Driving in France: Rules, Requirements and Checklist

Driving in France is easy once you know the rules: the roads are good, the motorways are fast and quiet, and many routes are toll-free. But the rules aren’t the same as at home, the fines are paid on the spot, and several changed in 2025 and 2026. This guide covers everything a UK driver needs, checked against the UK and French governments’ own guidance on 7 October 2026.

It covers what to take, the speed limits in km/h and mph, the current fines, Crit’Air stickers and the Paris rules, tolls with real 2026 prices, fuel, winter rules, and what to do if something goes wrong. If you’re still choosing how to cross, our ferry finder compares every route by total journey time. For even more detail on every rule, see our sister site, Driving France.

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What do you need to drive in France? Checklist

Here’s everything in one place, split into what the law requires and what’s simply a good idea.

Legally required

• Full UK driving licence (photocard). You must be at least 18 to drive in France.
• Passport, issued less than 10 years before you arrive and valid for at least 3 months after you plan to leave.
• V5C log book, or a VE103 certificate for a hire or lease car.
• Motor insurance certificate. No green card needed.
• UK identifier: a UK number plate with the Union flag, or a UK sticker on the back. GB stickers are no longer valid.
• Hi-vis vest, within reach of the driver (not in the boot).
• Warning triangle.
• Headlamp beam deflectors (or adjust your headlights), so your dipped beams don’t dazzle oncoming drivers.
• Crit’Air sticker, but only if you’re driving into a low emission zone that requires one.
• Winter tyres or chains, only in mountain areas from 1 November to 31 March.

Not required, but a good idea

• A hi-vis vest for every passenger, so everyone can safely get out at the roadside.
• Spare bulbs and fuses.
• A first aid kit.
• A GHIC (free from the NHS) and travel insurance.
• European breakdown cover.
• A toll tag, if you’ll use a lot of motorways.

Not required at all

• A breathalyser. The rule was scrapped in 2020, and the French government confirms you don’t need one, even though some kit packs still include them.
• A green card for insurance.
• An international driving permit, if you have a UK photocard licence.

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Full guide on Driving France: What you need to drive in France

Documents for driving in France

Driving licence and IDP

A UK photocard licence is all you need to drive in France on holiday. GOV.UK says you might need an international driving permit (IDP) if you have an old paper licence, or a licence issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man. If so, France uses the 1968 IDP, which costs £5.50 from shops with PayPoint and lasts 3 years (or until your licence expires). The simplest fix for a paper licence is to swap it for a photocard. If you’re hiring a car, check what the hire company asks for.

Vehicle documents and insurance

• Take the V5C log book. If the car is hired or leased, you need a VE103 certificate from the hire or lease company to show you’re allowed to take it abroad.
• Take your insurance certificate. You don’t need a green card: GOV.UK says all UK motor insurance gives the minimum third-party cover in the EU. Check your policy if you want more, such as comprehensive cover abroad.
• Your car must still be taxed and have a valid MOT while it’s abroad.

The UK identifier

You must show you’re from the UK. If your number plate has the UK identifier with the Union flag, you don’t need a sticker. You need a UK sticker on the back of the car if your plate has a GB identifier, a Euro symbol, an England, Scotland or Wales flag, or just letters and numbers. GB stickers have been replaced: cover or remove an old one.

Passports and the border

• Your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before the day you arrive, and must be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave.
• You can stay up to 90 days in any 180 without a visa.
• The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) has been fully running since 10 April 2026. The first time you cross, your fingerprints and photo are taken (children 11 and under only have their photo taken). Leaving from Dover or the Eurotunnel terminal at Folkestone, this happens at the French border before you leave the UK, so allow extra time. Your record lasts 3 years, and it’s free.
• The EU’s ETIAS travel authorisation hasn’t started yet. The UK government says the EU expects to launch it in the last quarter of 2026, but no exact date has been confirmed. See our travel rules for France.

Food and pets

• You can’t take meat, milk or products containing them into the EU, with some exceptions such as powdered baby milk and baby food.
• Dogs, cats and ferrets need a microchip, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel and an animal health certificate, issued no more than 10 days before you enter the EU. It’s then valid for 6 months for travel within the EU and back to Great Britain. Dogs need tapeworm treatment from a vet between 24 hours and 5 days before you come back into Great Britain.

