Compulsory Car Equipment in Europe: What to Carry in Each Country

The basic kit that covers most of Europe

If you only want one checklist, pack this and you will meet the core equipment rules of nearly every EU country:

• Warning triangle, and two if you drive in Spain a lot (Spanish residents must carry two).
• Hi-vis vests (EN ISO 20471) for the driver and every passenger, stored where you can put them on before getting out.
• First-aid kit in a sturdy, closed box.
• Fire extinguisher if you are going to Poland or Greece.
• Spare bulbs (unless your car has LED lights you cannot replace) and a torch.
• Your documents: driving licence, vehicle registration certificate, proof of insurance and, if the car is not yours, the owner's written permission.
• Winter equipment for mountain areas from November to April: winter or all-season tyres with the Alpine (3PMSF) symbol and snow chains that fit your tyre size. Our guide on choosing winter tyres explains the symbols, and the tyre size calculator helps you check sizes before buying chains.

Compulsory equipment by country (2026 table)

The table shows what a visiting driver in a foreign-registered car must carry or use, based on the RAC's country guides as checked in October 2026. "Residents only" means the rule applies to locally registered cars.

Rules change, and enforcement differs between regions, so check the official tourist or traffic authority site of each country shortly before you travel. If you plan to drive through several countries, pack for the strictest one on the route.

Whose rules apply: your home country's or the local ones?

Under the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, a vehicle in international traffic has to meet the equipment rules of the country where it is registered. Spain's switch to the V16 beacon shows how this works in practice. From 1 January 2026, Spanish-registered cars must carry a connected V16 warning light, but the Spanish traffic authority DGT has confirmed that foreign-registered cars may still use warning triangles.

That principle has limits:

• Behaviour rules apply to everyone. If a country requires you to wear a hi-vis vest on the hard shoulder, drive with dipped headlights or use winter tyres in snow, you must do so in any car.
• Some countries expressly extend equipment rules to visitors. The RAC reports that Poland's fire extinguisher rule applies to foreign-registered cars too, and it lists Austria's first-aid kit among the items every driver must carry.
• Police at the roadside may not know the finer points. Carrying the full local kit avoids arguments and on-the-spot fines.

The EU's Your Europe portal reminds drivers that traffic rules are not the same in all EU countries. Equipment is one area where they differ most.

Low-emission zones, vignettes and other paperwork

Equipment is only part of the picture. These items catch many drivers out:

• France: cities with low-emission zones require a Crit'Air sticker. The RAC reports an on-the-spot fine of €135 in 2026 for not displaying the right one. Order the sticker only from the official French government site, well before you travel.
• Germany: an emissions sticker (Umweltplakette) is needed to enter environmental zones in many cities.
• Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary and Slovakia: motorways need a vignette, now usually digital and linked to your number plate. Buy it from the official seller; third-party sites often add large fees.
• Italy, France, Spain and Portugal: motorway tolls are paid at booths or electronically.
• Insurance: your EU motor insurance covers the legal minimum in all EU countries, but check whether your cover abroad is comprehensive and whether breakdown assistance includes the countries you visit.

Tips for packing and using the kit

• Vests in the cabin. In several countries, getting out without a vest on is itself an offence. Keep them in the door pockets or under the seats, one per seat.
• Triangle placement. Put it well behind the car, typically 50–100 m on ordinary roads and further on fast roads; local laws set the exact distance. On motorways, get everyone behind the barrier first.
• Check the first-aid kit's expiry date. Sterile items expire, and an out-of-date kit may not count where one is compulsory.
• Chains before you need them. Practise fitting them at home. Check that your car allows chains on its tyre size; some cars with large wheels do not.
• Electric and hybrid cars need the same kit. Charging cables take up boot space, so plan where the triangle and first-aid kit go. Check our guide to electric cars if you are planning your first long EV trip.

Before you set off: a final checklist

• Driving licence, registration certificate and insurance documents
• Warning triangle, vests for all occupants, first-aid kit
• Fire extinguisher for Poland or Greece
• Winter tyres and chains for the Alps and Balkans in season
• Crit'Air sticker, German emissions sticker, digital vignettes as needed
• Breakdown cover valid abroad
• Tyre pressures set for a loaded car and a check of all lights