Top Tips for Taking Your Vehicle Abroad

Top tips for driving abroad

Are you looking to take a work-trip abroad with your car or perhaps planning an exciting European road trip?

Any trip abroad comes with a long checklist of things to remember, which can be complicated further by taking your car. That’s why we’ve rounded up our top tips to ensure you have a smooth journey, wherever you’re going.

Your driving abroad checklist

When taking your vehicle abroad, there are some items you must have by law. Check out the below checklist to help you plan your trip.

A full valid driving licence

A valid passport (Visa if required)

If you own your car, you must bring your vehicle logbook (V5C) or if you drive a hired or lease car, you will need to obtain a Vehicle on Hire Certificate (VE103B) from your vehicle provider (PS. if you have a vehicle with Zenith, please contact your dedicated driver team at least two weeks ahead of your travel date to allow time for your certificate to be posted to you).

An International Driving Permit (IDP) – check which countries require one here

Your motor insurance certificate

European breakdown cover – (if you have cover through Zenith and want to check what’s included, contact us for more information)

If you’re travelling to France and driving through Paris, Lyon or Grenoble then you must display a sticker on your vehicle to adhere to France’s CRIT’Air scheme. Order your sticker via the official website, you should allow up to six weeks for it to arrive.

Read up on your destination

You must check the legal requirements of each country you’ll be driving through to make sure you comply, for example you may need specific equipment and stickers in certain countries (check out the advice on GOV.UK and the AA’s dedicated page).

Know your zones

Low Emission Zones (LEZ) are areas or roads where the most polluting vehicles are restricted from entering. The zones affect various areas across Europe, so it’s a good idea to check whether you’ll be driving through any ahead of your trip.

Driving abroad in an EV? Here are our top three tips:

1

Always factor charging points into your route and ensure you know where the fast ones are (apps like PlugShare, ChargePoint and NextCharge will do the work for you).

2

In some places, you will need an app to use a charge point whilst others might require an energy card. Be sure to research your charging spots along the way, so you’re equipped to use each one.

3

Bear in mind that EV batteries operate less efficiently in the cold weather. So, if you’re travelling somewhere cold, you’ll need to account for getting fewer miles out of your range.