Estonia Driving Advice and Car Hire Info
Driving In Estonia
Estonia drives on the right and you can use the photo licence of any EU country to drive here.Drivers from other countries need their own licence plus an international driving permit. Speed limits range from 110kmh on motorways to 90kmh on other roads and 50/60kmh in urban areas. Winter tyres are a legal requirement from 1 December to 1 March every year but these dates can vary depending on conditions.The drink driving limit is zero and dipped headlights should be used at all times
Estonia has an efficient and reasonably well maintained road system with 16,500km of roads, 90% of which are paved. Main routes in the country are-
T1 -Tallinn- Väo – Jõhvi- Sillamäe – Narva Russian border.
T2 Tallinn- Jüri -Tartu – Võru – Luhamaa
T4 Tallinn – Märjamaa – Pärnu – Ikla Latvian border.
The standard of roads, vehicles and driving is generally good, even away from urban areas. Watch your speed- in my experience there are a lot of police out in the countryside and they are very good at hiding then emerging with a speed checking device when you least expect it! Tallin is an easily negotiable city and shouldn’t pose you any problems. In summary Estonia should be a pleasant and fairly stress free driving abroad location.
A once-in-a-lifetime experience afforded by driving in Estonia is the opportunity to drive on an ice road. If its cold enough for a prolonged period in winter, the sea freezes and the country’s ice roads are opened during daylight hours. The recommended speed is between either 10-25 kmh or 40-70 kmh as speeds of 25-40 kmh can cause resonance which can break the ice. Safety belts must be left unfastened and all doors of the vehicle must be easily opened. You should also never stop your car on an ice road. There are 7 official ice roads in Estonia: Between Hiiumaa and the mainland (approx. 25 km), between Hiiumaa and Saaremaa (approx. 15 km), between Vormsi and the mainland (approx. 12 km), between Kihnu and the mainland (approx. 15 km), between Haapsalu and Noarootsi (approx. 3 km) and between Laaksaar and Piirissaar (8 km).
Although I try and keep the information in the site updated as much as possible, in a rapidly moving world, situations can change daily. Therefore please use the site as an approximate guide, and in conjunction with other resources in order to form your view on driving conditions, roads, safety etc.
Estonia Car Rental –
Sixt, Hertz, Europcar, Alamo, National,Avis, Budget, Thrifty, Dollar, have outlets here.Also usually features on Car rental broker sites .
We currently have no local car rental partners in Estonia. If you are a local car rental company who would like to feature on DriverAbroad.com please check details on our Partnering page or contact us on ADriverAbroad@Outlook.com
Estonia Self Driving Rules-
You should be allowed to take the car to other mainland European and Scandinavian Countries often without additional charge – certainly if renting from one of the big international brands. One way rentals are generally possible to other Baltic states and often also to Scandinavian countries.