What are the drink driving limits in European countries?

4 minute read|11th Jun 2024

Drink driving across Europe is a serious offence that can lead to major legal trouble.

Strict regulations are in place to ensure safety for all road users, and police across the continent will punish offenders to the fullest extent of the law.

There are severe penalties for drink driving, including fines, points on your licence, driving bans, and time in jail.

This guide will provide all the information about drink driving limits in Europe.

Drink driving limits in Europe

European countries have drink driving laws that are strictly enforced, however, they have different limits across the continent.

Using Blood Alcohol Concentration limits (BAC), where the amount of alcohol is present in the driver’s bloodstream, there are percentage limits which are used to determine if someone is over the limit.

The limits go from zero alcohol, to low (0.03-0.05%), moderate (0.05%), and higher (0.08%).

For reference, 0.05% equates to 50mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood.

England and Wales are in the higher category, along with Malta.

There are some Eastern European nations, such as Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, that have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to alcohol and driving.

The majority of Scandinavia fit into the low limit category, and the large majority of continental Europe has a limit of 0.05%.

French drink driving limit

For Brits looking to travel to France, it is important to be aware of drink driving limits – as the French police are very strict and regularly check drivers.

The drink driving limit is 0.05% - or 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

From 0.05-0.08%, drivers can expect finds, penalty points on the driving licence – and even a possible suspension from driving.

However, for drivers over 0.08%, there are significantly higher fines, longer suspensions, and even confiscation of the vehicle.

In the most severe situations, offenders could also face a prison sentence.

Italian drink driving limit

If you are looking to drive to Italy from the UK, then make sure you know the drink driving limits.

Like France, the limit is 0.05% BAC – or 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

If caught with a BAC of 0.05% to 0.08%, offenders could face up to six months with a driving ban and a fine that could be more than €2,000. The total will be determined by the local government.

For offenders with a BAC from 0.08% to 0.15%, there will be a larger fine, a suspension up to a year, and even a prison sentence of up to 10 months.

Should the police catch a driver with a BAC over 0.15%, then the fine can reach up to €10,000, a two-year driving suspension, more than a year in prison, and even having the vehicle confiscated.

German drink driving limit

Although Germany shares the same drink driving limit as France and Italy of 0.05% - or 50mg per 100ml of blood – there are some differences.

For Brits looking to drive in Germany, make sure you know the drink driving laws before you set off on your holiday.

The German drink driving laws include a statute where if a driver is over 0.03% - 30mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood – when involved in an accident, they could face drink driving punishment.

If caught, but not involved in an incident, with a BAC from 0.05% to 0.11%, there could be a fine up to €1,000 and a driving ban.

For those with over 0.11%, you could face a permanent driving ban in Germany and a potential prison sentence.

Repeat offenders from 0.05-0.11% can be given larger fines, longer suspensions and even imprisonment.

Portuguese drink driving limit

For Brits looking to drive in Portugal, the legal limit is 0.05% BAC (50 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood).

However, this drops to 0.02% if the driver passed their test within the previous three years from the date of the offence.

For those caught with alcohol in the blood from 0.05% to 0.08%, they could face a fine of more than €1,250 and up to a year ban from driving in Portugal.

From 0.08 to 0.12%, these punishments are doubled.

If someone is caught with more alcohol in their bloodstream, then the punishments are tripled, and they could face up to a year in prison.

Like Germany, repeat offenders will be given more severe punishments.

Spanish drink driving limit

Like the other nations in this section, Spain has a drink drive limit of 0.05% BAC (50 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood).

From 0.05-0.12% drivers could face a fine up to €1,000 and up to a six month ban from driving.

If you someone is caught with more than 0.12% in your system, the charges drastically increase depending on the severity of how they are caught. This can go from increased fines, to four-year driving bans, to more than six months in prison.