Full guide on Driving France: Driving licence and IDP · The UK sticker

Driving in France kit: what you must carry

A driving in France kit is the equipment French law expects in the car. For a UK car that means a hi-vis vest, a warning triangle, headlamp beam deflectors and a UK identifier. If you buy a ready-made kit, check what’s inside against this table: some still include a breathalyser, which you don’t need.

If you break down or stop at the roadside, put your vest on before you get out, and place the triangle behind the car, unless that’s dangerous, such as on a motorway.

Full guide on Driving France: Driving kit · Breathalysers · Headlamp beam deflectors

French speed limits

France uses km/h, and your speedometer probably shows it in smaller numbers. Speed limit signs only show the limit when it changes, so remember the defaults below.

• * New drivers means drivers on a French probationary licence. UK drivers aren’t on one, but it’s worth knowing why some French cars have an “A” sticker and drive slower.
• ** 80 or 90? On ordinary two-way roads the limit is 80 km/h, but local authorities can raise it to 90 km/h on some stretches, and signs show this. Many départements have done so.
• *** Many towns, including Paris, have lower limits, often 30 km/h. The 50 km/h limit starts at the town’s name sign and ends at the sign with the name crossed out.
• Fog or poor visibility: if you can see less than 50 metres, the limit is 50 km/h on every road, including motorways.
• Motorway minimum: in the left-hand lane you must drive at at least 80 km/h when traffic is moving freely and the weather is good.
• Lorries, large motorhomes and heavy combinations over 3.5 tonnes have lower limits. Check the signs and your vehicle’s weight.

Full guide on Driving France: French speed limits

Speeding fines and penalties

Penalties in France rise in bands, and the biggest change is recent: since 29 December 2025, driving 50 km/h or more over the limit is a criminal offence, no longer a fine.

French points don’t go on a UK licence, but if police suspend your licence, you can’t drive in France, which means getting someone else to drive your car home. Cameras are everywhere, including average-speed cameras and unmarked cars.

Full guide on Driving France: Speed cameras and fines

Drink-driving in France

The French limit is 0.5 g of alcohol per litre of blood (0.25 mg per litre of breath), lower than the 0.8 g/l in England and Wales and the same as Scotland. For drivers on a probationary licence it’s 0.2 g/l, which is effectively nothing.

Police run random breath tests, often on Sunday afternoons and on the way out of towns. The safest rule is not to drink at all if you’re driving.

Full guide on Driving France: The drink-drive limit

Phones, headphones and radar detectors

• Phones: you can’t hold a phone while driving. You also can’t use an earpiece, headset or headphones, even for a hands-free call. It’s €135 and 3 points. Systems built into the car (calls through the car’s speakers) are allowed.
• Phone plus another offence: if you’re caught holding your phone while also speeding, crossing a line or ignoring a priority, police can take your licence on the spot for up to 72 hours.
• Radar detectors are illegal, even switched off: €1,500, 6 points, and the device is confiscated (and the car, if it’s fitted in).
• Sat navs and apps can’t show speed camera locations in France. They can show “danger zones” instead, which is what Waze, Google Maps and car sat navs do there. Turn off any camera alerts before you go.

Seat belts and children

• Seat belts are compulsory in the front and back. The fine is €135, plus 3 points for the driver if the driver isn’t wearing one. The driver is responsible for passengers under 18.
• Children under 10 must travel in the back, in a child seat suitable for their size (approved to R44 or R129/i-Size).
• A child under 10 can sit in the front only if the car has no back seats or they can’t be used, the back seats are all taken by other children under 10, there are no rear seat belts, or the child is in a rear-facing baby seat with the front airbag switched off.

Full guide on Driving France: Children and car seats

Rules of the road

Driving on the right

Take extra care at the start of every journey, at junctions, roundabouts and car parks, and when you set off after a break: that’s when UK drivers drift back to the left. Overtake on the left, and keep right on motorways except to overtake.

Priorité à droite

France’s best-known rule: at a junction with no signs or markings, traffic coming from your right has priority, even from a small side road. It still applies in many towns and villages.

• A yellow diamond sign means you’re on a priority road: traffic from the side gives way to you. The same diamond with a black line through it means that priority ends.
• A triangular give way or stop sign, or a solid or dashed white line across your road, means you give way.
• If in doubt, slow down and be ready to give way to the right.

