Car Hire Tips UK

Car hire is available in Ukraine from the major car rental companies. Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It lies at the northwest end of the Black Sea, with Russia to the east, Belarus to the north, Poland to the northwest, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, and Romania to the south west and south, with Moldova in between.

Most of the country (the central and eastern portions) was formerly a part of Russian Empire; after WWII, the entire country - known as the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic - was a part of the Soviet Union. Ukraine is the second-largest country in Europe, albeit with a slightly declining population.

Driving in Ukraine
If you’re planning to rent a car while in Ukraine there’s some basic information you’re going to need to get you on your way. Firstly, and quite importantly if you’re British, get ready to drive on the right hand side of the road. That’s the wrong side if you’re British! This means you should always overtake on the left.

Ukraine has a bit of a reputation when it comes to the quality of both its roads and its drivers. Ukrainian traffic police are always very busy on the roads. It is common knowledge that if you are stopped, they are looking for a bribe. They will try to look for something wrong with your documents or car if there was no traffic infringement. The typical bribe these days for “minor infringements” such as speeding is 20 UAH ($4 USD). The absence of serious fines for driving violations contributes to the poor driving culture on Ukrainian roads.

Traffic police will ask to see your vehicle registration certificate, driver’s license, and passport (to check for the entry stamp). If everything is fine, they will probably ask for your immigration card. They have also been known to check for “warning triangles” and first-aid kits, which every car is supposed to have, and wheedle a bribe out of you if you don’t have it.

In general, traffic police will not stop you more often for having foreign plates, and they are not prepared to chat with you in English. If you waste too much of their time, they will usually let you go.

Car insurance is not yet compulsory in Ukraine, and you will not be checked for insurance at the border if you’re driving in from another country. Even if you were, foreign insurance companies would almost certainly refuse to insure your car in a “dangerous” place like Ukraine.

You may buy 3rd party car insurance in Ukraine for a small amount. This will cover up to $5000 in damages to the other car in accidents where you are at fault. Fully comprehensive auto insurance policies might also be available for foreigners.

When car accidents occur in Ukraine, drivers are required to leave their cars on the scene of the accident until traffic police come and write up a report. This rule creates significant traffic problems in large cities. When drivers don’t want to involve police and insurance companies, they agree on a cash settlement on the stop. One party will usually call a family member or friend and have them bring the agreed amount of cash to the accident site.

Speed Limits
The common speed limits are 60 km/h (37mph) in built up areas, 90 km/h (56mph) out of town, and on motorways it’s 130 km/h (81mph). If you get stopped by Police for speeding a bribe can get you on your way again as they appear to be commonly accepted in Ukraine

Drink Driving
While most other European countries have low drink driving limits and severe penalties if you’re caught drinking and driving, Ukraine is almost the reverse of that. They operate a zero tolerance policy on drink driving so any amount of alcohol in your system and you’re guilty. However, as with speeding a roadside bribe can often be the end of the matter. We still don’t recommend you drink drive of course, if you’re driving in Ukraine you definitely need your wits about you!

Car hire is widely available throughout the UK from all the major car rental companies. The UK is one of the world’s most densely populated countries. About one quarter of this total population live in England’s prosperous South-East, with more than 7.5 million people living in the Capital, London. This means it can be quite busy!

The rest of the country is less chaotic and so travellers to the UK often fly into the South East, to popular airports like Heathrow and Gatwick, then hire a car to take them off exploring the rest of this diverse landscape.

Driving in the UK
If you’re planning to rent a car while in the UK there’s some basic information you’re going to need to get you on your way. Firstly, and quite importantly get ready to drive on the left hand side of the road. This is different to most other countries so could take some getting used to. This means that you should always overtake vehicles on the right, and give priority to traffic coming from the right at roundabouts (traffic islands).

It is now illegal to use a hand held mobile phone while driving anywhere in the UK, although you can still use hands free equipment.

