The summer season brings increased tourist traffic, and with it, additional restrictions for heavy goods vehicles in many European countries. In this part of our series, we take a closer look at the rules of the summer driving ban in Europe 2025: Germany, France and Hungary. in Germany, France, and Hungary.
🇩🇪 Germany – year-round and summer driving ban
In Germany, there is a year-round driving ban for trucks over 7.5 t gross vehicle weight and for all vehicle-and-trailer combinations:
Sundays and public holidays: 00:00 – 22:00
Additionally, a summer ban is in effect from July 1 to August 31, every Saturday from 07:00 to 20:00, but only on select routes. The full list is published by the Bundesamt für Logistik und Mobilität.
These bans target major holiday corridors and aim to ease traffic during the peak season.
Exemptions include live animals, milk, fresh produce, emergency service vehicles, and similar essential transports.
🇫🇷 France – weekend and summer holiday restrictions
France imposes driving bans on HGVs over 7.5 t:
Weekend ban: Saturday 22:00 – Sunday 22:00
Public-holiday ban: 00:00 – 22:00 on the holiday itself
A summer ban further restricts traffic on all Saturdays 07:00 – 19:00 between 5 July and 23 August.
In the regions Bourgogne–Franche-Comté and Grand Est, the ban will not apply on 5 July and 23 August 2025, except for certain stretches of the A6 and A31 motorways, which remain closed to HGVs. Prefectures can reinstate the ban with 48 hours’ notice if heat-wave alerts are issued.
🇭🇺 Hungary – holiday, weekend and summer bans
Outside the summer season (1 September – 30 June) a ban applies:
Saturday 22:00 – Sunday 22:00
Public holidays: 00:00 – 22:00
On the eve of a public holiday, the ban is in effect from 22:00 until 22:00 on the holiday itself. If a holiday falls just before the weekend, the ban may run continuously from Saturday 08:00 to Sunday 22:00.
During the summer season (1 July – 31 August), an extra restriction is in force:
Saturday 15:00 – Sunday 22:00
The same “eve-of-holiday” and “pre-weekend” rules apply as above.
These bans cover HGVs over 7.5 t and are designed to improve safety and reduce congestion when traffic is heaviest.
Exemptions: milk transport, fresh raw materials for the food industry, humanitarian aid, and export goods within 100 km of the border. Fines start at 150,000 HUF; HU-GO cameras automatically assign penalties to the carrier’s e-vignette.
📌 Coming soon in this series: Czechia and Slovakia!
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