Driving in France with a rental car comes down to four things: a licence France accepts, the right speed for the road and the weather, a driver under the alcohol limit, and the safety kit the law asks every car to carry. Most of it will feel familiar, but the numbers differ from home, and a roadside check can ask about several of them. This guide covers the rules a visitor meets in the first hour behind the wheel.
Driving in France requirements: what do you need?
You need a valid licence that France accepts, and for most visitors from outside the EU and EEA, a translation or an international driving permit next to it. A UK licence is enough on its own: GOV.UK lists France among the countries where you do not need an international driving permit, and adds that if you are hiring a car, you should check whether the car hire company says you need one.[1]
A licence from outside the EU and EEA, such as one from the United States, Canada or Australia, can be used for a short stay of less than six months, a holiday for example. French rules set three conditions: the licence must be valid, you must respect any medical restrictions written on it, and it must be in French or come with an international driving permit or an official translation. The British licence is the exception to the permit rule. A translation made abroad must be legalized or apostilled, and one made in France must come from an authorized translator or from the embassy of the country that issued the licence.[2]
For how to apply for a permit before you leave, see our guide to the international driving permit. The rental company may have its own age rules and conditions, explained in our guide to how old you have to be to rent a car. If you collect a car in Paris, have the licence, and the permit or translation if you need one, ready at the desk.
What are the speed limits in France?
On a French motorway the limit is 130 km/h in normal conditions, 110 km/h in rain or other precipitation, and 50 km/h when visibility is under 50 meters. Every road type has its own set of three numbers.[3]
| Road | Normal conditions | Rain or other precipitation | Visibility under 50 m |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorway | 130 km/h | 110 km/h | 50 km/h |
| Dual carriageway with a central reservation | 110 km/h | 100 km/h | 50 km/h |
| Section with at least 2 lanes in the same direction | 90 km/h | 80 km/h | 50 km/h |
| Two-way road without a central divider | 80 km/h (or 90 km/h) | 80 km/h | 50 km/h |
| Built-up area | 50 km/h | 50 km/h | 50 km/h |
The 90 km/h on a two-way road applies only where the president of the departmental council has decided it, after advice from the prefect and the departmental road safety commission. Mayors, prefects and the presidents of departmental councils can also lower any of these limits, and drivers must adapt their speed when conditions are not good. So the sign on the road is the limit that counts, and the table is the default when there is no sign.
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What is the drink-driving limit in France?
The limit is 0.5 g of alcohol per liter of blood. For a driver on a probationary licence (permis probatoire) it is 0.2 g per liter.[4] The general limit applies to every driver on French roads, whatever country issued the licence.
If you are going to drive the rental car back to the hotel, the simple rule is not to drink before you do.
Driving in France kit: what must be in the car?
A car in France must carry a high-visibility vest and a warning triangle. The vest must have the CE marking and be stored within reach, and the triangle must be an approved model kept in the car. At a roadside check, you must be able to show both to the police, and failing to show them straight away can be fined up to 38 euros.
The kit is there for an emergency stop. If you have to leave a car stopped on the road or its edge, you must put on the vest. You must also place the triangle 30 meters or more from the car and switch on the hazard lights when the stopped car is a danger to traffic, for example near a junction, a bend or the top of a hill. You do not have to set up the triangle if doing so would put your life at risk. Not wearing the vest or not signaling a dangerous stop can be fined up to 750 euros, and in general it is a fixed fine of 135 euros.
Three more rules belong on the checklist. A breathalyser is not compulsory. A radar detector is banned: holding, carrying or using one can be fined up to 1,500 euros, and the device is seized. And from 1 November to 31 March, certain municipalities in mountain areas require winter tires or snow chains on board. If you pick up a car in Nice for a winter drive into the mountains, ask what the car has before you leave.
Look for the vest and the triangle when you collect the car, before you sign for it. A roadside check asks the driver, not the rental company, to show them.
What are the fines for speeding in France?
A speeding fine in France depends on how far over the limit you were and, for small excesses, on the limit itself. The fines from Sécurité routière are below.
| Over the limit by | Fine |
|---|---|
| Less than 20 km/h, where the limit is above 50 km/h | 68 euros |
| Less than 20 km/h, where the limit is 50 km/h or less | 135 euros |
| 20 to 29 km/h | 135 euros |
| 30 to 39 km/h | 135 euros |
| 40 to 49 km/h | 135 euros |
| 50 km/h or more | Up to 1,500 euros |
From 30 km/h over the limit, the listed penalties include a licence suspension of up to 3 years, and at 50 km/h or more the car can be immobilized and impounded. A camera reads the plate, and the plate of a rental car leads to the rental company first; the rental terms set out what happens next.
A driver with no home or job in France and no guarantee approved by the authorities, such as one from an automobile club, who cannot pay the fine can have the car held until a deposit, called a consignation, is paid. A prosecutor decides within 24 hours, and if the deposit is not paid, the car can be impounded at the driver’s expense.[5]
Leaving France does not end the matter either. If you were not stopped on the spot, drivers from many European countries, among them Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland, can be pursued in their home country for speeding and for running a red light, and the notice comes in their own language.
How do tolls and the Crit’Air sticker work in France?
Most French motorways are toll roads with barriers, where you pay at a booth or pass with a tag. How to pay with a rental car, and what to ask about a tag at the desk, is explained in our guide to toll roads in Europe with a rental car.
Cities are the other half of the story. Paris, Lyon and other cities run low-emission zones where a car needs a Crit’Air sticker showing its emissions class. Whether a rental car comes with one, and how to order one for a car registered abroad, is covered in our guide to the Crit’Air sticker. For a short summary of all the rules in one place, see the rules for renting a car in France.
