UK driving licences are the world's most powerful, according to recent research.

Our licences, along with French documents, carry the most weight globally, making it easier for travellers to get behind the wheel abroad.

UK drivers are able to take to the roads with their native licence in Sweden, Italy and Spain, without having to jump through any further regulatory hoops.

In Finland, Japan, Hong Kong and New Zealand, a British licence is nearly as useful, being valid for 12 months, which will more than suit anyone going on holiday. Britons wanting to use their licence for longer than this will have to exchange it after a year but can do so without taking any kind of test.

The same applies in Russia and Canada, although a switch to a local licence is necessary after only six months.

German driving licences are almost as powerful as those of British and French nationals and are the third most accepted around the world, according to the research. They are followed by those held by motorists in Sweden, then Belgium, Finland, Italy and Spain.

A good 10 points behind Spain, according to data collected by CaptainCompare.com, and a good 17 points behind the UK, are US driving licences. Outside of their homeland, American motorists will only find their licences valid without restriction in Sweden.

Where British driving licences are accepted unequivocally, there are still a few minor road laws that those hiring a car should be aware of.

While British documents are valid, Italian law requires all motorists to carry a reflective jacket in their vehicle together with a warning triangle in case of a breakdown. In Spain, motorists are asked to carry a spare pair of glasses if they routinely wear them.

Swedish laws require that drivers must always have their headlights switched on and set to a dipped beam, even in the daytime.

CaptainCompare.com has put information on licences in 21 countries into the above interactive graphic.

If you click around the map you can assess the how powerful each nation's native licence is and also pick up useful tips for driving on foreign soil.

Research recently also revealed that British passports are the most powerful in the world.