Driving in the EU

Even though it may seem like a long time ago since we officially left the EU, it’s still a change we’re all getting used to. We’ve created this handy guide to help our drivers understand the changes that have been made and implications of driving in Europe after Brexit. If you’re driving anywhere around Europe, you’ll need some additional documentation with you.

Read some of the things you’ll need to bring on trips with you:

Always have your license with you.

It may come as a surprise to some people, but you must have your UK driving license with you at all times when driving around the EU. This is to ensure that if you get stopped by the police, you have the right proof of identification to show them and they can run any necessary checks.

VE103B certificates

As a reminder, UK drivers who drive a leased or salary sacrifice vehicle will continue to need a ‘Vehicle on Hire Certificate’ (VE103B) for driving abroad which Tusker can provide upon request. With more border checks now than pre-Brexit, it’s important to have this available in your car. Please call our driverline at least a week before you plan to travel to Europe and we’ll send you the VE103B for your car.

Have you already got a UK identifier?

If you’ve got a number plate which displays the UK identifier with the Union Jack flag, you don’t need a UK sticker when driving in Europe. If you don’t, then you need to display the UK identifier when driving abroad.

You’ll need to display a UK sticker clearly on the rear of the car if your number plate includes any of these:

• A GB identifier with the Union flag
• A Euro symbol
• A national flag of England, Scotland or Wales
• Numbers and letters only – no flag or identifier

Travelling to Spain, Cyprus or Malta? You’ll need to have a UK sticker no matter what’s on your plate. Driving around Ireland? You don’t need a UK sticker or identifier.

Taking a trailer on your travels?

You’ll need to register commercial trailers over 750kg gross weight and all trailers over 3,500kg gross weight before towing through some EU countries. This will cost £26 to register, £21 to issue a new registration certificate for a new registered keeper and £10 for a replacement UK trailer registration certificate. Register to take your trailer abroad here: https://www.gov.uk/register-trailer-to-take-abroad and check that you need this for the country you’re travelling to.

Hiring a car?

If you’re planning to hire a care for your next holiday in Europe, be prepared that the hire company may ask to see your driving license when you pick the car up. You can share this by getting a licence ‘check code’ up to 21 days before your trip: https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence

When hiring a car, insurance is always included but check what you’re covered for with the hire company.

Before you head off on your travels, do some triple checking!

When you’ve got your holiday booked and you’re ready to go explore Europe, please make sure you’re checking all the EU rules for driving abroad before you set off –

• Extra equipment – for example, you’ll need a reflective jacket and a warning triangle in many countries.
• Emission stickers (permits) in some European cities – you might need to buy these several weeks before you go abroad.
• Headlight converter stickers
• A UK sticker

You can find more details on the gov.uk website, so make sure to double check before drive abroad, and happy travels!