Can you drink alcohol-free beer and drive?
By Alex Stewart · Updated
The UK limits
England, Wales and Northern Ireland: 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, or 35 micrograms per 100ml of breath. Scotland is stricter: 50mg per 100ml of blood, or 22 micrograms of breath. GOV.UK says it is impossible to say how many drinks take you to the limit, because it depends on your weight, age, sex, metabolism, food and stress.
How much alcohol is in alcohol-free beer
NHS units are ABV times millilitres, divided by 1,000. A 440ml can at 0.5% is 0.22 units. The same can at 0.05% is 0.022 units. One unit is roughly what an adult body clears in an hour.
| Beer | ABV | kcal per 100ml |
|---|---|---|
| Guinness 0.0 | 0.0% | 17 |
| Days Lager | 0.0% | 10 |
| Heineken 0.0 | 0.0% | 21 |
| IMPOSSIBREW Lager | 0.5% | 17 |
| IMPOSSIBREW Triple Hopped IPA | 0.5% | 12 |
| Lucky Saint | 0.5% | 16 |
What the studies found
In a German study of 67 people, 1.5 litres of 0.41% beer drunk within an hour left alcohol detectable in 20 of them, at most 0.0056 per mille, far below any limit. A UK study found something different: people already just under the limit who then drank 600ml of 0.5% beer on an empty stomach could tip over it. The authors warned against using low-alcohol beer to top up after drinking.
So the honest answer: alcohol-free beer on its own is very unlikely to put a healthy adult over the limit, but it is not a way to keep drinking after normal beer.
Our pick for the evening after
IMPOSSIBREW Enhanced Lager
★★★★★5/5
Our favourite 0.5% lager. If you are driving and want no alcohol at all, Days Lager and Guinness 0.0 are both 0.0%.
- Price56.8p per 100ml, 48.3p on subscription (40 x 440ml, £100.00)
- Calories17 kcal per 100ml
- ABV0.5%
- Functional blend1,650mg Social Blend
FAQ
How many alcohol-free beers can I drink before driving?
No official body gives a number. A 0.0% beer has effectively no alcohol. 0.5% beer has 0.22 units per 440ml can, and studies show healthy adults stay far below the limit, but the safest choice when driving is 0.0% or nothing.
Will alcohol-free beer show on a breathalyser?
In a German study of 1.5 litres of 0.4% beer, blood alcohol was at most a trace. It can add to alcohol already in your blood, though.
Is Scotland different?
Yes. The Scottish limit is 50mg per 100ml of blood, against 80mg in the rest of the UK.
Try IMPOSSIBREW
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Sources
- GOV.UK: the drink drive limit
- NHS: calculating alcohol units
- Drinkaware: alcoholic vs alcohol-free beer
- Blood alcohol after 1.5 litres of 0.4% beer (Springer, 2012)
- Low-alcohol beer after drinking to the limit (PubMed)
- THINK!: drink driving
- Days Lager
- Guinness 0.0
- Heineken 0.0
- IMPOSSIBREW Enhanced Lager
- IMPOSSIBREW Triple Hopped IPA
- Lucky Saint Unfiltered Lager
- Guinness: calories in each Guinness beer
- Heineken 0.0: nutrition per 100ml
- Lucky Saint Unfiltered Lager: nutrition and ingredients
- Days Brewing FAQ: gluten
- Guinness 0.0 label (Carlsberg Sverige)
- UK government: low-alcohol descriptors guidance
- Trustpilot UK: IMPOSSIBREW profile
- London Beer Competition 2022: IMPOSSIBREW Lager, Gold, 91 points
- UK Fast Growth Index 2026: IMPOSSIBREW
Labels read 7 and 8 November 2026. The can is always the final word.
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Want the longer read? IMPOSSIBREW's own guide: Best zero alcohol beer.