In Portugal you drive on the right, with the steering wheel on the left, and roundabouts go anticlockwise. At junctions without signs or road markings, traffic from your right goes first, even from a small side street.
Watch for fixed, mobile and average speed cameras, and for unmarked camera cars.
The most important first.
On multi-lane roundabouts, only use the right-hand lane if you are taking the first exit. For later exits, stay in an inner lane until you pass the exit before yours, then move right. Expect lorries and cyclists to stay in the right-hand lane.
Some cameras measure your average speed between two points. Sign H42 marks the start of the controlled stretch, so slowing down only at the camera does not help.
Fixed cameras are always signposted, but GNR and PSP police also use mobile radars, sometimes in unmarked cars. The law does not require any warning for these.
At crossroads and junctions without signs, vehicles coming from your right go first. Drivers coming out of car parks, fuel stations and private roads must give way.
The limit is 0.2 g/l, not 0.5 g/l, for drivers in their first 3 years and for professional drivers. Fines start at €250.
Many motorways have toll booths, but several have only electronic gantries that read your number plate. A hire car needs a toll device or a registered payment method before you use them. On traditional toll roads you take a ticket on entry and pay at the exit booth by cash or card. Electronic-only sections start at a sign reading Portagem Eletrónica. There are no booths, and cameras on the gantries record your plate. Gantries photograph your number plate, and an unpaid toll leads to a fine of at least five times the toll.
At the pump, gasóleo is diesel and gasolina is petrol. The words look alike, and putting the wrong fuel in a hire car is an expensive mistake.
You must not drive below 50 km/h on a motorway unless traffic is heavy. Keep to the right-hand lane except to overtake.
Turn on your hazard lights when you brake hard for a queue, an obstacle or bad weather, to warn drivers behind you.
You must carry photo ID, such as your passport, at all times, including while driving.
Police can ask non-residents to pay a fine on the spot by card. Refusing can mean a deposit, the police keeping your licence for the time being or the car being impounded.
The sign with the town's name on it sets the town limit by itself, usually with no speed sign.
The car must carry a warning triangle, a reflective vest and a child restraint. Hire cars should have them, but check before you drive away, because the driver gets the fine.
On weekdays from 7:00 to 21:00, cars must meet Euro 3 (roughly registered in 2000 or later) in Zone 1 and Euro 2 (roughly 1996 or later) in Zone 2. There are no restrictions at weekends or on public holidays. Where: Central Lisbon. Zone 1 is the Avenida da Liberdade and Baixa axis, from Rua Alexandre Herculano to Praça do Comércio. Zone 2 covers a wider central area. Any modern hire car meets these standards. The rules have not changed in a decade, but in 2026 EMEL is installing number plate cameras at the zone entrances.
Where no sign says otherwise, in kilometres per hour.
The app animates all 7 junctions for Portugal, including the ones above.
Open it in the appStart of a road section where your average speed between two points is measured.
A fixed SINCRO camera that measures your speed at one point is a few metres ahead.
Stop completely and give way to all traffic on the road you are joining.
Give way to traffic on the road you are joining.
You have priority at the junctions ahead.
There is a roundabout ahead.
Drive round the roundabout anticlockwise.
Maximum speed in km/h from this point.
Start of a motorway.
No entry for any vehicle in this direction.
The national SINCRO network has 123 speed control sites. 100 measure speed at one point and 23 measure average speed over a stretch. Every SINCRO site is signposted in advance, and ANSR publishes the locations and shares them with Waze. GNR and PSP police also use mobile radars, sometimes in unmarked cars, and these do not have to be signposted.
Radar de velocidade instantânea (SINCRO)
Catches: Speeding at a single point. Cabins can be on either side of the road.
Sign H43 stands a few metres before the camera. When the network started, 30 radars were moved at random among 50 cabins, and drivers could not tell which cabins held one. Treat every cabin as active.
Radar de velocidade média (SINCRO)
Catches: An average speed above the limit between two points.
