Compare Finland car hire

• Min. age required to hire a car: 19
• Which side of the road: Right
• Credit card requirements: Credit card needed

Any additional requirements: Headlights must always be on, day and night

If you’re flying into Finland from the UK, you should be able to pick up a hire car upon landing.

It’s more than likely that you’ll be arriving into one of Finland’s two main airports, Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL) and Rovaniemi Airport (RVN). Both are home to numerous big-name car hire providers, including Hertz, Enterprise, Sixt, Europcar, Avis and National.

You can also hire from Finnish companies at Rovaniemi Airport. Pick-ups from Scandia Rent and Finn Rent are available.

If you don’t need a car straight away, you can collect your rental vehicle from most cities in Finland. Travelling to Helsinki? Europcar, Sixt and Lacara have offices here. Starting your adventure in Rovaniemi? Alamo, Europcar and Green Motion can be found near central hotels and the train station.

For cross-country trips, sign up for a one-way hire car in Finland. This way, you’ll be able to pick up a rental in one location and drop it off in another, with no need to circle back to your original location. You may also want to go electric – Finland’s charging infrastructure is good and growing.

Thanks to its quiet, well-maintained roads, driving in Finland can be a very enjoyable and stress-free experience. Aside from driving on the right-hand side of the road, the main thing to bear in mind is the weather, especially in winter and up north.

As roads tend to be icy in the colder months, it’s important to take your time and pay extra attention to your surroundings, other motorists and pedestrians. Winter tyres are mandatory, but luckily hire cars in Finland come with them already fitted (though there’s no harm in confirming this when you pick up your rental).

In summer, standard speed limits in Finland are 50km/h (31 mph) in urban areas, 80km/h (50 mph) on small roads, 100km/h (62 mph) on major highways and 120km/h (75 mph) on motorways.

In winter, the speed limit comes down to 80km/h (50 mph) on major highways and 100km/h (62 mph) on motorways. However, it’s important to look out for local road signs too, as speed limits can vary.

Parking is widely available in Finnish cities, with paid zones marked by a blue ‘P’ sign. To park in a free but time-limited space, you may need to display a parking disc on your windscreen (available from petrol stations for a few euros) to indicate your arrival time. Double-check your parking spot to avoid fines.