before your parking is expired, you receive a reminder, so you may buy additional hour by sending the same message.
Toll roads can be pricy and cost as much as fuel. For example in France June 2015 to drive from Paris to Angers (with a stop in Chartres) it was 50€ in tolls and for petrol/gas on a half a tank it was 45€. So be prepared to pay a lot in that. I found that driving within the city of Paris isn't bad as I thought it would be. And remember that traffic signals are located differently than in North America (almost sat through several lights if it wasn't for my friend and the car behind us)
Usually i really enjoy your videos, but this time i felt like there were some things i would like to add:
Europe is not one country, so each country has their own set of rules, with different speed limits that are indicated on signs at every border crossing, and different toll systems. In some countries you have to drive with headlights during daytime, in others you don't. Some countries have winter tires mandatory in winter time, others don't. Some countries require you to have a hi-vis vest for every passenger within reach, others only for the driver, others not at all. And some countries require you to have a first aid box inside your vehicle.
Let's talk about the toll systems, they're different in every country and it's a very bad idea to just cross the border and see what happens. In larger countries like France, Italy, Poland you have the usual toll booths where you pay an amount according to the distance you have driven, but in smaller countries like Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic you have to buy a toll sticker for the windshield which gives you permission to use the entire highway network of that country for 10 days, no matter how many km. In Hungary and Slovakia it's a "virtual toll sticker", but it works the same way. And you have to do that before you cross into that country. Austria is quite strict on that, they're notorious for pulling over vehicles who have just crossed the border and making them pay a fine of 120€ for not yet having that sticker on the windshield. So make sure you do inform yourself about particular traffic rules and toll systems of the countries along your way before actually going there. Yes, this might be a bit annoying, but it may save you a lot of stress and money. For instance, if you drive from Munich, Germany to Milan, Italy, that's less than 500 km, but you cross Germany, Austria (perhaps also Liechtenstein), Switzerland and Italy. Thus 4 countries, 3 different toll systems. (Germany fortunately doesn't have any toll roads yet, just like the Netherlands and Belgium)
Fuel prices may also vary significantly between the different countries. On that example route fuel will be cheapest in Austria and most expensive in Italy.
You might also have quite some trouble if you want to rent a car in one country and return it in another one. Most rental car companies will do that, but you will have to pay an awful lot of money, so i wouldn't recommend that. But one-way rental within one country shouldn't be much of an issue.
Would also be a good guide to explain the difference in where you might rent your car. (i.e. "What if you rent in Ireland and plan to go to the UK and France?" etc) Insurance technicalities and such.
One thing I did not hear you mention is about crossing international borders (France to Germany to Czech Republic to Poland etc.) Some rental agencies will allow you, and some will not. For me that is a requirement espicially when my Wife who is Czech grew up right on the Polish Border her family travels there roughly every other day when we visit. That is one thing I look for. And I agree about the Insurance. I always make sure I buy the extra insurance from the rental agency as well as from who I purchase travel insurance from.
here is a pro tip the TomTom app is an app from the best gps maker in europe its awesome and works great you should check it out so you always have a reliable gps with you that has offline maps installed on your phone
Additional note for 7:50 the UK does NOT use kph, they too use MPH, so if you see a speed limit sign in the UK that says 60 (they look the same as EU speed limit signs) it is 60MPH not 60KPH.
True what you say about signs in kilometres rather than miles. But... not in the UK, where they're in miles (and miles per hour for speed limits). Except distance markers on motorways, which are in kilometres. Bridges give their heights in feet and inches, and sometimes also in metres.
As an aside, railways are also measured in miles and chains, except for the Channel Tunnel, which is also kilometres. =Þ
amazing work bravo
Excellent video Mark. My only add is to please thoroughly investigate reviews of in-country local rental agencies, especially if the daily rate is enticingly low. There are too many horror stories regarding deposit refund hassles and poor maintenance/roadside service. Check TripAdvisor, which can identify the agencies in which countries to avoid.
Very true. That's in our five love and hate renting cars abroad. A forthcoming video ;)
Keep in mind that insurance offered by Expedia and Travelocity when booking a car rental through them is generally not accepted in Europe (my experience).
