Driving in England: guide 2019 to find your way around

If you are going on holiday or to spend a season in the United Kingdom and you want to drive in England, here is a guide if this is the most convenient way for you. You have probably already dreamed of driving in England... you are lucky, you can drive in England with your French driving license, but only for three years. That is, you can drive in England legally with a license obtained in the United Kingdom or in any country of the European Union but, for this second option, the limit is three years. But also, to be able to drive in England, as in France, you must have valid car insurance, you must have passed the MOT certificate and, if you have registered your car here (which I don't think you do), the taxes must be paid. In this post, we will explain how to drive in England and London, give you tips on how to drive on the left and tell you how to get your driver's license in the UK or how to validate your own.

How to Drive Successfully in England

To be able to drive in England and the United Kingdom, you must meet certain legal requirements:

1. Your driving license must be in force and issued by one of the European Union countries. He must also not have any restrictions to be able to drive in England.
2. If you come from a country outside the European Union, you should contact the British Embassy in your country to find out if your driving license is valid or if you need to validate it to drive in England.
3. If you are going to rent a car in the United Kingdom, the minimum age is 21 years. Until the age of 25, a supplement is paid to be a young driver.
4. If you live there, it is necessary that your vehicle be properly insured to drive in England. In the driver and vehicle registration agency, you have all the necessary information.
5. You should have a copy of the traffic code with all the rules of the road and traffic signs to drive in England.

Features and characteristics

It is important that you know the basic rules of conduct if you want to drive in England. In general, the rules are the same as in France, but there are a few you should know:

1. Drive on the left. Surely you already know this, but it is worth noting. You will have to mentalize yourself, since at first you will want to go automatically to the right. If you are focused and look at the cars around you, you will have no problem driving in England.

Another thing to keep in mind when driving in England is that at the roundabout, cars will come from your right, then at intersections, when you want to turn on a road that is on your right, impossible, because cars will also come from that side.

2. Overtaking is always to the right of the road.
3. You will have to look at each intersection to see who has priority.
4. Between 11:30 pm and 7 am, the horn is prohibited in residential areas. There is a possibility of a fine if you do so.

Legislation and regulations

The minimum age for driving normal cars in England is 17 years, for larger cars 18 years, and for trucks and buses 21. As we have already told you, if you travel in England and need to rent a car, the minimum age to drive in England is 21 years old and up to 25 years old, you will have to pay a supplement for a young driver. As in France, when driving in England, it is forbidden to talk on a mobile phone while driving and it is mandatory to wear a seat belt on all seats.