Roundabouts

Go round anticlockwise. On most roundabouts, signed “Vous n’avez pas la priorité” (you don’t have priority) with a give-way sign, you give way to traffic already on the roundabout, as in the UK. A few old roundabouts without signs follow priorité à droite, so traffic joining has priority.

Cyclists and other rules

• Leave at least 1 metre when overtaking a cyclist in town, and 1.5 metres outside towns.
• Don’t use your horn in towns except in an emergency; flash your lights instead.
• Many traffic lights hang low beside the road, not above the junction, so look to your right as well as ahead.

Full guide on Driving France: French driving laws · Priorité à droite · French road signs

Crit’Air stickers and low emission zones

Some French cities have low emission zones (zones à faibles émissions, ZFE). To drive in one that restricts vehicles, you need a Crit’Air sticker showing your car’s emissions class, from Crit’Air 0 (electric) to Crit’Air 5. Very old vehicles are unclassified and get no sticker.

How to get one

• Order it online from certificat-air.gouv.fr, the only official site. Other sites charge much more for the same sticker.
• It costs €3.85 including postage in France; postage to the UK costs a little more.
• Your category depends on your car’s fuel type and Euro emissions standard, or, failing that, its date of first registration. You’ll need your V5C.
• Order it well before you travel, as it comes by post.

Are low emission zones still in force?

Yes. The French parliament voted in 2025 to scrap them, but the Constitutional Council struck that out on 21 May 2026. A new bill to abolish them is being debated in the National Assembly from 8 October 2026, so the rules may change. As of 7 October 2026:

• The fine for breaking ZFE rules is €68 (up to €450).
• On pollution-alert days, the local prefect can restrict traffic by Crit’Air category in more places, so a sticker is useful even outside the main zones.
• Most UK petrol cars from 2011 onwards and diesel cars from 2011 onwards fall in the cleaner categories, but check your exact category when you order.

Full guide on Driving France: Crit’Air stickers

Driving in Paris

• The Boulevard Périphérique ring road has a 50 km/h limit since 1 October 2024.
• Most of the city has a 30 km/h limit, apart from some main avenues.
• Since November 2024, the centre (1st to 4th arrondissements) is a limited traffic zone: you can drive in to reach a hotel, car park, shop or restaurant, but not just to drive through. Fines aren’t being issued yet.
• Inside the A86, you need a Crit’Air sticker, and the oldest cars are banned on weekdays (see above).

Unless you’re staying in Paris, it’s usually easier to drive round it on the A86 or the outer motorways, or park outside and take the train in. From the western Channel ports (Caen, Cherbourg, St Malo) you can avoid Paris altogether on the way south.

Full guide on Driving France: Driving to and in Paris

French toll roads

For the full guide, including toll tags, right-hand-drive tips and more prices, see our French toll roads guide.

Most French motorways (autoroutes) are toll roads (péage). They’re quick and well kept, but tolls add up on a long trip. Many fast dual carriageways are free, including the A84 between Caen and Rennes and the A16 between Calais and Boulogne.

How to pay

• On most motorways you take a ticket when you join and pay when you leave, by distance.
• At the toll booths, choose a lane for cards (CB, Visa, Mastercard; contactless works on most networks) or cash. Avoid lanes marked with an orange “t”: they’re for electronic tags only, which you drive through at about 30 km/h.
• A toll tag, such as one ordered from the UK before you go, lets you use the “t” lanes and pays automatically. It’s worth it for a long trip.
• In a right-hand-drive car the payment machine is on the passenger side, so a passenger can pay, or you can get out.

Barrier-free tolls (flux libre)

Some motorways have no toll booths: cameras read your number plate, and you pay afterwards. In October 2026 these are the A13 and A14 between Paris and Normandy, the A79 in the Allier, and the A4 at the Boulay toll point. Pay online within 72 hours, at a tobacconist using the Nirio service, or automatically with a tag. If you don’t pay, you’ll be charged the toll plus €90 (cut to €10 if you pay within 15 days), rising to €375 after 2 months.

Toll classes

• Class 1: cars and vans up to 2 metres high (including a car towing a caravan or trailer if the whole outfit is no higher than 2 m).
• Class 2: vehicles 2 to 3 metres high, up to 3.5 tonnes, such as many motorhomes and tall vans.
• Class 5: motorbikes.

