Guides for parking and driving
The rules that catch out visitors, explained from official sources: parking, tolls, vignettes, low emission zones and fines. Every fact is checked against an official source.
UK parking apps: RingGo, PayByPhone and the National Parking Platform
Most UK councils now expect you to pay for parking with an app, a phone call or a PayPoint, and the app depends on where you park. Here is which councils use RingGo or PayByPhone, what the extra fees cost and how the National Parking Platform lets you keep the app you already have.
8 min read- Always read the location code on the sign in the bay or car park, because every app and phone line needs it to start a session.
- RingGo is offered by more than 150 local authorities, while PayByPhone is used by councils such as Hillingdon, South Hams and Westminster.
- Convenience fees vary by council: 20p in Merton, Bromley and Slough, 18p in Wandsworth and none for PayByPhone in South Hams council car parks.
International Driving Permit: when you need one and how to apply
To drive outside the European Union and the European Economic Area, the DGT asks Spanish licence holders to carry the international permit together with their Spanish licence and passport. We explain when it is compulsory, how to apply, how long it lasts and in which countries the Spanish licence is enough.
7 min read ItalyItalian car MOT (revisione): deadlines, cost, fines and checks
In Italy a car's first revisione, the Italian equivalent of the MOT, is due 4 years after first registration, then must be repeated every 2 years. Here is where to get it done, what you pay at the Motorizzazione, what you risk driving with an expired test and how to check the date online.
7 min read United KingdomPavement parking rules in the UK: London, Scotland and England
Parking with even one wheel on the pavement is banned in London and Scotland, while the rest of England still works street by street. Here is where the ban applies, how penalty charges work, which exemptions exist and what to check before you drive.
8 min readGerman Umweltplakette: low emission zones, costs and fines
Anyone driving into a German city centre with a low emission zone needs a green environmental badge on the windscreen, even with foreign number plates. This guide explains where low emission zones still exist, where to get the badge, what it costs and what fine you risk.
7 min read SpainToll motorways in Spain and VÃa T: a practical guide for 2026
Spain still has a network of state toll motorways split between private concessions and roads managed by SEITT, with toll rises since 1 January 2026. We explain which ones still charge, how VÃa T works, which stretches are free and how to pay without surprises.
7 min read NetherlandsAverage speed checks in the Netherlands: locations, tolerance and fines
An average speed check does not measure your speed at a single point but your average speed between cameras, day and night and in every lane. Below you can read how the system works, where it is installed, which measurement tolerance applies and how the CJIB fine reaches you.
8 min read United KingdomYellow box junction and bus lane fines in England: a guide
Stopping in a yellow box or driving in a bus lane at the wrong time is caught by cameras and costs £160 in London, or up to £70 elsewhere in England. Here is when you may enter, who can fine you, how to pay and how to appeal.
8 min read ItalyItalian driving licence points: checking, losing and recovering
The points balance on an Italian driving licence can be checked online on the Portale dell'Automobilista or with the iPatente app, provided your profile has been completed correctly. Here is how to do it, where to find the deductions for each offence, how points are recovered and what changes for anyone driving on a licence issued abroad.
7 min read SpainDriving licence points in Spain: balance, losses and recovery
The Spanish driving licence works on a points credit that rises if you drive without penalties and falls with every final penalty for a serious or very serious offence. We explain how to check your balance, how many points you start with, how many you can build up and the ways to get them back.
8 min readNo stopping and no parking in Germany: rules and fines explained
Anyone stopping briefly or parking in Germany needs to know the signs, the road markings and a series of bans that apply even without any sign. This guide explains the difference between stopping and parking, the key distances and the fines according to the Federal Ministry of Transport.
8 min read United KingdomUK toll roads and bridges: prices, payment and fines explained
Most British roads are free, but a handful of motorways, bridges and tunnels charge a toll, and the payment rules differ sharply from one crossing to the next. Here is what each one costs, how to pay and what happens if you forget.
8 min read SpainSpeed cameras in Spain: fixed, average speed, tolerance, fines, points
The DGT publishes where its fixed and average speed cameras are, and for years it has applied a known tolerance threshold before issuing a fine. This guide explains how they measure speed, where to check their locations and which fines and points apply to each level of speeding.
8 min read ItalyMotorway tolls in Italy: how they are worked out, toll booths, Telepass
In Italy almost the entire motorway network is tolled: you take a ticket on the way in and pay on the way out, or you drive through the yellow lane with Telepass. Here is how the amount is calculated, what the Telepass plans cost and what to do if a toll is left unpaid.
8 min readParking at Frankfurt and München Airports: prices and tips
At both airports you save considerably by booking your space online in advance, and it pays to watch the clock when dropping off or picking up. This guide covers the parking areas, current rates, getting to the terminal and the rules for short-stay zones.
