Before you travel
Do you have enough insurance?
Have your car serviced
- Check the tyres (don’t forget the spare) and brakes.
- As ignition / electrical faults are the main causes of breakdown, check the oil, water, fuel, fan belt and battery.
- Check headlights. If your car is heavily loaded, they may need to be reset to avoid blinding other road users. If you’re driving on the right hand-side of the road, you’ll also need to readjust your headlights. A conversion kit (beam benders) makes this easy, but remember that this should be removed when you return to the UK.
What to take:
- Only pack essential items in your luggage. Overloading your car makes it hard to control and uses more fuel. A good rule of thumb when deciding what to take: ask yourself if you can bear to lose the item. If not, it’s best left at home.
- When driving in the European Union, your UK-registered vehicle must display either a Euro-Plate (circle of 12 stars above the national identifier on blue background) or a GB plate near the rear number plate. Non-EU countries still require a GB plate on the back of any UK registered vehicle.
- Snow chains, if you’re travelling to an alpine country in winter. This is a legal requirement.
Note: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information at the time of producing this fact sheet, Mercedes-Benz Finance can take no responsibility for any errors in the content or consequences arising from such errors or misinterpretation of the content.
