The basics are like everywhere in the EU, but Romania has a few quirks that surprise visitors and a few fines easily picked up out of ignorance. If you rent a car here, there are five things worth knowing before you set off.
The vignette (rovinietă): mandatory, electronic and with no 7-day option
To drive legally on national roads and motorways, you need the road vignette (rovinietă). It's fully electronic, and since 1 October 2026 you buy it on portal.etoll.ro, in the TollRo app or by SMS; it also applies to foreign-plated cars. The trap for tourists: there's no 7-day vignette for cars. The periods are 1, 10, 30 and 60 days and a year, and the price now depends on the car's Euro class. For a week-long stay the 10-day one is the logical choice: 30 lei for a Euro 6 car, up to 39 lei for older ones. Checks are automatic, by camera. Driving without one costs two to four times the price of a 12-month vignette in fines (508–1,016 lei for a Euro 6 car). With us the vignette is already included. More in what changed with the vignette.
The Fetești bridge no longer has a toll
Older guides still tell you to pay a toll for the Fetești–Cernavodă bridge on the A2 to the coast. Since 1 October 2026 that toll no longer exists, and neither does the one at Giurgeni–Vadu Oii. The vignette covers the whole route; there's nothing to pay by SMS.
Headlights on during the day
Outside built-up areas, dipped (or daytime running) lights are mandatory during the day, all year. It is a rule many foreigners forget. On the open road, drive with your headlights on.
Alcohol: zero tolerance
Romania has zero tolerance — 0.00 g/l. It is not a one-drink-is-fine situation; any alcohol in your blood is an offence, and above a certain level it becomes a crime, with a criminal file. The practical rule: if you drive, do not drink at all.
Speed limits
- 50 km/h in built-up areas,
- 90 km/h outside towns, on national roads,
- 100 km/h on expressways,
- 130 km/h on the motorway.
Mobile radar is frequent: the police's own and the e-SIGUR units on tripods by the roadside. The new fixed devices, such as the ones on the DN1, only display your speed and don't issue fines (more on the DN1 displays). Novice drivers (in their first year) have lower limits, and the police can stop and fine you on the spot — keep your documents handy.
What to carry and what to do at a check
Traffic police can stop you for routine checks. It is no cause for panic: keep your licence, the registration certificate and, for a rental car, the contract handy. EU citizens drive on their national licence; those from outside the EU should also carry an international permit. The car must contain a first-aid kit, a warning triangle and a fire extinguisher, and a reflective vest is required when you step out onto the roadside outside a town — in a rental car these usually come as standard. The single emergency number is 112.
Other small but useful things
- Seat belts are mandatory for all passengers; children up to 135 cm tall need an approved child seat.
- Phone hands-free only.
- Winter tyres when the road is covered in snow or ice.
- At unmarked junctions, priority goes to the vehicle on the right; trams have priority; so do pedestrians on marked crossings.
None of this is complicated, it is just different from what you are used to, and not knowing costs money. With driveXplore the cars come with the road vignette and accident & theft cover included and a €50 security deposit — pick up from Otopeni or Bucharest and set off with peace of mind.