7 min read NetherlandsParking in Rotterdam: rates, P+R, car parks and low emission zones
On-street parking in central Rotterdam is expensive, but a P+R site or a booked space in a city car park costs far less. This guide sets out the rates, payment methods, enforcement and the rules of the environmental zone and the zero emission zone.
9 min read United KingdomYellow lines in the UK: parking, loading and Blue Badge rules
Yellow lines and kerb marks decide where you may wait, load or drop off passengers on British roads, and they are enforced without any grace period. Here is how to read single and double lines, kerb ticks and time plates, plus the exceptions for loading and Blue Badge holders.
8 min readMotorhomes in Spain: where to park and sleep overnight legally
In Spain a motorhome may park and its occupants may sleep inside, provided the vehicle is simply parked and not camped. We explain the DGT rule, what town councils and autonomous communities can ban, and the Ibiza exception.
7 min read SpainE-scooters in Spain: DGT registration, insurance and fines
Under Spanish law the electric scooter is now a vehicle: it needs a certificate, entry in a DGT register, an identification label and third-party liability insurance. This guide explains what to do, where you may ride, how fast, and what offences cost.
7 min read SpainAirport parking in Spain: Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, Palma, Alicante and Valencia
Aena runs the official car parks at Spain's main airports, and they all follow the same logic: General for short trips, Larga Estancia and low cost for holidays, Express for a quick drop off. Booking often decides whether you get in and how much you pay. Here are the rules, the published prices and the shuttle times at Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona-El Prat, Málaga, Palma, Alicante and Valencia.
8 min read SpainHospital parking in Spain: prices, passes and alternatives
Visiting a relative in hospital in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia or Sevilla often starts with a hunt for a parking space. Here is what each major hospital charges, which vouchers and passes exist for long stays and where you can park on the street, all checked on the websites of the hospitals and their car park operators.
7 min readTolls in Croatia and Slovenia: e-vignette, prices and fines
In Slovenia you need a digital e-vignette before you join your first motorway, whereas in Croatia you pay at the toll plaza according to the distance driven. This guide explains how both systems work, where the traps lie and what an offence costs.
9 min read SpainUnited KingdomChristmas markets: where to park (and when to leave the car at home)
Plaza Mayor, Fira de Santa Llúcia, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Manchester: nearly every big Christmas market sits inside a low emission zone. Official 2026 dates, the driving rules, car parks close to the stalls and park and ride sites to arrive without a fine.
8 min read NetherlandsMilieuzones in the Netherlands: cities, diesel cars and foreign plates
Only four Dutch cities ban older diesel cars: Amsterdam, Den Haag, Utrecht and Arnhem, and Eindhoven joins them on 1 January 2027. Petrol, LPG and electric cars are never affected. Foreign plates need no registration, but cameras read them and the fine is €130.
7 min read United KingdomClean Air Zones in England and LEZ in Scotland: what a car pays
Outside London, only Birmingham (£8 a day) and Bristol (£9) charge private cars that fail the emission standard, plus the small Zero Emission Zone in Oxford. The four Scottish Low Emission Zones sell no day pass: a non-compliant car gets a £60 penalty, doubling with each repeat. The official checkers ignore foreign plates, so check your Euro standard before you go, or leave the car at a park and ride.
8 min read NetherlandsParking in Utrecht: rates, P+R, car parks and visitor parking
Utrecht has 3 paid parking zones, with hourly rates of up to €8.01 in the city centre and scan cars that check every number plate. Choose wisely and you can park at a P+R or in a cheaper car park, and if you are visiting a resident you can park on the street at a 50% discount.
8 min read United KingdomCouncil PCN vs private parking charge: costs, appeals and risks
A council Penalty Charge Notice and a private Parking Charge Notice are both called a PCN, but they follow different laws, prices and appeal routes. Here is how to tell them apart, what each one costs, how to challenge it and why ignoring either is a bad idea.
8 min read NetherlandsParking in Amsterdam without going broke: P+R and plate payment
Street parking in central Amsterdam costs up to €8.05 an hour. At an official P+R you pay €6 per 24 hours if you drive in after 10:00, provided you travel back by public transport with an accepted ticket. Older diesel cars may not enter the zone inside the A10.
7 min read SpainSpain's DGT label and ZBE: driving into Madrid and Barcelona
Since 2025 Madrid has banned unlabelled passenger cars across the whole city, and Barcelona requires every foreign-registered car to be registered in advance. Here is which label applies to you, what to do before the trip and where to park, all checked against official sources.