Sign H42 marks the start of the controlled stretch. The system records your plate and the time at each end.
Radar móvel
Catches: Speeding, at changing locations chosen for heavy traffic or repeated speeding.
Used by the GNR and PSP police. The law does not require them to be signposted, and they can be well disguised.
Every camera type in Portugal, the warning signs and how fines reach you
| Licence from | Permit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| the EU, Iceland | Not needed | Licences issued in the EU and the European Economic Area are valid in Portugal until they expire. |
| United Kingdom | Not needed | A UK photocard licence is accepted. Holders of an old paper licence may need an IDP. |
| Australia, New Zealand, United States, Canada, Switzerland | Not needed | Licences from countries in the 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna road traffic conventions are recognised for tourists for up to 185 days. The Australian and US governments confirm their licences can be used in Portugal. |
| Japan | Recommended | Japanese licences are recognised for tourists for up to 185 days. A Japanese licence is not in the Latin alphabet, so carry an IDP with it to avoid problems with police or the hire company. |
On weekdays from 7:00 to 21:00, cars must meet Euro 3 (roughly registered in 2000 or later) in Zone 1 and Euro 2 (roughly 1996 or later) in Zone 2. There are no restrictions at weekends or on public holidays. Where: Central Lisbon. Zone 1 is the Avenida da Liberdade and Baixa axis, from Rua Alexandre Herculano to Praça do Comércio. Zone 2 covers a wider central area.
Tip: Any modern hire car meets these standards. The rules have not changed in a decade, but in 2026 EMEL is installing number plate cameras at the zone entrances.
Many motorways have toll booths, but several have only electronic gantries that read your number plate. A hire car needs a toll device or a registered payment method before you use them.
| At the pump | Means |
|---|---|
| Gasóleo | Diesel Easy to get wrong |
| Gasolina | Petrol (gasoline) Easy to get wrong |
| Sem chumbo 95 | Unleaded petrol, 95 octane, usually E5 |
| Sem chumbo 98 | Unleaded petrol, 98 octane, sometimes E10 |
| Simples | The cheaper version of petrol or diesel without extra additives. It is not a different fuel. |
| Gasóleo verde, gasóleo agrícola or gasóleo colorido | Farm diesel. Cars may not use it. Easy to get wrong |
| GPL or Autogás | LPG |
| Pontos de carga or estações de carregamento | EV charging points |
The low emission zone (ZER) covers the Avenida da Liberdade, the Baixa and a wider central area on weekdays from 7:00 to 21:00. Modern hire cars meet its standards.
Parking in central Lisbon is paid.
The historic centre has narrow streets, steep hills and little parking. It is easier to park outside it.
The A4, A41 and A42 around Porto have electronic toll points. Make sure your hire car has a toll device or a registered payment method.
The A22 Algarve motorway has been toll-free for all drivers since 1 January 2025.
No. Tolls on the A22 were abolished for all drivers from 1 January 2025.
Hire companies must fit a toll device, and the tolls are charged to you under the hire contract. If the car has no device and foreign plates, register it with EasyToll, Tollcard or Go Toll before using an electronic toll road.
Not with an EU, EEA or UK photocard licence. Tourists can also drive for up to 185 days on a licence from a country in the Geneva or Vienna road traffic conventions, such as Australia, Canada or the US. Japanese drivers should carry an IDP, which is only valid together with the national licence.
120 km/h. There is also a minimum speed of 50 km/h.
Fixed cameras are. Sign H43 warns of a camera that measures speed at one point, and sign H42 marks the start of an average speed section. Mobile police radars do not have to be signposted.
0.5 g/l of blood alcohol, or 0.2 g/l for drivers in their first 3 years and professional drivers.
Yes. A hands-free system or a single earpiece is allowed. Holding or handling a phone while the car is moving is banned, with a fine of €250 to €1,250.
No. Red means stop. Only a green arrow lit beside the red light lets you turn in its direction, after stopping and giving way to traffic with a green light.
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Checked 15 October 2026. Official sources first.