Headlights on, all day, all year
Dipped headlights are compulsory twenty-four hours a day, in July sunshine as much as in December fog. Rental cars mostly have automatic lights, but not all of them, and the fine is issued to the driver rather than the company.
The alcohol limit is effectively zero
The legal limit is 0.03%, which is roughly a third of the UK limit and low enough that one beer with lunch can put you over it. Newly qualified and professional drivers face a stricter, near-zero limit. Police checks on the coast road in season are frequent and not decorative.
What has to be in the boot
A vehicle registered in Montenegro must carry a specific kit. Hire cars have it, but check before you drive off, because the fine lands on you and not on the company you rented from.
- A reflective vest — kept inside the cabin, not in the boot, because you have to put it on before you get out
- A warning triangle
- A first aid kit
- A spare bulb set
- A tow rope
- In winter, from 15 November to 31 March, winter tyres or chains on the northern roads
Fines are paid on the spot, and they are real
| Offence | Typical fine |
|---|---|
| Driving without headlights | €40 – €100 |
| No seatbelt | €40 – €100 |
| Phone in hand | €60 – €150 |
| Speeding, up to 20 km/h over | €60 – €150 |
| Speeding, more than 50 km/h over | Several hundred euros upward, plus possible ban |
| Over the alcohol limit | Several hundred euros upward, plus possible ban |
Fines can be collected on the spot, and for serious violations range far higher, with possible driving bans. Ask for a receipt every time. A refusal to issue one is the signal that something is wrong with the transaction rather than with your driving. Amounts change, so treat the table as a guide to scale rather than an exact tariff.
Speed limits
- Built-up areas: 50 km/h
- Open road: 80 km/h
- Dual carriageway: 100 km/h
- The Bar–Boljare motorway section: 130 km/h
The open-road limit matters more than it looks. Much of the coast road is 80, and the average speed you actually achieve there in August is closer to 35.
Two roads worth knowing about in advance
The Kotor–Lovćen serpentine climbs the wall behind Kotor in twenty-five hairpins. It is single track in places with passing spots, and the drop is unfenced. It is perfectly drivable in a normal car and perfectly terrifying if nobody warned you. Go up rather than down if you have the choice — you sit on the inside.
The Piva canyon road to Šćepan Polje runs through a long series of narrow, mostly unlit tunnels, several barely wide enough for two cars. Dip your lights, sound the horn before blind ones, and do not stop inside them for photographs.
The Sozina tunnel
The roughly 4 km tunnel between Podgorica and the coast charges a flat toll of around €2.50 for a car (check the current rate) and saves roughly forty minutes over the old road across Krsac. It is the only toll in the country and it is worth paying. The old road is scenic, slow, and full of lorries avoiding the same toll.
