Driving a car is one of the best ways to explore the UK. It gives you the freedom to travel to a lot of different places in the UK which can be difficult to reach by public transport. Think Castles, National Parks like the Lake District and Peak District, and the amazing Isle of Skye. If you live outside London, driving is also a very convenient and reliable way to get to work, to go to the shops and to do weekend trips.
I am an Aussie who moved to the UK, bought a car and drove it all around the country for two years. I have written this ultimate guide to help you find out all you need to know about driving in the UK.
What do I need to know before driving in the UK
Driving in the UK is great but you will need to learn the basic UK road rules as well as make sure you meet all the requirements for driving in the UK.
What are the requirements for driving in the UK
To drive in the UK you will need a valid driving licence, a car and your car will need to have at least third party car insurance.
Will my driving licence work in the UK?
In the first year you live in the UK you will be able to use your current Australian driver licence. You will need a valid Australian driver licence (Provisional licences will not be accepted) and you need to be a UK resident (you qualify if you have lived greater than 185 days at a permanent UK address). After the first year you will need to apply for a UK driving licence.
How to get a UK driver licence
You can apply online here (https://www.gov.uk/exchange-foreign-driving-licence) and print the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) D1 application form. You can also get an application form at some UK post offices. You will need to submit the following to the DVLA by post:
- A completed DVLA D1 application form (Make sure you don’t make any mistakes on this form otherwise processing will be delayed by weeks)
- Pay £43 by postal order or cheque (who has cheques nowadays anyway?!)
- Biometric residence permit (BRP) (you get it back but it’s a bit nerve wracking).
- Passport photo
- Australian driver licence (you will not get this back as you are exchanging it for a UK driver licence)
It normally takes 6-10 weeks to process and return your BRP and new UK driving licence by post.
If you have been waiting for your UK driver licence for a long time, do not hesitate to call them daily. I made a small mistake on my application which I fixed straightaway but they just kept delaying my application for weeks. I had booked flights to go home for my best friend’s wedding and it just got to the point where I couldn’t wait any longer for my BRP. After calling them daily for five days I was getting nowhere with constant excuses until a UK friend said I needed to up my complaint game. After refuting every excuse they had I told them I had to fly out on a business flight back to Australia for work and I couldn’t wait any longer. I told them I had done everything they asked and they still had repeatedly delayed my application. I then demanded compensation for all the future losses incurred due to my inability to fly out of the UK. I told them my flight date which was actually 3 days before the actual flight date. In the end I received my BRP a day before I was due to fly out. It was extremely stressful!
A side benefit of getting a UK driving licence is it will be a lot easier getting into pubs and clubs. It will also allow you to hire a quad bike in Santorini, Greece (they don’t accept Australian driving licences).
International Driving Permit
If you are planning to drive in Europe with your Australian driver’s licence you should buy an International Driving Permit (IDP) before you leave Australia. This is because some countries (France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Austria, Greece, the Czech Republic, Poland, Turkey, Armenia, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Romania) require you to carry one along with your actual driving licence. You can buy them in every Australian state. In NSW you can buy them from the NRMA for $51.
An International Driving Permit will expire after 12 months but by this time you will have a UK driving licence which is valid across Europe.
Do you need to buy a car in the UK?
Advantages of buying a car in the UK
Freedom to travel around the UK: There is something to be said about exploring the UK by car. Many of the castles, historical sites and outdoor adventures in the UK can only be accessed by car. There are also many great road trips you can do including a lot of weekend trips. If you are feeling adventurous you can also drive over to Europe via ferries although you will need to switch over to driving on the right side.
Convenience: When you live in smaller cities and villages a car is very useful for day to day living. It’s also useful in bigger cities with limited public transport.
Affordable way to travel: All the cities are much closer together than in Australia so it’s rare you will need to drive long distances. UK train charges are also quite expensive.
Work: If you intend to live in regional areas or in smaller UK cities than a car is going to be essential.
Great for nomadic travel: If you are exploring the UK by road then your car is a great place to store all your belongings. You might be concerned about people breaking into your car while you fly around Europe but I found parking your car in the paid private airport carparks was the best way to keep my things safe.