I find it very unusual that Expedia and Travelocity offers this when you book, takes your money, when they know it is not accepted. Happened to me with different car rental agencies in both Ireland and Austria. The car rental agency said they had notified Expedia and Travelocity multiple times that they do not accept their insurance.
I’ve got cruise control. My current car has adaptive cruise control. Has a radar to maintain distance to the car in front. I’m in the uk and regularly drive in France.
We’re from the UK and my parents find it hard to drive on the mainland because not only is it Kilometers and a different language but ALSO it’s the wrong side at the same time, for you it’s one or the other!
(Because it’s right side and Km in Europe and left side and miles in the uk)
I don't know whether it's been mentioned, yet, but know the speed limit of your car. On a German autobahn with no speed limit, you may drive as fast as traffic and your car allows. Many cars will have a speed limit around 200 km/h but some can be even lower - and of course BMW usually are much higher. But some small cars can have really low speed limits like 150 km/h, so driving 200 in one of those could already get you ticketed for going 50 over your cars safe speed limit.
We do have some 4 lane motorways near major cities such as the M25 but you won’t find them everywhere
Great stuff! Very useful.
hey hey the cruise control thing isn't true at all. :P
+MineCrafterCity yes it is
+In1998able then why I always drive on cruise controle every time I hit the highway?
Thierry Demaer our highway is most of the time to busy to use the cruise controle
+In1998able in spain it isn't there is almost nobody on the road but indeed iff you go to France or belguim around big cities like antwerp and Brussels at a certain time you will be stuck for hours
MineCrafterCity Well just get a car with active cruise control if available and the radar is going to keep the distance to the car infront of you
In the UK there are also congestion charges for driving into London and being introduced into other cities, and also emission charges for larger vehicles. This will need to be paid online.
finally an explanation to the name of the channel :D
in 2021, Google Maps is best in Europe and costs virtually nothing, but you need data for phone. We used it all over Spain, Italy, France, Switzerland, Greece, Cyprus. In-car GPS typically costs more and usually inferior to Google Maps or at best about equal. You need a local SIM or some other way to have calls and *data* on mobile/cell phone but in 2021 almost everyone has that. Tip: bring a battery re-charger pack because Google Maps uses a lot of power when it is navigating. Often car has a USB connection, be sure to bring all phone cables.
A few corrections to your video - Almost no petrol station in Europe has attendants - you will have to fill the fuel by yourself and then either pay at the pump or go inside with your payment card/cash and pay the clerk behind till. Every European country has 4+ lane motorways (highways) - cruise control is available with most modern cars (except small budget models) - Always buy insurance and always opt for the extra 'excess' cover option - don't skimp on insurance in Europe - the insurance from the car hire company is sufficient for a few days hire you don't need any other cover. Automatic car hire is much rarer in EU, some hire companies won't even have automatic cars in their inventory - so make sure you ask in advance and specifically request an automatic if you need one. 95% of europeans drive manual.
I agree - pack light and never leave your stuff in plain sight
In France if you meet yellow signs named Deviation, start to pray.
Too often they're put in the most stupid ways by the DDE. One time i was even sent by one to an exit road of a town and met another deviate sign pointing where i came from
It's funny because when I (a dutchie) picked up a rental car in Washington, the GPS was set to German :)
Miles per hour in UK as well :)
Mark, I would like to suggest renting a wi-fi hot spot. It's a small square disk that provides wi-fi any where you go. It costs about 10 euros/day and Vodaphone makes a good one. You can use your cell (mobile) phone as your GPS while connected to the portable wi-fi. If you should encounter a bed and breakfast or hotel that doesn't have wi-fi you can use your portable wi-fi.
+Bill Green awesome. thanks for the heads up. much appreciated.
In Germany, I did require one. I think it may depend on the company/person.
Google Maps will get you anywhere you want to going to Europe. Just get a gizmo to attach your phone to the a/c grille or dashboard. And a cigarette lighter attachment to power it. Make sure you know how to use it. You can download a map of the area between where you are and where you want to go so you don't need to use your internet allowance. Take pictures of all parts of the car when you pick it up and ditto when you drop it off so that you have a record of existing damage. Keep to 50kph in towns and 70 kph outside towns unless you see otherwise. In some places, white dotted lines along the side of the street means free parking. Blue means you need to pay. Green means residents only. Sometimes the fee for parking is waived between midday and 400:pm. Check the ticket machine. And sometimes there is a four hour maximum park time.
