Guide to Driving in Hungary

Driving in Hungary is pretty much like driving in any other Central European country. The traffic is on the right-hand side of the road and overtaking is on the left. You need to expect rough conditions when driving through small cities or built-up areas; the roads are not well-preserved and the markings might be missing. Most of the important road signs are identical with the British ones, so you shouldn’t have a problem. Please note that indicators showing the maximum allowed speed are displaying this limit in kilometers per hour.

The police cars are white and the text displayed on them is ‘RENDÖRSÉG’. They can pull you over just to check for your license and registration. However, beware of scams; there were a lot of cases in which drivers were pulled over by thieves who pretended to be police officers. Stop only if the car has the ‘RENDÖRSÉG’ word printed on them and if the light beacons are ignited. Parking is another delicate thing around Hungary. Make sure you park your car in specially design places or where you see other cars parked. If you park your car in an inappropriate place, the police has the right of blocking the wheels of your vehicle; the fine is somewhere around 50Euro. Last but not least, the weather. During the winter it can get well below freezing. Winter tires are a must, according to Hungarian law. It’s also recommended to have snow chains in case that you want to travel in mountain regions. We strongly recommend you to have a defensive way of driving since the local drivers can become reckless. They often don’t signal the intention of changing lanes or the direction of travel, so we advise you to take caution.

Essential Driving Information

• If you want to travel on the M1, M3, M5 or M7 motorways you need a special vignette. It can be bought from most of the petrol stations.
• The seatbelt is mandatory both for front and rear seats.
• You must drive with your dipped beam while driving on the main roads outside built-up areas.
• Mobile phones are allowed only with hands-free devices attached.
• You should always have a first-aid kit and a reflecting triangle in your car.
• Always carry an identification documents such as your passport, the car’s registration and your driver’s license with you.