Disadvantages of buying a car in the UK
Costs: The initial costs to buy a car can be expensive when you take into account the currency conversion. Car insurance is also expensive. Many insurance companies do not consider your previous driving record outside the UK when setting premiums so it is important to choose one that does (Admiral Direct (the one I got), Churchill car insurance etc). I have written a complete breakdown of all the costs of car ownership in the UK in a separate article.
Driving licence application: After driving with your Australian drivers licence for one year, you will need to exchange it for a UK drivers licence. This can take 6-10 weeks to process and they will require your Australian drivers licence (which you will not get back) and your BRP. You will also need to get a new Australian drivers licence from an Australian RTA when you return home. This licence exchanging process is a bit of a pain.
Driving in major cities: In many major cities, traffic is a problem. In Bristol, I never found it as congested as Sydney traffic and people just don’t drive as aggressively as Aussies do. However, driving through London’s convoluted streets with buses, pedestrians and cyclists everywhere can be quite stressful. You also need to pay fees if you want to drive in London but more on that later.
Parking: Parking can be a bit of a problem in city centres. There are car parks available but usually they have time limits or require payment.
Verdict
A car is not necessary if you live in a major UK city and will be more expensive than it’s worth (Definitely do not get a car if you live in London). However if you are living further afield in smaller cities or in the country it is worth getting one for the convenience and for travelling to work. When I lived in Bristol and Leicester, buying a car was one of my best decisions. The freedom that comes with having a car is also amazing and allowed me to see a lot of the UK and go on many outdoor adventures. If you decide not to buy a car, it would be worth hiring a car to at least do a road trip through Scotland.
Buying and owning a car in the UK
What car should I buy in the UK?
The answer is a small car! Think about it. The main reason for a car while you are in the UK for two years is to get from A to B reliably. You are not going to be taking your car home to Australia. You are going to be parking this car on streets filled with many cars who can ding it (If you aren’t good at parallel parking, you will be very soon). You are also going to drive for several months through rain, sleet and snow. The best car is a cheap battler where a few scratches aren’t going to be a big deal. Anything more than this is money you could have used to travel.
Note: If you like the outdoors you do not need a four wheel drive. I drove a Yaris to many of the UK national parks and I never once had issues getting there or needed to take my car off-road.
Hence, I recommend a car that is:
- Small
- Easy to parallel park in small spaces
- Economical to run
- Affordable which means buying a decent second hand car
- Reliable which means a used car with less than a 100,000km of mileage and not more than 10 years old. Trust me. Don’t just buy any old bomb. You do not want to break down in the snow or drive across icy roads in a tin bucket.
- Avoid black cars. They scratch so easily and are way too high maintenance.
- Avoid European cars. Heard this from a mechanic in Australia. They break down a lot and the last thing you want to do is to pay expensive car repair fees.
- Make sure your car has aircon and allows you to demist your windscreens in the cold. It rains a lot here so opening your windows is not a nice option.
Recommended car models:
- Toyota Yaris
- Hyundai accent
- Honda Jazz
How much does it cost to own a car in the UK?
The cost of owning a car in the UK includes the purchase price, car insurance, car servicing, vehicle tax, driving licence fees, petrol, car accessories and driving fines. I bought and owned a car for the two years I lived in the UK. In total it cost me £7083.
If you would like to find out more, I have written an article about the costs of buying and owning a car in the UK in detail here with a complete breakdown of all the costs involved (based on my experience).
How to buy a car in the UK?
To keep costs low, it makes sense to buy a used car. I’m not a car enthusiast, but if you are, then buying privately will probably be better. However, for everyone else, I recommend going to either used car dealerships or dealerships which have a used car department.
To start with, search for cars online here:
If you know your way around cars and want to do your own due diligence then try:
- Facebook marketplace
- Gumtree
- eBay
Using the parameters above I created a select list of cars to try out. If you have time, please try a few cars out. It’s the only way you can get an idea of what’s on the market and the quality of the cars on offer. You will also get some good practice negotiating car prices. Some of the used car dealerships were what you would expect (just crap). I found car dealerships who mostly sold brand new cars but also sold some used cars were the best places to look. You may pay a little more but they generally had better quality cars.
