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A straight road running away across the flat Hungarian plain at dawn, a line of wind-shaped acacia trees along one side and mist lying over the fields.

Hungary

Drives on the right · HUF · Emergency 112
LAST VERIFIED 2026-09-13

Driving in Hungary

Hungary enforces a zero alcohol limit, and it does so seriously. There is no allowance for a single drink, and arriving from Austria or Croatia — both at 0.5‰ — is the usual way visitors get this wrong. Motorways and expressways need an e-matrica: digital, plate-linked, sold by day, week, month or year and priced by vehicle category. Buy it online, at a petrol station or at a kiosk before you join the motorway. As with every plate-linked system there is nothing on the windscreen to remind you, and enforcement is by camera. Headlights are required outside built-up areas at all times, day and night; inside towns only at night and in poor visibility. That split is unusual and easy to get backwards. Limits are 50, 90 and 130. Cameras are widely used, including at town entry points where the limit drops abruptly. There is no nationwide low-emission zone network, though Budapest has limited restrictions in parts of the centre, and winter tyres are not required by date even though carrying them in winter is sensible. The currency is the forint.

Speed limits

Urban
50 km/h
Rural / outside built-up areas
90 km/h
Motorway
130 km/h

Alcohol limits

General limit
0.0‰
Novice drivers
Same as general limit

Mandatory equipment

  • •Warning triangle
  • •Hi-vis vest
  • •First aid kit

Winter tires & snow chains

No nationwide mandatory date-based rule for winter tires, though carrying them is strongly recommended in winter; some roads may be signed with a seasonal requirement in poor conditions.

Tolls

System
Vignette

A digital, plate-linked e-vignette ("e-matrica") is required for motorways and expressways, purchased online or at petrol stations/kiosks, valid for a set period (day/week/month/year) and vehicle category.

Full vignette & tolls guide →

More things to know before you drive

Seatbelts
Mandatory front and rear for all occupants.
Mobile phone use
Hands-free only; holding a phone while driving is prohibited.
Child seats
Children under 150 cm must use an approved child restraint suited to their size.
Headlights
Dipped headlights are required at all times outside built-up areas, day and night; within towns they're required at night and in poor visibility.
Low-emission & restricted zones
No nationwide low-emission zone network; Budapest has limited local traffic restrictions in parts of the city center.
Right of way & roundabouts
Priority to the right at unmarked intersections; roundabouts give way to traffic already circulating.
Parking
Paid parking zones are common in cities, typically via meter, ticket machine, or app, with rates and hours posted on signs.
Speed cameras
Fixed and mobile speed cameras are widely used, including on motorways and at town entry points.

Good to know

Hungary has a strict zero-tolerance alcohol policy for all drivers — even a very small, otherwise-legal-elsewhere amount is an offence. Currency is the Hungarian forint (HUF), not the euro.