The Burrow
Apr 17, 2026
From speeding to seatbelt offences, breaking the laws of the road can have expensive consequences. Different cities have their own rules and regulations when it comes to handing out fines, though, so what could be a slap on the wrist in one part of the world could be a costly offence in another.
To compare driving fines worldwide, the car insurance comparison experts at Compare the Market have taken a look at traffic laws across some of Europe, Australia, and the US’s biggest cities. By scoring each city’s driving fines on an index from 0 to 100, we’ve been able to identify the five strictest cities for driving in each region. Here’s what we found:
Our rankings measured the average cost of fines for speeding, running red lights, driving without seat belts, using a mobile phone while driving, and parking in disabled spaces. We then assigned each city a score from 0 to 100, with 0 being the lowest possible fines and 100 the highest. These are the five cities with the highest scores:
Scoring 89.93 out of 100 overall, Brisbane has the harshest driving fines in the world. The capital city of Queensland has the most expensive fines for mobile phone use worldwide, with penalties of up to $1,251 AUD for drivers who text while driving. It also leads our rankings for seatbelt violations ($1,251 AUD) and speeding ($333 AUD), making it especially costly to break road laws in the city.
Although Sydney takes second place on our list, its fines are much less harsh than Brisbane’s. Its overall score of 50.55 is almost 40 points lower than that of its fellow Australian city, but Sydney has the highest fines in the country for disabled parking violations ($704 AUD). Its fines for running red lights are also the fifth-highest in the world ($562 AUD).
The largest city in the Lone Star State, Houston, takes third place on our list. While it’s relatively lenient on red-light violations ($155 USD, or $220.10 AUD), it has the highest fines in the world for misusing disabled parking spaces, with lawbreakers facing penalties of up to $500 USD ($710.00 AUD). It scores 49.99 out of 100 in our overall parking fine index.
In fourth place, Amsterdam claims the highest score of any European city on our list, with 49.66 out of 100 in our overall index. While it doesn’t top the rankings in any specific category, its laws are particularly tough on mobile phone use, which can lead to fines of up to €430 ($700.90 AUD). The Dutch capital has also cracked down on disabled parking violations, with a €380 ($619.40 AUD) penalty for offenders.
Rounding out our top five is another Australian city, showing how harsh the country’s driving fines are. Adelaide, the largest city in South Australia, marks the country’s third appearance in our top five, with a total score of 49.50 out of 100. While its fines pale in comparison to those of Brisbane, you can still expect to pay $208 AUD for speeding, $448 AUD for driving without a seatbelt, and $573 AUD for using a mobile phone while driving.
Although it places sixth overall, Athens has the most expensive fines in the world for red-light violations, with offenders being charged a massive €700 ($1,141.00 AUD). Despite a relatively lenient speeding fine of €40 ($65.20 AUD), it still scores 45.80 out of 100.
With Melbourne in seventh, Australia continues to dominate the top ten, with an overall score of 42.69. Although it’s closely followed by San Diego (42.91) in eighth, Australia appears again in ninth, with Perth scoring 39.37. Finally, Ohio’s Columbus rounds out our top ten, scoring 38.84 out of 100.
Now that we know which cities have the costliest fines, which areas have more lenient driving laws? These are the cities with the lowest driving penalties worldwide:
Latvia’s capital and largest city have the most relaxed driving fines in the world, scoring a minuscule 1.63 out of 100 on our driving penalty index. A speeding ticket incurs a fine of just €20 ($32.60 AUD), while its harshest penalty for parking in a disabled space is €55 ($89.65 AUD).
Despite being one of Europe’s largest cities, the German capital scores just 6.46 out of 100 on our index. While the fines for using a mobile phone can cost €100 ($163.00 AUD), its other penalties are relatively cheap, with speeding tickets and seatbelt violations setting drivers back just €30 ($48.90 AUD).
With a total score of 12.17 out of 100, Belgrade takes our bronze medal for its cheap driving fines. Although red-light running, mobile phone use, and disabled parking violations all cost €127.50 ($210.00 AUD), Serbia’s capital has one of the cheapest speeding ticket penalties in the world at just €25.50 ($42.00 AUD).
You may be surprised to see New York City rank so low on our list, as it’s one of the best-known cities in the world, and notorious for being an expensive area. However, its index score of just 12.89 earns it a fourth-place finish on our list of cheapest fines. Red-light running, seatbelt violations, and mobile phone usage while driving all incur fines of just $50 USD ($71.00 AUD) in the Big Apple.
We finish our bottom five list of cheapest fines with Bratislava, where a speeding ticket costs just €40 ($65.20 AUD) and a seatbelt violation penalty is just €50 ($81.50 AUD). Its overall score of 13.31 makes it the city with the fifth-most lenient fines for driving lawbreakers.
Brussels narrowly misses out on a place in the bottom five, scoring 16.94 out of 100 overall, while Lisbon finishes in seventh (17.10). Despite Zurich’s expensive fines of €277.50 ($450.00 AUD) for red-light running, its total score of 18.79 makes it the eighth-most lenient city for driving fines worldwide.
Prague finishes closely behind in ninth, with a total score of 18.87. Warsaw completes the bottom ten, scoring 19.20 overall, largely due to having the cheapest speeding tickets in the world (€11.50, or $19.00 AUD).
Owning a car comes with plenty of ongoing costs, so avoiding unnecessary driving fines can make a real difference to your budget. While individual fines may appear relatively minor, they can accumulate quickly, particularly when drivers are unfamiliar with local road rules or enforcement practices.
Adrian Taylor, Chief Executive – General Insurance, says awareness and preparation are key:
“Fuel, tolls and insurance all contribute to the overall cost of driving, but fines are an expense many drivers don’t plan for. In several Australian cities, penalties for even minor infringements can be significant. Taking the time to understand local road rules, especially when driving in unfamiliar areas, can help reduce the risk of unexpected costs.
“If you’re looking for other ways to keep your driving costs down, comparing car insurance is an easy place to start. All it takes is a few clicks to see a range of policies and see if you could be paying less for your cover.”
Before purchasing any policy, be sure to check the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) so that you are aware of any limits, exclusions or restrictions.
This dataset ranks 34 cities across the US, Australia and Europe based on the cost of their driving fines, using 5 common driving-related fines. Each factor’s data was collected and normalised to a score between 0 and 1. If data was missing, a score of 0 was given. These scores were then combined to give each city a total score out of 100, and cities were ranked from highest to lowest.
The fines used are as follows:
The fines were indexed as follows:
All data and exchange rates are correct as of 13/03/26. Currencies were converted using Google’s Currency Converter at a rate of $1 USD = $1.42 AUD and €1 = $1.63 AUD. The ranking data shown is a compilation of multiple data sources and may not be representative of real life. All data is accurate with regard to the sources provided. Due to the way fines are calculated in various locations, all fines are intended to reflect the total amount payable, but additional fees may be required.
To view the 2024 version of this data, click here.