Driving in New Zealand as a UK driver
New Zealand drives on the left, the same as the United Kingdom. Your UK licence is all you need to drive in New Zealand. At junctions without signs or road markings, traffic from your right goes first, even from a small side street.
Unless signposted otherwise, the limits are 50 km/h in towns, and 100 on country roads and motorways, or about 31 and 62 mph. Watch for fixed, mobile, average speed and red light cameras. The alcohol limit is 0.05, lower than the 0.08 at home.
New Zealand and the United Kingdom side by side
The rows in yellow are different from home.
| Rule | New Zealand | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Drive on the | Left | Left |
| Speed units | km/h | mph |
| Alcohol limit | 0.05 | 0.08 |
| Holding a phone | Banned | Banned |
| Turn on red | No | No |
| Unmarked junctions | Traffic from the right | No fixed rule |
| Roundabouts go | Clockwise | Clockwise |
The rules that catch UK drivers out
The most important first.
Priority to the right
At a junction with no signs, signals or road markings, give way to traffic coming from your right, even from a small side street. At home there's no fixed rule at unmarked junctions. Here there is, and drivers on your right will expect you to stop for them. If you are turning, give way to all traffic that is not turning.
One-lane bridges
Some bridges carry only one lane for traffic in both directions. Signs before each one show who goes first. A red circle with a small red arrow means you give way to oncoming traffic. A blue rectangle with a large white arrow means you go first, but only if the bridge is clear.
Turning right gives way to turning left
If you turn right, you give way to oncoming traffic turning left, even when you both face the same sign or a green light. Any driver who is turning gives way to traffic that is not turning. This rule has applied since 25 March 2012, so older advice may say the opposite.
School buses
When a school bus has stopped, you must drive at 20 km/h or less until you are well past it. This applies from both directions.
Drink driving
The blood alcohol limit is 0.05, and zero for drivers under 20 years old. That's lower than the 0.08 at home. For drivers 20 and over, the limit is 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood or 250 micrograms per litre of breath.
Tolls with no booths
New Zealand has three toll roads: the Northern Gateway Toll Road on SH1 north of Auckland, and the Tauranga Eastern Link and Takitimu Drive toll roads in Tauranga. There are no booths. Cameras read your number plate, and you pay online before you travel or up to 10 days after. Pay on NZTA's Buy or pay a toll page using the vehicle's registration plate. Paying online has no fee. If a toll is unpaid 10 days after the trip, NZTA posts a toll payment notice to the registered owner, which for a hire car is the hire company. The notice adds an administration fee, which GO Rentals gave as NZ$4.90 in 2024.
13 more rules worth knowing
Mobile speed cameras without warning signs
NZTA's camera SUVs and camera trailers have no warning signs and can be set up anywhere, at any time. Fixed and average speed cameras are signposted.
Long, slow journeys
Distances look short on the map, but most roads have one lane each way, many are narrow and winding, and some are unsealed. Allow extra time, stop every two hours, and rest before a long drive after a long flight.
Passing lanes and pulling over
Most roads have one lane each way. Wait for a passing lane to overtake, and never cross a yellow line on your side of the centre line. If a queue forms behind you, pull over somewhere safe and let it pass.
Flush medians
White diagonal lines painted down the middle of some urban roads are a flush median. You may drive on one briefly to turn into or out of a side road or driveway, or to wait for a gap. Overtaking or parking on one is an offence.
Gravel roads
Unsealed gravel roads are slippery. Keep left and slow down, and slow further for oncoming vehicles, because dust cuts visibility and loose stones chip windscreens.
90 km/h for heavy vehicles and towing
Any vehicle over 3,500 kg, and any vehicle towing a trailer, must not go faster than 90 km/h, even where the limit is 100 or 110 km/h. Check the weight of a large motorhome before you set off.
Speeds are in km/h
Speed signs and your speedometer's main scale are in kilometres per hour. 50 km/h is about 31 mph, 100 km/h is about 62 mph, 100 km/h is about 62 mph.
Speed limits
Motorways are 100 km/h (about 62 mph) here, slower than the 70 mph at home.
What the car must carry
The car must carry an approved child restraint for each child under 7. Hire cars should have them, but check before you drive away, because the driver gets the fine.
Transit lanes (T2 and T3)
A T2 lane is for vehicles carrying two or more people, and a T3 lane for three or more. Where: Signposted lanes on some city roads. If you are unsure whether you may use a bus or transit lane, stay out of it to avoid a fine.
Your British licence is enough
With a British licence, your own licence is enough. You don't need an International Driving Permit. A current licence printed in English is enough. Carry it whenever you drive.
Drive on the left
Traffic keeps left. Keep left at every intersection and every time you pull out onto a road, which is when habit is most likely to pull you to the right.
Animals on the road
If you meet farm animals on the road, slow down and go carefully. Do not sound your horn, as it can startle them.
Open New Zealand in the app, set to a UK licence, and keep all of this with you offline.
Open it in the appSpeed limits compared with home
Signs here are in km/h. The black marks show your limits at home, converted.
Who goes first
Priority to the right
Roundabouts go clockwise
Signs that look different from home
Speed limit
The maximum speed in km/h until another speed sign.
Speed camera area
A fixed safety camera is ahead.
Average speed camera area
Cameras measure your average speed between two points on the road ahead.
Roadworks speed limit
A temporary legal limit applies while work is done on or near the road.
Railway level crossing
When the red lights flash, a train is coming.
Signs you won't know from home
A one-lane bridge is ahead.
A lower speed limit applies outside a school around start and finish times.
A bend is ahead. The number is the recommended speed in good conditions.
Speed cameras
NZTA has run all of New Zealand's safety cameras since July 2025. Fixed cameras have warning signs. Mobile cameras in SUVs and trailers have no signs and can appear anywhere. Average speed cameras run on a growing number of roads, with signs before each section. Police officers still enforce speed limits and issue their own notices. The notice goes to the vehicle's registered owner, which is the hire company. The hire company names you to the authorities in a statutory declaration so the notice is reissued to you, and charges your card an administration fee, such as NZ$50 at one company.
Before you drive
- Your driving licenceThe physical card, not a photo or a digital licence.
- Your passportHire companies and police ask for ID.
- Approved child restraint for each child under 7A 7-year-old uses a child restraint if one is available, otherwise a seat belt. From 8, a seat belt is required.
- A way to pay the free-flow tollsNew Zealand has three toll roads: the Northern Gateway Toll Road on SH1 north of Auckland, and the Tauranga Eastern Link and Takitimu Drive toll roads in Tauranga. There are no booths. Cameras read your number plate, and you pay online before you travel or up to 10 days after.
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Where UK drivers drive next
New Zealand for drivers from elsewhere
Sources: the official New Zealand sources listed on the New Zealand guide, checked 15 October 2026.