When you visit places to test cars you may run into some issues with them not letting you test drive cars because you don’t have a UK licence. Don’t worry too much. Every place I went I was allowed, even a big dealership which eventually bent their rules a bit for me when they realised I would never buy a car I didn’t test drive.
After a few try outs, I knew which car I wanted. Before buying the car I used Autotrader’s ability to perform a full car history check on the vehicle and make sure it didn’t have a dodgy past. For £14.95, getting the peace of mind of knowing the car was not stolen, was not an insurance write off or had any other finances attached it was a no brainer for me so I happily paid it. After that all checked out, I bought this 2009 Toyota Yaris for £4700 with 30,000 km. I was a bit lucky as the previous owner was someone who bought the car for his daughter who never drove it and it was in really good condition.
and everything in-between in this car
Note: When you negotiate big ticket items people in the UK don’t really understand when you ask whether there’s a discount if you pay in cash or with eftpos. I tried this a couple times during car price negotiations and I was met with blank, puzzled stares. Later, after telling my UK friends, they confirmed it’s not something that is done in the UK.
Car Insurance in the UK
Car insurance is compulsory in the UK. It is important to consider the car insurance costs before you consider purchasing a car. As mentioned above, many UK car insurers do not take into account any previous driving experience outside the UK even if you have never made any claims for years or if you can show them a no claims bonus insurance certificate. As a result, car insurance can be very expensive. My first year cost me £960!
Luckily, nowadays, there are some car insurance companies who will take into account previous driving experience in Australia. This includes Admiral Direct, Churchill car insurance and Marshmallow insurance with people reporting premiums of £400-600/year. Still expensive but much less than before.
Parking in the UK
Parking in smaller cities, towns and villages is easy as there is always space even in touristy places. If you do park in paid on-street parking make sure you pay as they do get checked.
In terms of on-street parking, during the day you can park on either side of the road (facing the same direction as incoming traffic or facing against incoming traffic). At night you are only supposed to park in the same direction as incoming traffic but this is not enforced very much.
In bigger cities free parking is much less available. You can park in shopping centre, supermarket and some private car parks for free for a few hours. However, most of the parking in city centres require payment.
Parking fines are given out frequently in UK cities. You have been warned (by someone who has got his fair share haha).
Supermarket parking
Be careful when you park in open supermarket car parks where there are no ticketing machines. Many of these carparks are free for one to two hours but if you are over by even a few minutes video cameras will catch you and you will receive a fine. I found this out firsthand in the Asda carpark in Bristol. The fines are issued by private companies like Parking eye and they are quite big fines (£70 or £40 if you pay within 2 weeks). There’s a lot of controversy over these private companies issuing fines as they are not the council or the police. There are complaints all over UK online forums about this. However, after reading through a lot of forums I found out these companies can take you to court if you don’t pay. I didn’t want to find out so I just paid up.. twice.
Getting a city car parking permit near your home
If you live in a city you should buy a car permit to park on the streets near your home. This is essential as most street parking has restricted parking hours and there are regular council parking inspectors. You can apply for a car permit online on your local council’s website. You need to provide proof of address (council tax number or another document), your vehicle registration number and your contact details. The cost of permits is based on your vehicle’s CO2 emissions and how many permits you require. I only paid about £30 for mine.
Driving fines and penalties
If you are caught speeding you will receive a letter in the post. It will give you two options:
1. Attend a National Speed Awareness Scheme Course. At the time, I had to pay £90 to attend this course. Once you complete this day long course, you avoid being penalised several demerit points and paying a fine.
2. Pay a fine and receive 3 demerit points
In my opinion, choose option one. Demerit points are a much bigger deal in the UK than in Australia. If you get some you may not lose your licence but your insurance premiums can be increased significantly. Also, after getting over the fact you are wasting a Saturday doing this course, the course itself is actually very well run in my opinion. You will learn a lot about UK road rules and to be honest, this program should be something Australia adopts in the future.
