Portugal
Handedness of road traffic
Portugal is a right-hand traffic country.
Speed Limits
The general speed limits in Portugal are presented in the following table:[1]
| Type of vehicle | Built-up areas | Rural roads | Limited-access roads | Motorways | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential areas | Other areas | ||||
| Mopeds and quadricycles | 20 (12) | 40 (24) | 45 (27) | - | - |
| Motorcycles with an engine displacement ≤ 50 cc | 20 (12) | 40 (24) | 60 (37) | - | - |
| Motorcycles with a sidecar or a trailer | 20 (12) | 50 (31) | 70 (43) | 80 (49) | 100 (62) |
| Tricycles | 20 (12) | 50 (31) | 80 (49) | 90 (55) | 100 (62) |
| Motorcycles with an engine displacement > 50 cc (and with a sidecar) | 20 (12) | 50 (31) | 90 (55) | 100 (62) | 120 (74) |
| Passenger cars ≤ 3,5 t GVWR without a trailer | 20 (12) | 50 (31) | 90 (55) | 100 (62) | 120 (74) |
| Passenger cars ≤ 3,5 t GVWR with a trailer | 20 (12) | 50 (31) | 70 (43) | 80 (49) | 100 (62) |
| Passenger cars > 3,5 t GVWR without a trailer | 20 (12) | 50 (31) | 80 (49) | 90 (55) | 100 (62) |
| Passenger cars > 3,5 t GVWR with trailer | 20 (12) | 50 (31) | 70 (43) | 90 (55) | 90 (55) |
Documents
Drivers must carry with them the following documents:[2]
- ID document or passport.
- Driver's license. Driving licenses issued by any of the EU member states or the EEA or Switzerland are valid throughout the European Union. Drivers in possession of a license issued outside the EU are required to have an international driving permit (IDP).
- Registration certificate.
- Certificate of Motor Insurance plus International Motor Insurance Card (Green Card), if your car is not insured in an EU country. At least third party insurance is required.
Items required in cars or with motorcycles
All motor vehicles in circulation, except those with two or three wheels and quadricycles without a luggage case, must be equipped with:[3]
- A Warning triangle. The use of the warning triangle is mandatory whenever the vehicle is immobilized on the road or on the side of the road, without the appropriate lighting according to the provisions of the traffic code. The triangle must be placed perpendicularly to the pavement and the axis of the road at a distance of at least 30 m from the rear of the vehicle and must be clearly visible at a distance of at least 100 m.
- High visibility reflective vest, which should be worn under the same circumstances.
Winter conditions
There is no requirement for the use of special tires during winter. Snow chains are compulsory in mountainous regions when indicated by road sign D9 and the conditions make their use necessary.
Studded tires
The use of studded tires is prohibited in Portugal.
Headlights
Motorcycles should have their headlights on, all day long. Cars don't have to use their headlights during daytime, except in low visibility conditions.
Filling stations
Stations are self-service in Portugal. There are stations where you fill your tank up and then pay at the office afterwards, but there are also stations where prepayment (Portuguese: pré-pagamento) is required in order to proceed with pumping fuel in to your vehicle. Usually major cards are accepted in Portuguese filling stations.
Fuel types
- Unleaded petrol / gasoline (Portuguese: Gasolina sin plomo or Gasolina sem chumbo). Common octane ratings are 95 and 98 RON.
- Diesel (Portugese: Gasóleo).
- LPG (Portuguese: Gáz líquido). A list of stations that offer LPG in Portugal can be found by following the previous link.
- CNG. Only very few stations offer CNG in the country. A list of CNG stations can be found by clicking the link at the start of the sentence.
Fuel prices
Some sources of locations of fuel stations and real time prices of fuel in Portugal are listed bellow:
- Cheap Refuel for Android.
- Fuel-Flash website, also available as an app for Android.
- 1-2-3 app available for both Android and iOs
Electric vehicle chargers
You can find electric car and PHEVs chargers in Portugal at lemnet.org, also available for Andorid and iOS
Chargers are also listed in electromaps.com
- ↑ Diário da República n.º 169/2013, Série I de 2013-09-03, "Código da Estrada", Artigo 12.º Entrada em vigor, Anexo (a que se refere o artigo 11.º da lei), Título II Do trânsito de veículos e animais, Capítulo I Disposições comuns, Secção III Velocidade, Artigo 27.º Limites gerais de velocidade, 2013-09-03
- ↑ Diário da República n.º 169/2013, Série I de 2013-09-03, "Código da Estrada", Artigo 12.º Entrada em vigor, Anexo (a que se refere o artigo 11.º da lei), Título II Do trânsito de veículos e animais, Capítulo I Disposições comuns, Secção XII Regras especiais de segurança, Artigo 85.º Documentos de que o condutor deve ser portador, 2013-09-03
- ↑ Diário da República n.º 169/2013, Série I de 2013-09-03, "Código da Estrada", Artigo 12.º Entrada em vigor, Anexo (a que se refere o artigo 11.º da lei), Título II Do trânsito de veículos e animais, Capítulo I Disposições comuns, Secção XIV Comportamento em caso de avaria ou acidente, Artigo 88.º Pré-sinalização de perigo, 2013-09-03
