Rent a Car in Austria

In Vienna, renting a car is popular for business trips, special occasions or events where you want a particular type of vehicle. If you plan to visit the Wachau Valley, the drive from Vienna takes around an hour, depending on your destination. A compact car can be a practical choice for visiting village centres, where streets may be narrow.

Salzburg is a great stop to explore historic architecture. The nearby Salzkammergut lakes also make the area a good base for a road trip. You can visit several lakes in one day, with short drives between them.

When choosing a right rental car for this route, consider the number of passengers and how much luggage you need to carry. A mid-size car or station wagon provides more space for a family or a group of four adults than a small city car.

In Tyrol and Vorarlberg, mountain roads have steep climbs and tight bends. The Grossglockner High Alpine Road and other high mountain roads close in winter, so check access before your trip. In summer, a standard rental vehicle is usually suitable for paved roads. Choose a size that fits your passengers and luggage, and allow extra time for mountain drives.

In winter, snow and ice can make mountain roads difficult to drive on, especially near ski resorts. Winter tyres are important, and all-wheel drive can help on snowy climbs. An SUV does not always have all-wheel drive, so check the specifications of the rental car if you plan to explore the mountains in winter.

For a business meeting in Vienna or Salzburg, an airport transfer, a wedding or an anniversary, consider the car type, passenger capacity, luggage space and whether your preferred car is available for your dates.

Convertibles and sports cars are popular rental options for scenic drives along a lake or over mountain locations, and for photoshoots, but they offer less luggage space.

Motorways and expressways in Austria need a vignette from ASFINAG, the road operator. It can be a windscreen sticker or a digital vignette linked to the vehicle's number plate. Before driving onto a road that requires one, check whether the rental car has a valid vignette.

Some road sections have a separate toll instead of the standard vignette requirement: the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, the Brenner motorway (A13), the Tauern motorway (A10) and the Arlberg road tunnel (S16) are examples, and several more tunnels and motorways work the same way. On a route through the Alps, these tolls come on top of the vignette and belong in the budget from the start.

Winter tyres are required from 1 November to 15 April whenever snow, slush or ice covers the road. Snow chains may be used instead of winter tyres only when the road is covered with a continuous or almost continuous layer of snow or ice. Check the rental car's winter equipment before driving into the mountains.

When traffic slows and a queue forms on a motorway or expressway, drivers must create an emergency lane before emergency vehicles arrive. Drivers in the leftmost lane move left; drivers in all other lanes move right.

Drive on the right-hand side of the road.

The legal blood alcohol limit is 0.5‰ for most drivers. Lower limits apply to some categories of drivers.

Plans can change for many reasons: your flight may be rescheduled, a meeting may move, or snow may delay a ski trip over a mountain pass. Some car rental offers include free cancellation, so you can cancel without a fee. Check the cancellation terms and refund conditions before booking.

A credit card in the main driver's name is the usual requirement. Check the rental offer to see if debit or prepaid cards are accepted and how much deposit is required. The deposit may remain blocked on your card for some time after you return the car.

Permission to cross a border comes from the supplier and varies by category. Check the rental terms before booking to confirm whether you can take the car abroad and whether insurance cover applies there. If you plan to use Swiss motorways or expressways, check the Swiss vignette requirements separately; an Austrian vignette is not valid there.