Can I sleep in my car in the UK?
For the most part yes it is fine. However, the UK has a special rule where you cannot be in your car if you are drunk. It does not matter if you are trying to sober up by sleeping it off and have no intention of driving. If you are sleeping in your car drunk they can prosecute you and the punishments are harsh: up to £2,500 in fines, losing your licence and/or imprisonment.
How to replace your number plates
If your number plate falls off or gets damaged, you can easily get new ones at your local Halfords for £32 which is what I had to do when some bright spark thought it would be funny to cut my number plate up. Luckily they will make it and fit it out for you then and there. Halfords is a great place for any car gear you need as well. I got decent floor mats and a phone windscreen mount from them too.
London congestion zones
To keep traffic congestion and air pollution to a minimum, London charges fees to drive there. This includes a daily congestion charge (£15) and a daily Ultra low emission zone charge (£12.5) if your car doesn’t meet the low emission standards. This makes driving in London very expensive and this is before you even find parking! The one good thing is you are exempt from both charges on Christmas Day and the daily congestion charge does not apply between Christmas and New Year’s Day (inclusive). You can read more about it here.
London driving tips
- Traffic is horrendous and the roads are very confusing. I have a good sense of direction but I was glued to my navigator and still managed to get lost in London. Don’t drive in London without your phone and phone windscreen mount.
- Car parking is very expensive. The best option is to borrow a car permit from friends who live in London if they have one.
- There is a lot of angry cyclists and wayward pedestrians you need to watch out for. Luckily there’s a lot of bike lanes.
Buying petrol in the UK
Petrol prices are more expensive here than in Australia due to fuel levies. There’s also a big variation in prices. I recommend going to the petrol stations run by big supermarkets like Tesco or Sainsbury’s as they are by far the cheapest. You can find these petrol stations near their big mega stores usually found on city outskirts or suburbia. Try to avoid filling up at petrol stations on motorways as they can be a lot more expensive.
Car Washes
Surprisingly very cheap and very fast. There’s quite a few places near car petrol stations where a swarm of guys with hoses and sponges wash your car. Make sure to bring cash.
I never pay for this in Australia but here it’s worth it especially in winter when your car will get very muddy. Shout out to two excellent car wash services I used all the time: Five Star Hand Car Wash in Bristol and Shiny Car Wash in Loughborough
How to sell your car
You can sell your car privately, to a used car dealership or to a car buying service like Webuyanycar. Selling your car privately will give you the best price but it requires a lot of time and effort.
If you sell your car to a used car dealership they will offer a lower price but it will be more convenient. However, used car dealerships can be a bit picky and they are less likely to buy an old car. In my case, they were not interested in buying my car because it was just too old.
The last major option is a car buying service like Webuyanycar. They will literally buy any car which is great but they will offer you a pretty low price. I chose to use the last option because it was convenient, quick and I was able to sell my old car to them after I moved back to Australia (I got a good friend to drop it off at their shop). Sure it was a lower price than I wanted but removing the hassle of selling my car was 100% worth it for me.
UK road rules vs Australia
UK road rules are different from Australia. These are the main ones you need to know:
Miles not Kilometres
In the UK all road distances are measured in yards and miles. All speed limits are based on miles per hour and every car’s speedometer is set in miles per hour.
As a general rule:
- 1 yard is just a bit more than 1 metre
- 1 mile is approximately 1.5 kilometres
Luckily petrol in the UK is measured in litres and not gallons 🙂
Which side do they drive on in the UK?
You will be happy to know people in the UK drive on the left side of the road too. This makes driving in the UK quite easy to pick up for the average Australian. In Europe you will need to drive on the right side of the road which is doable but a lot more confusing.
UK roads
UK roads mainly consist of:
* Single Carriageways – Roads with lanes going in opposite directions which do not have a central reservation/strip of land separating them. Usually the opposing traffic is instead separated by a dotted or continuous line.
