Hungary

Key points for young drivers:

• Motorway: 130 km/h, expressway 110 km/h, outside built-up areas 90 km/h.
• Alcohol: 0.0 ‰ – for every driver, no exceptions.
• Lights (daytime running lights or dipped headlights) outside built-up areas, also during the day.
• In the car: warning triangle.
• Tolls: e-matrica for motorways and expressways – buy it before you get on and enter your registration number without mistakes.
• Trap: driving a borrowed car? You need written authorisation from the owner with a Hungarian translation.

Seat belts and child seats

Everyone must wear a seat belt – in the front and in the back.

Children shorter than 150 cm travel in a child seat suited to their weight and height, and up to 135 cm – in a child seat in the back. Children 135–150 cm tall may travel in the back without a child seat if the seat belt fits properly. A child under 3 may not travel in the front if a child seat cannot be fitted there.

Traffic lights

Amber announces red – you stop, unless you are already too close to brake safely.

Helmet not compulsory

A helmet is not mandatory on a bicycle – exception: outside built-up areas at speeds over 50 km/h. Riders of four-wheelers with a maximum speed of up to 20 km/h don’t need one either.

Helmet compulsory

• motorcycles (including with a sidecar),
• mopeds,
• three-wheelers,
• four-wheelers with a maximum speed over 20 km/h.

Compulsory equipment in the car

• warning triangle.

Official sources list no other mandatory items.

Compulsory equipment on a bike

• front and rear light,
• orange reflectors on the wheels,
• high-visibility vest – outside built-up areas, at night and in poor visibility.

Winter tyres and snow chains

Your Europe and the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs list no general winter tyre requirement. In winter, drive on winter tyres and follow the signs – e.g. an order to fit snow chains.

Phone, drugs and other bans

Phone only with a hands-free kit. Driving under the influence of any drugs is a criminal offence.

Devices that jam police radars are banned; radar detectors alone are allowed. Hard shoulder only in case of a breakdown or accident; bus lanes may be used by taxis, motorcycles and mopeds, among others.

Vignettes, tolls and low-emission zones

Motorways and expressways are tolled – you buy an e-vignette (e-matrica): weekly (10 days), monthly, annual national or annual for a single county. Official operator: nemzetiutdij.hu.

There is no sticker – the vignette is linked to your registration number and checked by fixed and mobile cameras, without stopping the car. Not paying means a fine that may reach you later – some cases are passed to foreign debt collection agencies.

Documents and insurance

• A driving licence from an EU/EEA country is recognised. Bring the plastic card.
• Valid third-party motor insurance – a Green Card is not mandatory. The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends comprehensive cover.
• Borrowed or company car: written authorisation from the owner (their details, the car’s details and the exact period of validity), signed in front of two witnesses or notarised, with a Hungarian translation (an informal one is enough).
• Leasing: the leasing contract translated into Hungarian, with permission to take the car out of the country of registration.
• You can use a car registered in another EU country in Hungary for 60 days within 6 months.

What to watch out for

• 0.0 ‰ for everyone – even one beer is already an offence.
• At a roadside check the police don’t have to provide an interpreter (when questioning you after an accident they do). Refusing to identify yourself ends in detention until things are cleared up.
• After an accident call 112 (English is possible) and take photos of the scene, the cars, skid marks and signs.
• Don’t sign invoices or documents from a recovery service you didn’t call.

Sources

• Your Europe – Road rules: Hungary
• Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Odyseusz: Hungary (in Polish)
• Nemzeti Útdíjfizetési Szolgáltató – e-vignette (e-matrica)
• E-vignette information (NÚSZ, PDF)
• Last updated: September 2026.