What tolls cost

Prices from 1 February 2026; operators can change them during the year. On a long trip south from Calais, tolls on each stretch add up, which is one reason the western ferry routes to Normandy and Brittany can work out cheaper overall.

Full guide on Driving France: Autoroutes · Toll roads

Fuel and electric charging

• “Gazole” is diesel, not petrol, which is easy to get wrong.
• GOV.UK says all petrol cars made since 2011 can use E10; use its E10 checker if yours is older. If not, use SP98.
• Supermarket fuel stations are usually the cheapest; motorway stations the dearest.
• Many stations are automatic (24/24) at night and on Sundays. The pump puts a temporary hold on your card before you fill up, which is released later.
• Electric cars: French motorways have rapid chargers, and under EU rules, newer rapid chargers (50 kW and above) must let you pay by card or contactless without an app or subscription.

Full guide on Driving France: Fuel and EV charging

Winter driving: tyres and chains

From 1 November to 31 March, the Loi Montagne applies in mountain areas of 34 departments, including the Alps, Pyrenees, Massif Central, Jura and Vosges. Signs mark where the rules start and end. In these areas you must have either:

• four winter or all-season tyres with the 3PMSF (mountain and snowflake) symbol, or
• snow chains or snow socks in the car, to fit to at least two driving wheels.

Tyres marked only M+S no longer count on their own. The fine set out in law is €135, but the government decree that allows police to issue it hasn’t been published, so for now police can only give warnings. Don’t rely on that: in heavy snow you can be turned back without the right equipment.

How French fines work

Most French traffic fines are fixed penalties in four classes. Pay quickly and you pay less; pay late and it goes up.

• Reduced: paid on the spot or within 15 days (30 days if paid online).
• Standard: paid within 45 days (60 days online).
• Increased: paid later.
• More serious offences go to court, with fines up to €1,500 (€3,000 for a repeat offence), and criminal offences such as heavy drink-driving and driving 50 km/h or more over the limit carry bigger penalties.

Police can ask a foreign driver to pay a deposit on the spot, so carry a card that works abroad.

Breakdowns and emergencies

If you break down on a motorway

1. Pull onto the hard shoulder as far right as you can, and put your hazard lights on.
2. Put your hi-vis vest on before getting out, and get everyone out on the side away from the traffic and behind the barrier.
3. Use an orange emergency phone (borne d’urgence), which tells the operator exactly where you are, or call 112.
4. Only an approved recovery company is allowed to work on French motorways, so your UK breakdown cover can’t send its own van onto the motorway. The approved firm should arrive within 30 minutes.

Keep the receipt: European breakdown cover usually pays you back. Off the motorway, call your breakdown provider as normal.

Full guide on Driving France: Breaking down in France · European breakdown cover

If you have an accident

• Make the scene safe: hazard lights, vests on, triangle out where it’s safe to do so.
• Call 112 if anyone is hurt.
• If nobody is hurt, fill in a constat amiable (European accident statement) with the other driver. It’s the same form across Europe, often in your car’s documents or from your insurer. Each driver signs, and each keeps a copy. Don’t sign anything you don’t agree with or don’t understand. The French e-constat app doesn’t work for foreign-registered cars, so use the paper form.
• Send it to your insurer quickly: the usual deadline is 5 working days.
• Take photos of the scene, the cars and the other driver’s documents.

Full guide on Driving France: What to do after an accident

Motorcycles

• Helmets must have four reflective stickers, one on each side, front and back.
• CE-approved gloves are compulsory for riders and passengers: €68 fine and 1 point.
• Carry a hi-vis vest and wear it if you stop in an emergency.
• You need a UK identifier, and the rules on phones, headsets and alcohol apply to riders too. Helmet intercom systems built into the helmet are allowed.
• Motorbikes pay the class 5 toll, which is cheaper than a car.

When to avoid the roads

France’s official traffic forecaster, Bison Futé, publishes a calendar rating each day from “normal” to “extremely difficult” traffic, separately for departures (out of Paris and the cities towards the coast and mountains) and returns. The worst days are Saturdays in July and August, especially at the start and end of the French holidays, and the start and end of public holiday weekends. Check the forecast before you set off, and avoid driving past Paris and Lyon on those days if you can.

