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Driving a motorhome in Ireland
Ireland is an easy country to drive in, but a motorhome is wide and many rural roads are not. These are the rules the Road Safety Authority gives visitors, plus what they mean in a big vehicle.
The basics
- Traffic in Ireland drives on the left1. If you hire a left-hand-drive van, take extra care at junctions and when overtaking.
- Speed limits and road signs are in kilometres per hour1: visitors from the UK should not read them as miles.
- Seat belts are compulsory in front and rear seats1.
- It is illegal to hold a mobile phone while driving1.
Speed limits
| Road | Limit |
|---|---|
| Motorways | 120 km/h on motorways1 |
| National roads | 100 km/h on national roads1 |
| Regional roads | 80 km/h on regional roads1 |
| Urban areas | 50 km/h in urban areas1 |
| Schools and similar | 30km/h special limits (schools and similar)1 |
| Towing a caravan or trailer | 80 km/h maximum when towing a caravan or trailer1 |
A limit is a maximum, not a target. A loaded motorhome on a narrow regional road will often be safer well below it.
Narrow roads
The RSA warns that many local roads are still very narrow, with no hard shoulder1, and that in rural areas you can meet tractors and animals on the road, so drive slowly and carefully1. In a motorhome:
- Plan routes on national and regional roads where you can, and be wary of satnav shortcuts onto small local roads.
- Pull in where it is safe to let traffic pass; a queue behind you is a cue, not an insult.
- Check the vehicle’s height and width before parking, ferries, car parks with barriers and old bridges.
Alcohol, documents and kit
- The drink-drive limit is 50 milligrammes of alcohol per 100ml of blood for fully licensed drivers1.
- Documents: carry a valid driving licence, the registration certificate or rental agreement, and valid insurance documents1.
- Kit: a warning triangle, first-aid kit, fire extinguisher and spare bulbs are advisable1.
- Drivers on foreign licences are subject to Ireland’s penalty points system1.
Dublin’s ring road has a barrier-free toll: see the M50 toll.
Work out your own trip: open the motorhome hire calculator. It starts with sourced defaults and leaves the rest for your quote.
Sources
- Road Safety Authority, Advice for tourists driving in Ireland. Checked 31 October 2026.