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DRIVING

What types of vehicles can you drive without a licence in Austria?

From e-bikes to moped cars, here's what you are allowed to drive without a license and the rules you should keep in mind.

Published: 19 June 2024 13:15 CEST
What types of vehicles can you drive without a licence in Austria?
Photo by Viktor Bystrov on Unsplash

You do not need a driving license to move around in Austria using your own vehicle – depending on the vehicle, that is.

Here, we list the vehicles that you are allowed to use without having a license.

Electric bicycles and scooters 

Using an electric bike or an electric scooter is a convenient and sporty way to get around if you do not have a driving license.

You can ride an e-bike or an e-scooter alone from the age of 12. Younger children need to be accompanied by an adult (above 16 years old) and wear a helmet.

When it comes to e-bikes and e-scooters, the rated continuous power of the motor cannot exceed 250 watts, and the speed is not allowed to exceed 25 km per hour.

When riding, you are not allowed to have a blood alcohol level higher than 0.8 per mille, and if you want to make a call, it is only allowed if you use a hands-free device.

The vehicles should be used on bicycle paths but can also be taken on the road if there is no cycling path available and the road is not a highway.

Riding on the sidewalk is not allowed, similar to regular bicycles.

Mopeds

According to the law, a moped is a motorbike with an engine capacity of up to 50 cubic centimetres and a maximum design speed of 45 km per hour. 

To drive a moped in Austria, you do not need a driving license, but you need a moped license, which you can obtain when you are 15 years old. You are allowed to start the training two months before your 15th birthday.

The training involves both practical and theoretical tests, and if you pass, you are allowed to ride on the roads with your moped.

Moped cars

Moped cars, also known as light quadricycles, are lightweight four-wheeled vehicles that do not require a driving license to drive.

If you are 15 years old and have a moped license, you can “upgrade” your license by completing six practical hours and obtaining a license also for driving a moped car. Alternatively, you can obtain a license only for driving a moped car.

Mopeds have a maximum speed of 45 km per hour and can weigh up to 425 kg when empty.

Popular brands of moped cars are Aixam, Ligier, Microcar, and Chatenet.

When driving mopeds and moped cars, a blood alcohol limit of 0.1 per mille applies to those under 20 years old. For those older, the limit is 0.5 per mille, as applied to regular cars.

 
 
 
 
 
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Where can you drive mopeds and moped cars?

Mopeds and moped cars can be driven anywhere where a moped is allowed. They are generally permitted on roads where the speed limit does not go beyond 50 km per hour. They can also be used on bicycle paths if not explicitly prohibited.

Roads and motorways are off-limits for mopeds and moped cars, as they do not meet the minimum speed requirement of 60 km per hour for these types of roads.

READ ALSO: What are the rules for electric bikes in Austria?

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DRIVING

What happens if you commit a driving offence outside Austria?

With many travellers opting to drive to their holiday destinations, it's important to know the traffic rules in place and if you can receive a fine in Austria for an offence you committed abroad.

Published: 4 July 2024 13:33 CEST
What happens if you commit a driving offence outside Austria?

Austria’s landlocked location at the heart of Europe means drivers often head abroad by car for a road trip or for work.

But you should probably know the traffic rules of the countries you drive to before getting behind the wheel. 

“Before taking a vacation, you should learn about the local traffic regulations. In principle, what is off limits at home should also be off limits abroad,” said Austria’s driving association ÖAMTC lawyer Verena Pronebner. 

READ ALSO: What are the rules in Austria for having dogs and cats in your car?

If you speed, park incorrectly or drive under the influence of alcohol in places outside Austria, you could face heavy fines, vehicle confiscation or even imprisonment.

Expensive fines and harsh consequences

The ÖAMTC expert warns that driving under the influence of alcohol can have drastic consequences in some of the most popular holiday destinations that Austrians regularly head to. In some cases, you can have your vehicle confiscated in Italy or even face a three-month prison sentence in Spain.

You can also expect heavy fines of around €500 or more in countries like Germany for drink driving offences as well as harsher punishments depending on the seriousness of the offence.

Speeding can also be expensive. In Norway, fines start at €620, in Sweden at €215, and in Finland at least €200 if you exceed the limit by 20 km/h. In Italy, such fines cost at least €175 and even a third more at night.

Another common mistake travellers make is parking in illegal areas. Sometimes, the rules are different, and signs can be confusing. You should learn the regulations beforehand, or the fines can get quite high. According to ÖAMTC, parking fines can reach up to €200 in countries like Spain.

READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about Austria’s driving exam

What happens if I get a fine?

“If you get a fine abroad, it is generally most efficient and cheapest to pay it on the spot,” said the ÖAMTC lawyer. 

In some countries, considerable discounts are also granted if you pay quickly. In Spain, for example, only half the amount is due if the fine is paid within 20 days. In Italy, a discount of 30 percent is possible if the fine is paid within five days of notification – however, if the fine is not paid within 60 days, the fee is doubled.

However, outstanding fines from other EU countries can be enforced in Austria. Foreign driving fines should, therefore, never be ignored. 

Many countries will also claim fines when the car re-enters the destination. So, for example, if you got a speeding ticket with your car in Bosnia but didn’t pay, police might pull you over and claim that fine even years later if you re-enter the country with that same car.

READ ALSO: The six ways you can lose your driving licence in Austria

EU directives

The cross-border enforcement (CBE) directive was first adopted in 2015 after it was found that non-resident drivers were more likely to commit speeding offences. 

The directive partially improved the situation, but according to the Commission 40 percent of traffic violations committed in other EU countries are still unpunished “because the offender is not identified or because the fine is not enforced”.

New rules extend the type of offences that will trigger assistance from another member state and seek to improve collaboration among national authorities to identify and fine offenders.

Now, there are several driving misconducts that require member states to cooperate: speeding, not wearing seat belts, failing to stop at a red traffic light, drink-driving, driving under the effect of drugs, not wearing a helmet (motorcycles / scooters), using a forbidden lane and using a mobile phone or other communication devices while driving. 

Additionally, the list will grow from 2026 with: not keeping a safe distance from the vehicle in front, dangerous overtaking, dangerous parking, crossing one or more solid white lines, driving the wrong way down a one way street, not respecting the rules on “emergency corridors” (a clear lane intended for priority vehicles), using an overloaded vehicle, not giving way to emergency service vehicles, not respecting access restrictions or rules at a rail crossings, as well as hit-and-run offences.

READ ALSO: EU countries to extend range of offences foreign drivers can be fined for

For the traffic violations covered by the directive, EU countries have to help each other to find the liable driver. National authorities will have 11 months from the date of the violation to issue the fine to a vehicle from another EU member state. Authorities in the country of the offender will have to reply to requests from another EU member state within two months.

When the amount of the fine is more than €70, and all options to have it paid have been exhausted, the member state where the violation occurred can ask the country of the offender to take over the collection.

EU integration means that if you speed in the Czech Republic, for example, you will get a fine in the mail at your home in Austria. The letter will usually contain a QR code to help with payment (which won’t work if the fine is not in euros) and bank account information for you to make the transfer. 

If you have any questions on how to pay international fines, authorities recommend you go to your bank directly; they will help you make a transfer correctly.

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