Roundabouts: types, priority and every exception

By Mustafa Aybek · maker of Rijtheorie Hub · sources: RVV 1990, cbr.nl · last updated 2026-10-11

Types of roundabouts: single-lane, mini, turbo and the old multi-lane roundabout

• Single-lane: one lane, by far the most common
• Mini: drive-over central island; cars go around it
• Turbo: multiple lanes, raised dividers, spirals to exit
• Choose your lane before entering a turbo roundabout
• Old multi-lane: two free lanes, no divider
• Shape sets no priority; read the signs and markings

Watch out: exceptions and pitfalls

• The raised central island of a mini roundabout may only be driven over if your vehicle is genuinely too long to turn neatly around it; passenger cars always go around.
• On the old multi-lane roundabout you may (carefully) change lanes on the ring; on a turbo roundabout this is physically impossible because of the kerbs — a wrong lane means driving on and trying again.
• Central Amsterdam has few classic roundabouts; many busy 'squares' are actually signal-controlled intersections — do not mistake them for a priority roundabout.
• A red-and-white raised central island is a sign that a passenger car is not meant to drive over it.
• Some roundabouts look single-lane but have a separate wide turning lane or bus lane; read the markings before you pick your spot.

Priority: traffic ON the roundabout versus approaching traffic — the shark's teeth decide

• Shark's teeth at entry: you wait, ring has priority
• Usually with give-way triangle and blue arrow signs
• Points facing you means: stop and wait
• Always read the markings, never assume priority
• Once on the ring you have priority over approaching cars
• When leaving, watch for cyclists and pedestrians

Watch out: exceptions and pitfalls

• Very rare: a roundabout with no shark's teeth and no signs. Then the ordinary intersection rule 'right has priority' applies, and traffic entering from your right actually has priority — the exact opposite of what you expect.
• The priority of traffic on the ring does not apply against a tram (see the tram section) nor against emergency vehicles using both flashing lights and siren.
• 'On the roundabout means always priority' is a misconception: on leaving you often cross a cycle path or zebra where cyclists and pedestrians have priority instead.
• In busy Amsterdam traffic, eye contact and calmly merging works better than insisting on your right; having priority does not mean you may force it dangerously (Article 5 RVV, cause no danger or obstruction).
• Traffic on the ring need not stop for merging drivers, but must brake if someone merges dangerously anyway — avoiding a collision always comes before being in the right.

Cyclists on the ring: priority differs from roundabout to roundabout

• CROW advice: inside built-up area cyclists yes, outside no
• This is advice, not law; markings decide
• Shark's teeth before your car: let cyclists go first
• Amsterdam is fully built-up: usually cyclists have priority
• Always check markings; exceptions exist
• Two-way cycle path: look both right and left

Watch out: exceptions and pitfalls

• Inside/outside the built-up area is a guideline, not a guarantee; some municipalities deviate from it. The shark's teeth are always decisive, not the rule of thumb.
• On a two-way cycle path, cyclists also come from the right while you expect them from the left — look both ways before crossing.
• Light mopeds and mopeds sometimes ride on the road among the cars and sometimes on the cycle path, depending on the signs; their priority follows wherever they are riding.
• Amsterdam pitfall: cyclists often assume they always have priority and barely look; stay defensive even when you formally have priority.
• You cross the cycle path both on entering and on leaving — a cyclist can have priority at both points, so look twice.

Signalling: right indicator is compulsory when leaving

• Signalling right just before your exit is compulsory
• First exit or straight on: don't signal when entering
• Nearly all the way round: signal left entering on turbo/multi-lane
• Switch to right only after the exit before yours
• Most important signal for traffic and waiting cyclists
• Cancel your indicator immediately after leaving

Watch out: exceptions and pitfalls

• Forgetting to signal right when leaving is the most common mistake; waiting traffic then stays put unnecessarily or merges wrongly because it cannot read your intention.
• Signalling right too early (at the exit before yours) makes others think you are leaving there — only flick it on after that exit.
• Signalling left on entering is not legally required on a single-lane roundabout, but is useful when you go (almost) all the way round; on a turbo roundabout your lane choice already largely sets your direction.
• Leaving your indicator on after you have exited can mislead following traffic — cancel it immediately.
• On a mini roundabout the ring is so short that you have to signal right almost immediately after entering.

Turbo roundabouts and multi-lane roundabouts: choose your lane before entering

• Choose your lane before entering, based on destination
• Right lane for first exits, left for farther ones
• Follow arrows on signs and on the road surface
• No lane changes on turbo: raised kerbs separate lanes
• Wrong lane? Drive on and try again
• Old multi-lane: change carefully, watch your blind spot

Watch out: exceptions and pitfalls

• Wrong lane on a turbo roundabout: do not correct it on the ring. Drive on and try again — steering over the kerbs is dangerous and can damage a tyre.
• On a multi-lane roundabout, when leaving watch extra for traffic on the outer lane that wants to go straight on; give way if necessary and always signal.
• The drive-over kerbs are meant for the rear wheels of trucks and buses that need extra room — not for passenger cars.
• Lane choice is sometimes signed hundreds of metres before the roundabout; get into the right lane in good time, especially in busy Amsterdam traffic.
• Entering the roundabout side by side is only allowed if there really are two separate approach lanes; with a single approach lane, stay one behind the other.

Trams crossing a roundabout: the tram is the big exception

• Tram generally has priority: long braking distance, can't swerve
• Let the tram go first, even when on the ring
• Usually controlled by lights, sign or shark's teeth
• Always follow the signs, markings and lights
• Amsterdam: trams rarely cross a true roundabout
• Roundabout with rails? Approach slowly, look along the tracks

Watch out: exceptions and pitfalls

• A traffic light always overrides the general priority rule: red is red, even if you would 'in principle' have priority over the tram.
• If the tram itself has shark's teeth or a stop line, then the tram must let you go first — read the marking and do not blindly assume the tram always has priority.
• Tram rails can be slippery, especially in rain, and your tyre can slide into the groove; always cross rails at a wide angle, not sharply.
• Amsterdam-specific: many 'roundabout-like' squares with trams are actually signal-controlled intersections — judge the situation by signs and lights, not by the shape of the square.
• A tram is longer and faster than it looks; do not underestimate its approach speed and never cross just in front of an approaching tram.

Want to practise? Try the free questions on right of way, with an explanation for every answer.