[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Possibly the biggest culture-shock thing, and a potentially dangerous misunderstanding, is that, regardless of what the Highway Code says, Brits flash the headlights to indicate, "After you," ie to give way. If you flash your lights and keep on, as you might in India, you will probably hit them! Also, signals, signs and traffic lights should be strictly obeyed. Same applies to pedestrian crossings without signals: if someone is crossing, you stop!

It is strict, and, because I have forgotten all that stuff on a day to day basis, I'm daunted!

You may be able to rent. Many people have posted about renting abroad on Indian licences: just I am not 100% sure of it including UK.

You might ask/search about the UK rental experience in general. You can get some lovely cars, but will not be cheap, and you need a credit card with a decent available balance as "deposit."

Just a quick update on the UK Experience to close off this topic

-I did hire a self drive car from SUA and dropped the car off at Heathrow.(there was a one way drop off fee of 75GBP).

-Hired the car from Enterprise. The process and procedures were simple and easy. Ofcourse it was easier since it was from SUA - it was more human while Heathrow was more mechanical.

-I did not have an IDL, the Indian booklet worked. I did not opt for a GPS (it comes with a daily rental of 5GBP on cars that dont have them fitted). I used Waze and Gmaps on my phone and projected it onto the car's lcd screen. Worked perfectly well and saved GPS unit costs.

-Had a petrol hatch, and the biggest tension I had was fuelling, since none of the stations have forecourt assistants, which means the drivers themselves need to use the nozzle and fuel up. Since no previous experience on this, I did a dry run a day before - went to the Shell pump closeby and the staff was from Pakistan and Italy, and they were like dont worry, even people here after many years of using the nozzle are still confused. They showed me how to use the pump and after which it was a breeze.

-Drove around SUA, Leamington Spa, Warwick, all over the midlands, up north till Newcastle. Did a bit of reading around to understand that roads in the UK dont have boards signifying speed limits explicitly written on them, instead it is just the symbol which shows up whether the roads are under national speed limits or not. But otherwise driving in the UK was simple, its just the same as in India, of course the major and only difference being rules are followed there while here it quite simply isnt.

In the end got scammed by Enterprise. Returned the car with precisely the same amount of fuel that it was issued with, and by the time I landed in India I see my card was charged again for 70GBP saying fuel charges. I googled around a bit and I came to understand, enterprise have had several cases of fuel scams, I wrote to them and no response, persisted with them for over two months, finally went on their social media page and wrote and voila within a day, I get a response and the entire amount gets refunded and some vague unbelievable reason given for the charge.

Overall it was a pleasant experience, and yes people from here, bear in mind Unleaded is what is seen everywhere on the pumps instead of petrol and my car did not have the type of fuel mentioned anywhere on the car, and neither on the manual and the executive wasnt sure either. Finally a few calls here and other and double checks had to be done to make sure it was a petrol car. Another thing to bear in mind is if you are not used to the Fuel Save mode option wherein the car goes off the moment it slows down to a stop, it is advisable you turn that option off in the car. I wasnt comfortable with it since I am not used to it in India and everytime the car went off, I would have a few moment of panic and would turn off the ignition and start it all over again. Imagine going through this at busy signals- I literally sweated away.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Drove around SUA,Leamington Spa,Warwick,all over the midlands

I was born in Warwick

roads in the UK dont have boards signifying speed limits explicity written on them,instead it is just the symbol which shows up whether the roads are under national speed limits or not

"National Speed Limit Applies." This is the weirdest sign. It's my joke to say, "Oh good, I can now do 60MPH," on a twisty lane where the hedges are touching both sides of the car.

Self-service at fuel stations. I had forgotten about that cultural difference, because, even after twelve years in India, it still feels a bit odd not having to do it myself!

[venuvedam]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I was born in Warwick



"National Speed Limit Applies." This is the weirdest sign. It's my joke to say, "Oh good, I can now do 60MPH," on a twisty lane where the hedges are touching both sides of the car.

Absolutely! I live in Maidenhead and there are a couple of roads here that I frequent (2 lanes - one for each direction) where "National Speed Limit Applies". It is impossible to drive at 40mph on those roads, forget about 60! Most of the times, people do understand the practical limitations on these roads. However, at times, we do get some very Un-British folks tailgating impatiently almost pushing our car towards the NSL

By the way, they have now increased the penalties for speed limit violations multifold. I thought it would deter people from cruising at 95 on M40. But of course, this is England and M40! Nothing can change our way of life. Last week I went to Coventry (via Warwick of course) and felt like a snail at 80mph. The traffic officer's car I spotted near Oxford was sedately cruising at 90. (No, not on active duty)

For Indians, driving in the UK should not be a big challenge. However, the roundabouts are a little tricky and of course, as beaten to death in this thread, the headlight dim and dip conveys a completely different message to the other driver.