Be careful driving in Italy, gets kinda crazy on the road over their aha
In Paris, they park "by feel". I've watched people litterally bump the cars in front and behind them in order to make room to park.
And yeah, the car rental companies will give your name and address to the government if you get caught on a photo radar site. Not only that, but they will *charge you* for giving your name to them. You still are supposed to pay the speeding ticket in addition to what the car rental company charges you. Nice little ripoff there.
Also, in France, they don't always post the speed limit for when you are coming into a town. They have some sort of sign that basically indicates that you are entering the town and another one that indicates you are leaving the town and you're supposed to *know* that this means that the default speed limit is some particular value. That was how I ended up getting my two radar tickets in France. I wasn't *trying* to speed and in fact, I was actually *looking* for the speed limit signs but there weren't any.
Also, I found it significantly cheaper to fly into Dublin, rent a car there, and take the ferry over to England than to fly into London and rent a car there. I was there for a month, so it definitely made a difference. And since I planned on driving through all of England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Ireland over that month, it really didn't matter to me where I started out.
And the ferry between Larne and Cairnryan is a LOT shorter than the one between Dublin and Liverpool.
And if someone is coming up behind you and wants to pass, they will have their turn signal on. In the US, it's supposed to be flashing of the headlights, but over there, they use the turn signal. It actually makes more sense if you think about it. You're not having to be constantly flashing your lights, you just put your turn signal on and hope the person looks in their rear view mirror. In fact, they are pretty good about looking in their rear view mirror (unlike most people here in the US).
Another hint about gas stations, at least in Germany, the price listed on the sign is for liters NOT gallons! I don't remember how it was in France and Luxembourg as it's been five years. But it can be a bit of a shock for the first time American who is used to the price being per gallon.
Its per liter everywhere in Europe. Why would it be per gallon? No one in Europe know what a gallon is
Well, the US gallon is legally defined as 231 cubic inches, which is exactly 3.785411784 liters.[2][3] A US liquid gallon of water weighs about 8.34 pounds or 3.78 kilograms at 62 °F (17 °C), making it about 16.6% lighter than the imperial gallon. There are four quarts in a gallon, two pints in a quart and 16 US fluid ounces in a US pint, which makes the US fluid ounce equal to 1⁄128 of a US gallon. In order to overcome the effects of expansion and contraction with temperature when using a gallon to specify a quantity of material for purposes of trade, it is common to define the temperature at which the material will occupy the specified volume. For example, the volume of petroleum products and alcoholic beverages are both referenced to 60 °F (16 °C) in government regulations.
This dry measure is one-eighth of a US Winchester bushel of 2150.42 cubic inches; it is therefore equal to exactly 268.8025 cubic inches or about 4.405 L. The US dry gallon is not used in commerce, and is not listed in the relevant statute, which jumps from the dry quart to the peck.
The imperial (UK) gallon, now defined as exactly 4.54609 litres (about 277.42 cubic inches), is used in some Commonwealth countries and was originally based on the volume of 10 pounds (approximately 4.54 kg) of water at 62 °F (17 °C). The imperial fluid ounce is defined as 1⁄160 of an imperial gallon; there are four quarts in a gallon, two pints in a quart, and 20 Imperial fluid ounces in an imperial pint.
Both the US liquid and imperial gallon are divided into four quarts (quarter gallons), which in turn are divided into two pints. These pints are divided into two cups (though the imperial cup is rarely used now), which in turn are divided into two gills (gills are also rarely used). Thus a gallon is equal to four quarts, eight pints, sixteen cups or thirty-two gills. The imperial gill is further divided into five fluid ounces, whereas the US gill is divided into four fluid ounces. Thus an imperial fluid ounce is 1⁄20 of an imperial pint or 1⁄160 of an imperial gallon, while a US fluid ounce is 1⁄16 of a US pint or 1⁄128 of a US gallon.
The imperial gallon, quart, pint, cup and gill are approximately 20% larger than their US counterparts and are therefore not interchangeable. The imperial fluid ounce, on the other hand, is only 4% smaller than the US fluid ounce and therefore they are often used interchangeably.
