General regulations for Great Britain
With a valid German driving licence, you can drive in the UK for up to twelve months after your arrival. It is therefore important for holidaymakers: Yes, the German driving licence is sufficient. Seatbelts are also compulsory in Great Britain and talking on a mobile phone while driving is prohibited. Of course, driving under the influence of alcohol is also prohibited. It is also important to ensure that you have adequate insurance cover before entering the country and that the car is roadworthy. Always carry proof of insurance cover with you. The British generally drive very considerately and not aggressively, almost defensively - if you adapt to this relaxed driving style, you will get through the traffic well.
Notes for all roads
What you should also prepare for is left-hand traffic! We have written a separate article on driving on the left-hand side of the road to explain the correct behaviour here. Also familiarise yourself with the British equivalent of the German Highway Code. Take a look at the British road signs in particular.
Tip: Do NOT use the headlight flasher to indicate to other vehicles that they may drive ahead of you and please do not interpret it the other way round. In the UK, you only use the headlights to indicate that you are there and not to give way.
Speed limits in Great Britain
Speeds are given in miles per hour (1 mile = 1.6 km/h)
Country roads: 60 miles per hour = 96 km/h
Motorways & motorways: 70 miles per hour = 112 km/h
Urban roads: 30 miles per hour = 48 km/h
You should stick to the speed limits as much as possible, because speed cameras are very common on dual carriageways and motorways and at blind spots.
London by car - special features
The British capital is easily accessible via the British motorway network and a large number of trunk roads. All London motorways meet at the end of the M25 ring road.
Watch out for bus lanes on London's roads. They are indicated by road signs that say ‘BUS LANE’ and the road surface is often red. These lanes may only be used by public transport, taxis, emergency vehicles, bicycles and motorbikes. An insider tip for all motorcyclists among you! Don't change lanes just before the end of a bus lane to avoid a traffic jam. There are cameras everywhere that flash cars in bus lanes!
Special care should also be taken with pedestrians. It is easy to get the impression that traffic lights do not apply to pedestrians, as roads are crossed everywhere and at all times.
City toll or congestion charge for car drivers
A congestion charge must be paid in order to drive in the centre of London. The entire centre of London is therefore a kind of environmental zone. This congestion charge applies from Kennington / Bermondey in the south to Kings Cross / St Pancras in the north, Hyde Park in the west and Shoreditch / Spitalfields in the east. The toll zone is marked by traffic signs and road markings (white C in a red circle).
The toll only has to be paid for journeys from Monday to Friday (except public holidays) between 7.00 am and 6.00 pm. You do not have to pay the toll in the evenings and at weekends. The days between Christmas and New Year are also toll-free. Payment can be made online or in selected shops and petrol stations as well as by post, text message or telephone (+44(0)20 7649 9122). Payment can even be made up to 90 days in advance, so you can take your time to think about it.
What does the toll cost?
The toll costs ₤ 11.50 per day. If the toll has not been paid by midnight of the same day, it is increased to ₤ 14. If payment is not made by midnight the next day, there is a fine of ₤ 130. However, if payment is made within the next 14 days, the fine is reduced to ₤ 6. When entering and leaving the chargeable zone, the number plates of all vehicles are recorded with cameras at checkpoints, i.e. payment of the charge is de facto unavoidable.
Tip: If you leave your car in a car park in the city centre between 7:00 am and 6:00 pm during the week, you do not have to pay a fee. You only have to pay (of course) if you DRIVE your car into Central London during this time.
Another toll must be paid when crossing the Dartford Crossing bridge - before or within 24 hours afterwards. The toll here is ₤ 2.50.
The spectre of the car park
Finding a parking space in London can be quite difficult - especially from Monday to Friday between 8.30am and 6.30pm and on Saturdays between 8.30am and 1.30pm. Many streets in London are so-called ‘Controlled Parking Zones’ (CPZ). These are streets where only residents are allowed to park. Only from 18:30 in the evening until 8:30 the next morning may ‘non-residents’ also park there. In individual cases, it is also possible to park in these zones during the day - but only to a very limited extent and, if at all, for no more than 4 hours at a time. Pay very close attention to when, where and for how long you are allowed to park.
Of course, you can also park on the roadside with a parking ticket. However, this can quickly become very expensive for longer stays. Apart from that: Fines of ₤ 80-120 can be incurred after the parking period has expired. Illegal parking is even worse. London adventurers run the risk of having their car towed away AND being fined ₤ 250.
Cheap parking in London
Advice on (free) parking in London is provided by AppyParking - a free app that displays all parking conditions for all streets in London, giving you a detailed and quick overview of various parking options. There are also several commercial car park operators. Two of the largest operators are Masterpark and National Car Parks (NCP). Masterpark operates 18 car parks in London, NCP even operates 100. It is cheaper if you park in the car parks at underground stations outside the city centre (in Zone 1) and then take the underground into the city centre. For one thing, these car parks are generally cheaper than other commercial car parks (Monday to Friday approx. ₤ 5-6 per day and Saturday approx. ₤ 2 per day).
Insider tip: It's even cheaper if you park on a resident's driveway - with their permission, of course. There is even a website where private individuals rent out their parking spaces in London.
You can take your car across the English Channel to London conveniently and cheaply with our DFDS ferries.