* Dual Carriageways – Roads with lanes going in opposite directions which are separated by a central reservation/strip of land
* Motorways – These are the major roads usually used for long distance travel across the UK. They are named M5, M49 etc. They are different from dual carriageways in that:
- No pedestrians, cyclists, tractors or drivers on provisional licences can drive on them
- They have blue signs instead of dual carriageway’s green signs for telling you each lane’s or exit’s destination
- There are much less roundabouts and traffic lights
- The exits are numbered.
*Single track roads – These are roads where there is only space for one car but opposing traffic will share the same road. There are places along the road where you can pull to the side to allow cars to pass one another. These roads are most commonly found in Scotland.
UK speed limits
Speed limit signs are circle shaped.
A white circle with a diagonal black stripe means the maximum limit is the national speed limit. In a car this means:
- 30mph on roads in built up areas (Typically these roads will have a “30” speed sign with a red circle and there is usually speed cameras to enforce this)
- 60mph on single carriageways
- 70mph on dual carriageways
- 70mph on motorways
National speed limits will also vary if you drive a van, lorrie, a vehicle other than a car or if you are towing a trailer so make sure you review these speed limits before you drive.
Speed signs with a red circle are maximum speed limits.
Speed signs with a blue background are minimum speed limits.
Seatbelts
Everyone in the car needs to be wearing their own seatbelt.
Traffic lights
The traffic lights in the UK work slightly different to Australia. The three colours are the same:
- Green to go
- Yellow to stop at the stop line as per Australian roads or to continue if you cannot safely stop at the stop line in time
- Red to stop at the stop line
When the traffic lights turn red to stop cars it is the same sequence of Green > Yellow > Red and the same rules apply as in Australia.
However, when the traffic lights turn green to tell cars they can go the sequence is Red > Yellow > Green. When this occurs the yellow light is just signalling for the driver to get ready to proceed. Do not move forward until the light turns green.
Roundabouts
These are very similar to Australian roundabouts. As you approach the roundabout there are usually white arrows on the road which will tell you which lane to be in for each exit. This is important when you have multiple lane roundabouts. If you happen to get into the wrong lane you can change lanes while on a roundabout as long as the line is a broken/dotted line and not continuous. You also need to signal and give way to any cars on the lane you want to switch to. Remember to also signal when you exit the roundabout.
Using your car horn
Using your car horn is considered aggressive in the UK. It is not used nearly as often as drivers in Australia.
Drink Driving limits
The drink driving limits are strict as per most countries. Scotland has the same drink driving limit as Australia at 0.05mg alcohol/100mL of blood and England sits at 0.08mg alcohol/100mL of blood. They also have restrictions on breath alcohol levels. The best way to avoid any problems is just don’t drink and drive.
UK motorways
- UK motorways are found across the UK.
- Some of them have road tolls.
- Lane position on a motorway is a big deal in the UK.
I can remember loads of times I was on the middle lane on the motor way just coasting along and I would see a car behind me with no other cars around sit behind me for ages and then move into the overtaking lane, pass me and then move into my lane and then go left again into the left most lane. I was confused for ages why drivers wouldn’t just go into the left most lane to begin with. Turns out you’re supposed to stay in the left most lane if you are coasting along and it is poor etiquette to sit in the middle lane even if you are doing the max speed (Yes, I’m looking at all you Aussie drivers who sits on the overtaking lane with a line of cars behind you). In the UK the middle and right lanes are for overtaking.
Driving culture
UK drivers are much more polite than Aussie drivers. There’s not much tail gating, high beaming or cutting people off. Other drivers will make it easy for you to merge onto a motorway. Some drivers turning right into your road while you are waiting at a T intersection will give way and let you turn right onto the main road first! People also flick their head lights onto high beam momentarily to say thank you. Note, if they flash their hazard lights as they pass you they are just saying thank you too. Beeping is considered very aggressive and quite rare.
How to drive safely in UK winter conditions
Driving in the winter in the UK is an interesting experience especially if you have never driven in icy conditions. Here is an article I wrote about how to drive safely in snow and on icy roads in the UK which I recommend you read before you start driving in the snow.
Further resources
For further information, have a read of the UK Highway Code. It’s dry reading but has useful information about driving in the UK.
No undertaking on roads in European countries. The police will take a keen interest in you if you dare to try it!