Driving times from the ferry ports

Where you cross makes a big difference to how long you drive in France. Road-routing estimates from each port, without traffic or stops:

For the north, Paris, Belgium and the east, Dover to Calais or LeShuttle is quickest. For Normandy, Brittany and the west and south-west, the Caen, St Malo and Roscoff routes can save hours of driving, tolls and fuel. Compare every route for your own trip with the ferry finder.

Full guide on Driving France: France route planner · Driving to France from the UK

Compare ferries to France →

We check this guide against GOV.UK, service-public.gouv.fr (the French government’s official information site), Sécurité routière and the official city, Crit’Air and motorway sites. Rules can change at short notice, especially on low emission zones, so check before you travel.

Driving in France: Rules, Requirements and Checklist FAQs

What do I need to drive in France?

Your UK photocard driving licence, passport, the car's V5C log book (or a VE103 for a hire or lease car), your insurance certificate, a UK identifier (on your number plate or a UK sticker), a hi-vis vest within reach of the driver, a warning triangle and headlamp beam deflectors. You also need a Crit'Air sticker to drive in some city low emission zones, and winter equipment in mountain areas from 1 November to 31 March.

What should be in a driving in France kit?

A hi-vis vest (kept within reach of the driver), a warning triangle, headlamp beam deflectors and a UK sticker if your number plate doesn't show the UK identifier. Spare bulbs, a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher are useful but not required. You don't need a breathalyser.

Do I need a breathalyser to drive in France?

No. The rule requiring drivers to carry a breathalyser was removed in 2020, and the French government's own guidance confirms you don't need one. Some kit packs still include them.

Do I need an international driving permit for France?

Not with a UK photocard licence. You might need one if you have an old paper licence, or a licence issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man. A 1968 IDP costs £5.50 from shops with PayPoint. Some car hire companies ask for one, so check if you're hiring.

Do I need a green card to drive in France?

No. GOV.UK says you don't need to carry a green card to drive in the EU, and all UK motor insurance gives the minimum third-party cover there. Check your policy for anything more than that, such as fully comprehensive cover abroad.

What are the speed limits in France?

130 km/h (81 mph) on motorways, 110 km/h (68 mph) on dual carriageways, 80 km/h (50 mph) on other roads outside towns (some départements allow 90 km/h on some roads) and 50 km/h (31 mph) in towns. In rain the motorway limit drops to 110 and the dual carriageway limit to 100. In visibility under 50 m, the limit is 50 km/h everywhere.

What is the drink-drive limit in France?

0.5 g of alcohol per litre of blood (0.25 mg/l of breath), lower than the 0.8 g/l limit in England and Wales. For drivers with a probationary licence it's 0.2 g/l. Between 0.5 and 0.8 g/l the fine is €135 plus 6 points; at 0.8 g/l or more it's a criminal offence with up to 3 years in prison and a €9,000 fine.

Do I need a Crit'Air sticker?

Only to drive in a low emission zone (ZFE) that requires one, such as Greater Paris inside the A86, Lyon and Grenoble. Buy it only from certificat-air.gouv.fr, the single official site. In France it costs €3.85 including postage; postage to the UK costs a little more.

Can I use my phone while driving in France?

Not in your hand, and not with an earpiece, headset or headphones, even for hands-free calls. It's €135 and 3 points. Car systems built into the vehicle are allowed. If you're caught holding your phone while committing another offence, police can take your licence on the spot.

How much are the tolls in France?

It depends on the route. In 2026, for a car, Calais to Paris (Roissy) cost €25.20, Calais to Reims €26.60, Caen to the edge of Paris on the A13 €18.00 and Lyon to Marseille €28.10. Many roads, such as the A84 between Caen and Rennes, are free.

What happens if I break down on a French motorway?

Get everyone out and behind the barrier, put on your hi-vis vest and use the orange emergency phone. Only approved recovery firms may work on French motorways, at regulated prices: in 2026, €151 for a car up to 1.8 tonnes on weekdays from 8am to 6pm, and €226.50 at night, at weekends and on public holidays.

What fuel do I put in my car in France?

Petrol is labelled SP95-E10 (E10), SP95 or SP98 (both E5). Diesel is Gazole (B7). GOV.UK says all petrol cars made since 2011 can use E10; if yours can't, use SP98. Never put Gazole in a petrol car.

Do French speed cameras flash UK cars?

Yes, the cameras record UK cars like any other. Police can also stop you and take an on-the-spot fine, and a big enough speed can lose you the right to drive in France.