In short, it's generally a unit of measurement by which we here in the US purchase among other things, the gasoline for our vehicles, boats, lawnmowers, snowblowers, snowmobiles, ATV's, chainsaws or any other machine that utilizes the aforementioned fuel.
Obi-Shawn I just figure as long as it's not over ten euros a gallon, I'm ok.
Everywhere else on the world the price allways will be for liters. Just let the americans get surprised, maybe they'll get the point of the metric system this way^^
Except for UK/Ireland, the European countries use metric. I guess most people will know gallon is a unit of volume, some of them will know it's a couple of litres, some of them will be able to do conversions in their heads. But rarely will anyone understand the US units without a conversion.
Also, as you mentioned, some units are different in UK despite the same name.
Also in some places is illegal or not recommended automatic cars!!!
And example are the Alps... automatic cars are not recommended in some zones... specially in winter or in ice conditions...
thank you Mark! Great video!
+J Gamez you are very welcome!
need usa version of this.
European stick shifts can have some quirks when trying to shift into reverse.
My car... a 2012 Mazda... reverse is back and right.
My wife's car.. a 2004 VW... reverse is left and forward, push down on the stick.
I don't know what it is with European stick shifts, but sometimes it is push down on the gear shift or lift up/push down on a sliding thing on the gear shift to get into reverse.
Make sure you can engage reverse on the rental car before you leave the lot. Nothing worse than having to do a three point turn and not being able to get into reverse. Trust me on this one!
The shift pattern is right there on the gearknob.
Hello from Tampa Bay!! Any advice on renting a car seat for kids in Europe? You bring your own from the US? Thanks!!
PS love ur vids
I'd add more to toll road warnings:
1. Depends on a country, but usually tolls are costly. So make sure you really are willing to spend X euros to save you Y minutes reaching your destination.
2. Some countries have a "prepaid" tolls system: you purchase a sticker giving you unlimited access to all country's toll roads for a period. If you don't have one, you'd better stay off toll roads, 'cause you really can be pulled over and fined for driving on a toll road without the sticker.
My job is to contact those people who declined getting the Loss Damage Waiver insurance. Sometimes my heart breaks for these people. The insurance companies pay the damages but usually they do not pay the added fees, which can sometimes add up to thousands of dollars. The car rental contract that you sign, states that you are responsible to pay, even if you are not at fault.
When it comes to driving in Europe, some countries (among them Russia, Greece and Ukraine) are known for high rates of traffic crashes. There's also police corruption in some countries (particularly ex-Soviet republics outside the EU), and poor signage.
David W Also signage is slightly different as US highways are highway number-centric and European signage is more destination/city name centric. That is, the emphasis between them is the opposite.
Get an international drivers licence. Many travel insurance plans are void if you break local laws. So if required for the country you are travelling make sure you get one so if you get in an accident your travel insurance is not invalidated
I got one the moment I had to rent outside of Europe (I'm from the EU, so inside the EU I don't need it), just to be safe. It doesn't cost much, it's easily obtainable (here you have to go to city hall, but the entire process takes about 10 minutes) and better safe than sorry when you're standing somewhere with your rental because something went wrong. I don't care what the rental company or anybody might say about not needing it, I'll take it with me and that way I'm sure I'm covered. And on top I have actually two driver's licences with me (the international one and my normal one, which I don't keep in the same location), so if one gets lost or stolen, I have a back-up.
Is it true that not just break-in but even car jacking is rampant in Provence especially in and around Marseilles?
We are going to France in October 2021 and renting a car at CDG. We are taking our Garmin GPS. Do the rental cars there have the standard cigarette lighter plug in for the GPS? I have ordered a SD card with Europe maps for the GPS.
The first time I rented a car in England I asked the rental agent at Gatwick if he had any words of advice for a Canadian who had never driven on the left before. Not really; just be careful. I did, however, drive around Kent before attempting to drive to my hotel in London.
Driving in London is easy. It's an endless traffic jam anyway, so just follow the car in front of you and you're fine. The most difficult part I find on those 1.5 car country roads. You drive in the middle, but go to the side if there's someone coming from the other side. You have to go to your left and we're conditioned to go to our right.
Hi. We saw you with a blue transport van in one of your videos and wonder where you rented that. We have 6 kids and are really struggling to find vehicles to rent in France large enough for 8 people! Any advice? Thanks.
Good advice