Nicosia, Cyprus. A DiscoverCars.com survey has ranked Cyprus as the world’s most courteous country for drivers, a result that has prompted scepticism and questions about how the ranking was compiled.
Survey results and rankings
According to a recent survey from DiscoverCars.com, Cyprus placed first for driver politeness, ahead of New Zealand in second place and Turkey in third.
Local scepticism and examples cited
The ranking has been met with doubt, including references to challenging driving situations such as turning onto Makariou, navigating roundabouts in Limassol, and merging onto the Nicosia highway.
Andreas, a 43-year-old from Limassol, rejected the claim, saying, “Everyone on this island thinks the road belongs just to them – especially if they’re a foreigner in a supercar. We’re not polite – none of us. And driving in Cyprus is getting worse, not better.”
Previous assessments and recent incidents
A justice ministry survey in 2015 described Cypriot drivers as “bad, careless, always in a hurry, stubborn and dangerous,” and also “rude and selfish on the roads.”
More recent accounts have pointed to continued concerns. In February 2025, a bus driver was reported to have chased down a fellow driver while yelling, swearing and threatening physical violence. In May, the transport minister wrote of “distracted drivers being an emerging or, even worse, a long-term phenomenon.”
The article also noted that road fatalities in Cyprus are well above the EU average.
Methodology questions and tourist perspective
The survey’s conclusion has been questioned on methodological grounds, with the article stating it did not ask locals about everyday driving in Cyprus but instead asked tourists.
The article suggested tourists may experience only a limited snapshot of local driving conditions and may judge politeness differently, with gestures such as allowing another vehicle to pull out or giving extra space leaving a strong impression in unfamiliar surroundings.
Do you think tourist surveys can accurately reflect everyday driving behaviour in Cyprus?