8 min read ItalySpainWinter tyres and snow chains in Italy and Spain: 2026-2027 rules
In Italy, winter tyres or chains on board are compulsory from 15 November to 15 April, but only on roads covered by an ordinance, and some mountain roads start earlier. In Spain there is no calendar: the R-412 sign decides, and the DGT only accepts 3PMSF tyres in place of chains.
7 min read United KingdomLondon ULEZ and Congestion Charge: how to avoid the fines
Driving into London can mean two separate daily charges: £12.50 for the ULEZ if your car fails the emissions standard, and £18 for the Congestion Charge in the centre. Foreign cars must be registered with TfL, and an unpaid charge turns into a £180 penalty. The simplest fix: park next to a Tube station outside the Congestion Charge zone.
8 min read SpainDGT fines in Spain: how to check, pay at a discount and appeal
A Spanish traffic fine can land in your letterbox, in your Dirección Electrónica Vial or be published on TESTRA without you ever noticing. Here is how to check whether you have any fines, how to pay with the 50% discount and which deadlines to watch if you want to pay or appeal.
8 min read ItalyParking at Fiumicino and Malpensa: prices, booking and drop-offs
At Fiumicino and Malpensa the official car parks can be booked online, with web-only discounts, and the terminals are reached on foot or by free shuttle. For drop-offs there are short-stay areas that are free for 15 minutes, while at Malpensa Terminal 2 you pay from the first hour.
8 min read United StatesManhattan congestion toll 2026: prices, hours, where to park
Since January 2025, cars entering Manhattan at or south of 60th Street pay the Congestion Relief Zone toll: 9 USD at peak with E-ZPass, 2.25 USD overnight, and once per day at most. Here are the official rates in force, the traps with rental cars, and real car parks outside the zone next to the subway or PATH.
7 min read ItalyZTL in Italy: how to avoid the fine that arrives months later
In Italian historic centres, cameras read every number plate, and a driver who lives abroad can receive the fine up to 360 days later. Here are the rules in Firenze, Roma, Milano and Bologna, and car parks just outside the zones where you can leave the car.
8 min readCrit'Air sticker, low emission zones and motorway tolls in France
Driving into a French city or along a barrier free motorway now comes with rules that catch many foreign drivers out. Here is how to order the official Crit'Air sticker, where it applies, how to pay free flow tolls and what UK drivers must carry.
9 min readBlue Badge parking in the UK: rules, costs and use abroad
The Blue Badge lets disabled drivers and passengers park close to where they need to go, mostly free and without time limits on the street. Here is how to apply, where the badge works, where it does not, and what to check before you take it to Spain, Italy or elsewhere in Europe.
8 min read United KingdomUK airport drop-off charges: prices, payment and fines
Dropping someone at the terminal door at Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted or Manchester now costs money, and nobody will stop you to take payment. This guide explains the prices, how and when to pay, the fines for forgetting and the free alternatives at each airport.
8 min read SpainMadrid SER parking: hours, rates, limits and cancelling a ticket
Madrid's Regulated Parking Service (SER) manages thousands of blue and green bays, with hours, maximum stays and rates that depend on the type of bay and the vehicle's DGT environmental label. This guide explains how to pay, how long you can stay and what to do if you find a penalty notice on your windscreen.
8 min read NetherlandsCharging points in the Netherlands: costs, paying and applying
Anyone driving electric in the Netherlands often charges at a public point on the street, but the rules on applying, paying and parking vary by municipality. This guide sets out how to apply for a charging point, how to pay, what to know about the price per kWh and when you may not use a charging bay.
8 min readMotorway vignettes in Austria and Switzerland: the 2026 guide
Austria and Switzerland both charge for motorway use through a vignette, but prices, validity rules and the timing of online purchases differ sharply. Here is what to buy, where, and what happens if you are caught without one.
8 min read ItalyItalian car tax (bollo auto): calculation, deadlines and exemptions
The bollo auto is an ownership tax that you pay even if the vehicle never leaves the garage, with rules that vary between Regions and vehicle types. Here is how to calculate it, when to pay, who can be exempt and what happens if you fail to pay.
8 min read United KingdomDartford Crossing Dart Charge: prices, payment and fines
The Dartford Crossing has no toll booths: cameras read your number plate and you pay the Dart Charge yourself, online, by phone, by post or in a shop. Here is what it costs, when it applies, how to pay on time and what happens to drivers, including foreign ones, who forget.
7 min read SpainConnected V16 beacon mandatory in Spain: a guide for drivers
Since 1 January 2026, the connected V16 beacon has been the only legal device in Spain for signalling a vehicle stopped on the carriageway. We explain which model to buy, what happens to warning triangles and how the rule affects foreign-registered cars.
7 min read