RRoad Clarity

Netherlands

Drives on the right · EUR · Emergency 112
LAST VERIFIED 2026-07-29

Speed limits

Urban
50 km/h
Rural / outside built-up areas
80 km/h
Motorway
100 km/h

Alcohol limits

General limit
0.5‰
Novice drivers
0.2‰

Mandatory equipment

  • •Warning triangle

Winter tires & snow chains

No legal requirement for winter tires or chains — conditions rarely make them necessary, though some drivers carry them by choice in colder years.

Tolls

System
No general toll

No general road tolls for passenger cars; a small number of specific tunnels (e.g. the Westerschelde Tunnel) charge a fee.

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, including at a red light.
Child seats
Children under 135 cm must use an approved child restraint suited to their height and weight.
Headlights
Not generally mandatory in daylight outside tunnels; recommended in poor visibility. Motorcycles must run headlights at all times.
Low-emission & restricted zones
Many Dutch cities (including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht) operate low- or zero-emission zones restricting older or higher-emission vehicles — check each city before driving in.
Right of way & roundabouts
Priority to the right at unmarked intersections; roundabouts generally give way to circulating traffic, though older roundabouts may still give priority to entering traffic — check local signage. Cyclists at many junctions and roundabouts have priority even when they're in a driver's blind spot, so watch carefully.
Parking
Paid parking is common in cities via meter or app; some areas require a parking disc.
Speed cameras
Extensive fixed and average-speed ("trajectcontrole") camera systems, especially on motorways.

Good to know

Cyclists are extremely common and often have right-of-way where a driver might not expect it — extra vigilance is needed at junctions and roundabouts. The default daytime motorway limit was lowered to 100 km/h nationwide in 2020; some stretches allow higher limits at night, shown by variable signage.