Renting a Car in Europe: Country-by-Country Guide

To rent a car in Europe, check the licence rules for your destination, the rental company's payment and deposit conditions, and written permission for every country on your route. Then price the whole trip: the rental quote is only one part of the cost, alongside fuel, parking, tolls, extra drivers and any one-way fee.

A car can make a rural itinerary easier, but keeping one through several city-centre stays can add cost and restrictions without much benefit. This guide helps you decide what to book and which official checks to make before collecting the keys. Rental policies depend on the supplier and pickup location; there is no single European deposit, minimum age or cross-border fee.

Fast Facts

Decision	What to check
Driving licence	Issuing country, document type, destination and length of visit
International Driving Permit	Check official destination guidance and the rental company's conditions; carry the original licence too
Payment	Accepted card type, main-driver name and available funds for the deposit
Border crossings	Tell the supplier when booking; confirm permitted countries and coverage in writing
Toll products	Correct country, vehicle category, registration number and start date
City driving	Local low-emission zones, restricted-access areas and parking rules
Price comparison	Total trip cost and cancellation conditions, not the advertised daily minimum

Do you need a rental car for the whole trip?

Start with your itinerary. A car is worth comparing for scattered villages, rural accommodation or stops that are awkward to combine by public transport. For a series of city breaks, compare collecting it only when you leave the city and returning it before the next urban stay.

Check the accommodation's parking arrangements before booking the car. “Parking nearby” may mean a paid public garage rather than an included space. For a historic-centre hotel, ask for an approved driving route and written confirmation of any registration the hotel must arrange.

For a Spain–Portugal route, our Iberian road-trip guide can help with itinerary choices. For a city-to-city alternative, compare the European rail guide. Choose transport to fit the places you want to visit, rather than building the route around a rental already paid for.

Licence, IDP and documents

Your Europe explains recognition of valid EU-issued driving licences within the EU. That does not mean every licence issued elsewhere follows the same rule. Check the issuing country, whether your document is a photocard or paper licence, the destination and the length of stay.

For a UK photocard licence, GOV.UK's IDP guidance says an IDP is not generally needed for driving in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, while identifying exceptions and advising renters to check supplier conditions. Do not apply that UK guidance to a US, Australian, Canadian or other licence.

If an IDP is required for your circumstances, obtain the appropriate type from an authorized issuer before travelling and carry it with the original licence. It does not replace that licence. Check the rental company's requirements for identification and how long you must have held your licence. The main driver and every additional driver should have their required documents available at pickup.

Entry permission and driving permission are separate questions. Our Schengen travel-rules guide covers the broader travel-planning context; the destination's driving authority and your rental agreement determine what you need to drive.

Age, card and deposit: confirm before paying

Age thresholds and young-driver charges differ by country, company and vehicle class. Enter the driver's actual age when obtaining a quote. A cheap category may be unavailable to a younger driver, and an additional driver can carry a separate fee.

Read the pickup location's payment conditions. Confirm whether it accepts your particular credit or debit card for the deposit, whether a physical card is required and whose name must appear on it. Acceptance for online prepayment does not automatically establish acceptance at the counter.

Ask for the deposit amount and how it will be handled. Available funds or credit must cover the requirement at pickup. The deposit and the damage excess are different concepts: a reduced excess does not necessarily remove the deposit. Release timing depends on both the supplier and card provider, so do not rely on a fixed European-wide deadline.

Insurance: compare the responsibilities, not just the label

The EU's car-rental guidance states that third-party liability cover should be included in the rental price and valid throughout the EU. This is not the same as cover for damage to the hired car or theft of your belongings.

Ask what the quoted rate includes, which excess applies and what is excluded. Check glass, tyres, roof and underbody damage, lost keys, incorrect fuel, roadside assistance and unauthorized roads. A product called “full protection” needs to be understood through its actual conditions.

If you consider separate excess cover, establish whether it reimburses you after a claim or changes what the rental company can initially charge. Compare exclusions, documents required and your ability to meet a charge pending reimbursement. There is no universally cheapest or best policy for every traveller, and a generic travel policy should not be assumed to cover rental damage.

How to compare the real cost

Request quotes for the same pickup and return times, car category, transmission and mileage allowance. Include every driver and the intended route. Airport and city-office quotes may differ in both price and opening hours.

Use this checklist:

• Base rental: quoted total, taxes and mandatory location charges.
• Optional equipment: child seats, navigation, winter equipment or other items you actually need.
• Trip charges: cross-border permission, one-way return, mileage limits and additional drivers.
• Running costs: fuel or charging, parking, tolls, vignettes and city-access charges.
• Risk and flexibility: excess, deposit, excluded damage and cancellation terms.

For illustration, a €35 daily rate for five days is €175 before extras. A €100 one-way charge would raise that subtotal to €275 before fuel, parking and tolls. These are calculation examples, not market prices. Obtain live quotes before deciding which country or company is cheapest.

Book an automatic transmission explicitly if you need one, and check the confirmed category. Do not assume a particular make and model is guaranteed when the reservation says “or similar”.

Country-by-country checks before you drive

France: check the city and the actual vehicle

Use the official Crit'Air service to understand the vehicle's emissions classification and obtain a certificate where required. Check the current rules of each city on your route, including foreign-registered vehicles. A rental collected in another country should not be assumed to have the right French sticker.

