Driving in Belgium: a guide for UK drivers
Once you are off the ferry, getting around Belgium is straightforward – but there are a few things that catch UK drivers out, from driving on the right to the low-emission zones in the cities. Here is everything we have learned from doing these crossings ourselves, so you can set off prepared.
Not sure which crossing to take yet? Find your route on the homepage.
Getting used to driving on the right
In Belgium you drive on the right, with the steering wheel on the “wrong” side if your car is from the UK. Most people adjust within an hour, but the first stretch off the ferry is when mistakes happen. From our own trips, here is what helps:
- Keep repeating “stay right” to yourself in the first hour – it really does build the habit. On the ferries you can also buy window stickers in the shops.
- Where you can, follow a local car. Driving behind someone who knows the roads is far easier than working out every junction yourself.
- If you have a passenger, ask them to actively watch and call out, especially at junctions and roundabouts.
- At roundabouts, traffic goes anti-clockwise – the opposite of the UK. Look left as you approach.
- Preview the first junctions on Google Street View before you travel, so the layout off the ferry feels familiar.
- Stay calm and don’t let yourself be rushed. Most slip-ups happen when people panic.
Driving a hire car? Then the wheel is on the left and you’ll change gear with your right hand – an automatic can make life easier. The indicators and wipers are often reversed too, so don’t be surprised if you set off with the wipers going.
What you must carry in the car
Belgium, like most of Europe, expects you to carry some basic safety kit. For a UK-registered car the essentials are simple, but it is worth knowing exactly what is required versus recommended:
- Warning triangle – to place behind the car after a breakdown or accident.
- Reflective hi-vis jacket – you must put it on if you leave the vehicle on the road. Carry one for each occupant to be safe.
- UK sticker – unless your number plate already shows “UK” with the flag. (The old “GB” is no longer valid.)
- Headlamp beam deflectors – to stop your lights dazzling oncoming traffic. Or adjust it via your car’s controls if it has that option.
- Documents – full UK driving licence, V5 logbook, insurance certificate and passport.
- First-aid kit – compulsory for Belgian cars, only recommended for UK ones, but always sensible.
- Fire extinguisher – mandatory for Belgian-registered vehicles; for UK cars it is advised, not required.
- Spare bulbs and a spare pair of glasses if you drive with them.
- A breathalyser – no longer required in France (dropped in 2020), but the drink-drive limit is lower than the UK’s, so some still carry one.
Remember the country you drive through
There is no direct ferry to Belgium, so you will always pass through another country first – and its rules apply for that whole leg. Which one depends on your crossing:
Dover or Dunkirk crossings
- A warning triangle and hi-vis jacket are compulsory in France too.
- French motorways are tolled – take a card or cash.
- Some French cities have their own low-emission zones (Crit’Air sticker), though you can usually route around them on the way to Belgium.
Hull, Harwich or Newcastle crossings
- The Netherlands has no hi-vis or warning-triangle requirement for foreign cars – though carrying them is still wise.
- Dutch motorways are toll-free; only a couple of tunnels charge.
- Roads are excellent and well signed, and it is a short hop on to the Belgian border.
- The same headlight and documents rules apply as everywhere on the Continent.
The drink-drive limit is lower everywhere
One thing applies the whole way – the Netherlands, France and Belgium alike: the drink-drive limit is lower than in England and Wales. The continental limit is 0.05% (50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood), against 0.08% in England and Wales. Scotland already sits at the lower 0.05%, so Scottish drivers will be used to it.
Newly qualified drivers face an even stricter limit in several countries (as low as 0.02% in the Netherlands). Police across the Continent test regularly, so the safest approach is simply not to drink at all before driving.
Low-emission zones: register before you go
This is the one that catches most UK drivers out. Antwerp, Ghent and Brussels all have low-emission zones (LEZ) covering their city centres, in force around the clock. They apply to cars and campervans alike – and crucially, UK-registered vehicles must register online before entering.
Registration is free, but if you drive into a zone without registering you risk a fine of roughly £150-350 – even if your vehicle is clean enough to qualify. The fine is for not registering, not for polluting.
- Antwerp & Ghent – one registration on the Flemish portal covers both cities.
- Brussels – a separate registration is required; the Flemish one does not cover it.
- If your vehicle doesn’t meet the standard, some zones sell a limited number of day passes.
- Many visitors simply park at a Park & Ride on the edge of the city and take the tram in, avoiding the zone altogether.
Always check the official city portals for the current rules and to register, as standards tighten over time. Bruges, Ostend and Zeebrugge have no low-emission zone, so the coast is free to drive into.
Heading to a zone city? See our route guides for getting to Antwerp and getting to Brussels.
Speed limits and signs
Speeds are in kilometres per hour, not miles. One mile is about 1.6 km, so 50 mph is roughly 80 km/h. The frequent changes can be confusing at first – many drivers buy a small conversion sticker (sold on the ferry) for the dashboard.
As a rough guide in Belgium: motorways are typically 120 km/h, main roads outside towns 90 km/h, and built-up areas 50 km/h or often 30 km/h in town centres. Speed cameras are common and well signposted, and fines for foreign drivers are enforced.
Tolls in Belgium and on the way
Good news: Belgian motorways are free for cars. The only toll you will meet inside Belgium is the Liefkenshoek tunnel near Antwerp, and even that is optional – the ring road usually lets you avoid it.
The bigger thing to budget for is the route to Belgium. If you travel via France (the Calais or Dunkirk crossings), French motorways are tolled – you collect a ticket on entry and pay on exit, by card or cash. If you travel via the Netherlands (Hull, Harwich or Newcastle crossings), Dutch motorways are toll-free, with only a couple of tunnels charging.
Don’t forget your headlights
UK cars are set up for driving on the left, so your headlights are angled to light the left verge – which dazzles oncoming traffic once you’re driving on the right. Fit headlamp beam deflectors (cheap stickers, sold in the ferry shop) before you set off, or adjust the beam manually if your car allows it. Some newer cars have a simple setting for “driving on the right”.