Romania's roads are a mix of contrasts: new, smooth motorways, busy national roads with a single lane each way, and country lanes where you might meet a horse cart. None of it is hard, but a few things surprise you at first contact.
Navigation: Waze is king
In Romania, the default traffic app is Waze, not Google Maps. Almost everyone uses it, and the alerts about traffic, speed traps and hazards are, in practice, better and more up to date. Download your map and set off with Waze, especially on national roads, where one accident can block traffic for hours.
The local driving style
Be ready for a more... direct style. On single-lane roads, overtaking is frequent and sometimes bold, and some drivers will tailgate you if you go the legal speed. The right response is simple: keep right, stay calm, let them pass. One communication quirk: a flash of the headlights usually means a warning — a speed trap or police ahead. If someone flashes you from the opposite direction, ease off the accelerator.
Petrol stations
The big networks (Petrom, OMV, Rompetrol, MOL, Lukoil, Socar) are clean, have a shop and coffee, and you find them often on main roads. As a rule you fill up yourself at the pump and pay inside afterwards. On secondary roads and before mountain areas, stations are rarer — the golden rule is to fill up before you head up into the mountains.
In the country and the mountains: what surprises you
- Horse carts. On rural roads you may meet horse-drawn carts, sometimes without lights, especially at dusk — slow down and overtake carefully.
- Dogs and, occasionally, animals by the roadside.
- Mountain switchbacks call for engine braking on the way down. Fog appears suddenly at altitude, and in the Carpathians you may see bears by the road: do not stop and do not get out of the car.
In the city: Bucharest
The traffic is dense and brisk, with quick lane changes, trams and busy junctions. Be firm but alert — hesitating too much causes as much trouble as rushing. Rush hours (morning and after 17:00) are the hardest; move between them if you can. For parking in the centre, the city has paid zones via app — look for the signs and pay, because it is enforced.
Priority quirks that surprise you
At roundabouts, priority goes to whoever is already on it (signal when you exit), trams always have priority, and at junctions with no markings the priority-to-the-right rule applies. At pedestrian crossings, stop — it is enforced. A useful local habit: to say thanks in traffic, a quick flash of the hazard lights stands in for a thank-you between drivers.
What will pleasantly surprise you
- The motorways are free — you only pay the vignette, no tolls on every stretch of road.
- The contrast between a new motorway and an old, bumpy national road catches you off guard the first time — set your expectations by the type of road.
- Once off the busy arteries, the scenery makes up for everything: hills, mountains, villages with old architecture.
In short: driving in Romania takes a little getting used to the local style and the difference between road types, but it is not intimidating. With driveXplore you pick the car up right at Otopeni, with full insurance included, unlimited mileage and a single 50€ deposit, so you can focus on the road, not the paperwork.