Ask the supplier how motorway tolls are paid and what any electronic-tag service costs. Keep receipts if you pay directly. For city stays, compare an outer garage and public transport with bringing the car to your hotel.

Spain: foreign plates need a separate Barcelona check

Barcelona's official foreign-vehicle register says foreign vehicles must be included in the register before driving in the metropolitan low-emission zones. Meeting an emissions standard is not, by itself, the same as completing registration. Wait for the required confirmation and check the applicable permissions and hours.

Madrid and other cities have their own systems. A Barcelona registration or a sticker from another country should not be treated as permission everywhere. Confirm the plate and vehicle documents early enough to complete the relevant process.

Italy: parking and restricted centres

Check the municipality's current ZTL map, operating times and permit rules before driving into a historic centre. Do not assume navigation software or a hotel reservation grants access. If a hotel offers to register your plate, ask which entrances, dates and times that covers.

An outside-the-centre parking space can simplify the visit. Distinguish a government fine from a supplier's administration charge: the rental terms should explain how notices are handled. Check each city rather than relying on one fine amount or a claim that every centre operates the same system.

Portugal: establish the toll arrangement at pickup

Ask whether the rental has an active toll-payment service and how the supplier bills usage and service fees. The arrangements for a Portuguese rental and a foreign-registered vehicle may differ. Portugal Tolls provides official information for foreign vehicles using electronic systems.

Do not register a second payment product blindly if the car already has an active service. Confirm the route and the correct vehicle registration, and retain the rental company's explanation with your booking documents.

Germany and the Netherlands: check city access individually

For each overnight stop, look up the municipality's current emissions-zone and parking information for the vehicle you will drive. Rental vehicles are not automatically exempt, and a compliant car in one city may still need a sticker, registration or different parking arrangement elsewhere.

Follow current road signs, speed limits and local right-of-way rules. Avoid blanket assumptions about cyclists, trams or unrestricted motorway sections. A city-centre stay may be simpler with the car parked for the duration.

United Kingdom: left-side driving and London charges

Allow time to familiarize yourself with the vehicle before joining a busy road, particularly if driving on the left is new to you. Check posted limits rather than assuming all urban roads share one limit.

For London, use Transport for London's ULEZ checker. ULEZ and the central Congestion Charge are separate schemes, so satisfying one does not resolve the other. Ask the rental company who pays applicable charges and what administration fees may be added.

Switzerland: a vehicle-linked motorway check

The Swiss government vignette guidance lists the annual motorway vignette at CHF 40, available as a sticker or electronically. Check whether your rental already has a valid vignette before purchasing another. For an electronic purchase, verify the registration details carefully.

Mountain-road access depends on the particular pass and current conditions. Check the route close to departure; do not assume every pass closes for identical months. If you are an EU resident collecting a car in Switzerland and entering the EU, ask the supplier about customs and registration requirements before booking, as explained by Your Europe.

Austria: validity matters as much as price

ASFINAG lists 2026 car vignette prices of €9.60 for one day, €12.80 for ten days, €32 for two months and €106.80 annually for the relevant category up to 3.5 tonnes. Separate section tolls may apply on your route.

ASFINAG allows immediate validity to be selected for one-day and ten-day digital vignettes. Consumer purchases of two-month and annual digital products through its online shop generally have an 18-day wait. Check the exact product and sales channel before relying on it for a journey today.

Croatia: verify your route rather than assuming a border crossing

Use Hrvatske autoceste for motorway toll information and calculate the actual route. The Pelješac Bridge provides a route around the Neum corridor. Travelling between Split and Dubrovnik does not automatically require transit through Bosnia and Herzegovina.

If you choose a route through another country, get the rental company's permission and check the required travel and vehicle documents. Allow additional time for stops and congestion instead of treating a map's driving estimate as a guaranteed arrival time.

Greece and other European destinations

Check your specific licence and rental conditions for Greece rather than applying a blanket IDP requirement to all non-EU visitors. If you intend to take a rental onto a ferry, obtain explicit permission and confirm the insurance conditions first.

For trips through Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria or other destinations, check the official road operator's current payment system for the vehicle and route. Do not assume every country uses the same vignette duration or that buying a product at a border automatically covers the roads ahead. Winter-equipment requirements also need a country-specific check.

Crossing borders and returning elsewhere

Tell the rental company your itinerary when booking, not only at pickup. Request confirmation of permitted countries, any fee, breakdown coverage and ferry restrictions. Returning the car in a different country is a separate question from being allowed to visit it.

Do not rely on a universal list of allowed or forbidden destinations: restrictions can depend on the supplier, pickup country and vehicle category. Compare the complete one-way quote with returning to the original location, including the extra journey time and fuel involved.

Pickup, return and problems on the road

At pickup, inspect the vehicle with the rental record, photograph existing damage and confirm fuel or charge level. Ask where the assistance number and required safety equipment are located. At return, record the vehicle's condition, mileage and fuel or charge level; keep the handover record and final invoice.

For an incident, prioritize a place of relative safety and follow the local emergency and road-authority instructions. Contact the rental company's assistance service promptly. Photograph damage only when safe and follow the applicable police-reporting and insurance requirements. Do not assume every claim has the same 24-hour reporting rule.

Warning-triangle rules are not identical across Europe. The UK Highway Code, for example, warns against placing a triangle on a motorway carriageway. Do not walk into fast traffic to follow a generic checklist. For an emergency in the EU, 112 connects you with emergency services; identify your country, road and location clearly.