If you hold a full driving licence in your own country (and have held that for a minimum of 1 year), you should be legal to drive on British roads. If you’re unsure about this, it’s worth checking with your rental provider at time of booking.

Motorways in the UK are prefixed with an ‘M’ and, once on a motorway, all the direction signs are blue. This is distinct from direction signs on minor roads which are green. Most roads in the UK are toll free although there are a few notable exceptions, those being:

The Severn Bridge (M4) from England into Wales
The Humber Bridge (A15) from North Lincolnshire to Hull
The Dartford Tunnel (M25) East of London
M6 Toll – A new section of the M6 designed to reduce congestion at peak times

All these toll roads are clearly signposted in advance so you should have plenty of time to decide whether or not you want to pay to use them or find an alternative route.

Speed Limits
Speed limits in the UK are rigorously enforced by the police. There are also a huge amount of speed cameras on all types of road. You have been warned!

The common speed limits are 30mph in built up areas, 60mph on single carriageways and 70mph on dual carriageways and motorways. Wherever there is an exception to this rule it’s signposted. Also take note that it’s MPH (Miles Per Hour) as the UK has yet to convert to the metric system of km/h (Kilometres Per Hour) used elsewhere in Europe.

Drink Driving
There isn’t a total ban on drinking and driving in the UK but the limit is quite low (currently 80mg) so it’s not worth taking any risks. It’s not recommended to drink at all when driving.

Avoiding the Rush
With such a dense population, UK roads often become congested with traffic jams, sometimes lasting hours. To avoid these try travelling outside of rush hour times (8am to 10am and 4pm to 6pm), particularly in the South East.

Also, the UK is very busy in the summer months so you might want to consider coming a little earlier or later in the season when traffic is a little less busy.

Weather Conditions
The weather in the UK is highly unpredictable, even in the heart of summer, so always take that into account when planning a journey. The song “Four Seasons In One Day” could well have been written about the British weather so don’t forget your umbrella!

Car hire in Portugal is widely available from all the major car rental companies. Portugal is a popular tourist destination, particularly to its southern coast in the region of the Algarve which attracts millions of visitors each year.

Portugal has a long maritime history and boasts one of the best coastlines in Europe along its breathtaking Algarve coast. Meanwhile, the capital, Lisbon is an intriguing mix of cobbled streets, open and airy piazzas and hilly suburbs sitting on the river Tejo.

Driving in Portugal
If you’re planning to rent a car while in Portugal there’s some basic information you’re going to need to get you on your way. Firstly, and quite importantly if you’re British, get ready to drive on the right hand side of the road. That’s the wrong side if you’re British! This means you should always overtake on the left.

All occupants of a vehicle are required to wear seatbelts whilst travelling, both in the front and the back. Also, it is required that children under 12 years do not travel in the front seat of a vehicle.

There are toll (portagem ) roads in Portugal. At road tolls you may notice green lanes, these are for drivers who have subscribe to an automated paying system, and you must not use them unless you have subscribed. Make sure you have currency to hand to pay for tolls, because if you are unable to, you will be fined. Visitors to Portugal are required to pay traffic fines on the spot, and they can be expensive.

Parking
When parking, your car must be facing the same direction as the traffic, the exception being if a road only allows parking on one side of it. If you park illegally the car can be immobilised. Do not park in close range of a bus or tram stop or of a road junction (18 metres distance is required from a road junction).

Fuel
Petrol Stations are generally open from 7am until 10pm or midnight, although some are 24hours. You can pay with any major credit card, but be aware that this may incur a surcharge. The fuel octane rating is 98 for leaded petrol and 95 or 98 for Super Unleaded.

Speed Limits
The common speed limits are 50km/h (31mph) in built up areas and 90km/h (56 to 62mph) everywhere else, except motorways where it’s 120km/h (74mph).

Cars towing are restricted to 70km/h (43mph) on open roads and 100km/h (62mph) on Motorways. Drivers who have held a licence for less than one year must not exceed 90km/h (55mph). There is also a minimum speed of 40km/h (24mph) enforced on motorways.