All said and done, love driving in the UK.

[karan561]

Anyone applied IDP recently ?

I just did late last week, it seems they have stopped giving booklet IDP which had all the language conversions of other countries, and now the IDP which i received is just in the form of a printout & a receipt.

Anyone else can confirm this ?

[Chethan B G]

Is IDP issued, valid for a particular country or is it valid for any foreign country?

If I have a valid IDP say for the US, can I use it in Australia?

Thanks in advance! 😊

[mattyf1]

I am travelling to Netherlands this month and any idea if I can use the IDP there? Is it valid in EU? As i know from my colleagues that it is not allowed and we need a dutch license.. can someone please confirm for EU regions in Schengen?

[Chethan B G]

Originally Posted by karan561

Anyone applied IDP recently ?

I just did late last week, it seems they have stopped giving booklet IDP which had all the language conversions of other countries, and now the IDP which i received is just in the form of a printout & a receipt.

Anyone else can confirm this ?

I got my IDP too. Just a printout as you mentioned. 😊

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

Is IDP issued, valid for a particular country or is it valid for any foreign country?

If I have a valid IDP say for the US, can I use it in Australia?

Thanks in advance! 😊

Updating my earlier query: IDP once issued can be used in any foreign country, except in countries it is invalid. This list is available with the RTO. 😊

[karan561]

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

I got my IDP too. Just a printout as you mentioned. 😊

I have penalised my agent & told him i want that booklet, he is working something out.

I shall revert as & when i receive an update.

[akshaymahajan]

Originally Posted by mattyf1

I am travelling to Netherlands this month and any idea if I can use the IDP there? Is it valid in EU? As i know from my colleagues that it is not allowed and we need a dutch license.. can someone please confirm for EU regions in Schengen?

I rented a car in Amsterdam with my Indian chip license and never had an issue. The same goes for France,Belgium,Sweitzerland.

Spain was an exception and needed an IDP.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by akshaymahajan

I rented a car in Amsterdam with my Indian chip license and never had an issue. The same goes for France,Belgium,Sweitzerland.

Spain was an exception and needed an IDP.

To be on the safer side, please invest in an IDP especially while renting. In Greece, I was told that I CAN rent on an Indian licence but insurance rates (anyway usurious) will be higher. I had my IDP and saved the extra premium.

Net net, it is better to carry an IDP than to learn (after a long flight) that there are issue with you long-booked rental car.

[akshaymahajan]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

To be on the safer side, please invest in an IDP especially while renting. In Greece, I was told that I CAN rent on an Indian licence but insurance rates (anyway usurious) will be higher. I had my IDP and saved the extra premium.

Net net, it is better to carry an IDP than to learn (after a long flight) that there are issue with you long-booked rental car.

Interesting. Will keep this in mind next time onwards.

I actually had a very different experience

Rented a car in Philly 3 months back and handed him my IDP. The guy took out a book of licenses he had to verify if it looked legit, and it did not pass his test. Gave him my Delhi license and voila!

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

To be on the safer side, please invest in an IDP especially while renting. ... ... ...

The person behind the counter has the final say on whether you get the car or not, right or wrong. Too much documentation can't hurt! Even if it is never even asked for.

[AnniHilat0R]

Originally Posted by karan561

I have penalised my agent & told him i want that booklet, he is working something out.

I shall revert as & when i receive an update.

Hey Karan, any further update on this ? Also, planning a trip to Indonesia and thought it would be best to pick up the IDL incase they ask for it to rent a bike. Can someone tell me how long does the process take to acquire an IDL ?

[slicvic]

All I needed in Tourist friendly Bali was a copy of my Passport and room details to rent out a bike.

It may be different in other places, but in Bali its easy. Remember to wear a helmet at all times, the police there are more strict about that than your IDL / DL

[karan561]

Originally Posted by AnniHilat0R

Hey Karan, any further update on this ?

Just got a confirmation from the agent, he has managed to get the booklet.

someone tell me how long does the process take to acquire an IDL

1 Day