Car Rental - France

• Motorways: 130 kph (80 mph)
• Dual Carriageways: 110 kph (70 mph)
• Main Roads (non-residential): 80 kph (50 mph)
• Main Roads (residential): 50 kph (30mph)

• Autoroute Du Nord (A1) connects Lille and Paris, providing a direct route south to Charles de Gaulle Airport. One of Europe’s busiest autoroutes. The Autoroute Du Nord (A1) covers three French regions in over 209 kilometers . Following the entire road south will take you through the Nord-Pas de Calais, Picardy, and Île-de-France regions.
• Autoroute du Soleil (A6/A7) passes through five French regions, leading you to the country’s popular south coast. Covering a total of 748 kilometers, the A6 starts in Paris at the Paris-Orly Airport and joins the A7 in Lyon, before continuing south to Marseilles.
• L’Aquitaine Autoroute (A10) is the country’s longest motorway. Linking Paris with the southwest of France, the route covers 548 kilometers and begins just over eight miles west of Paris-Orly Airport. The road ends in Bordeaux, a UNESCO-listed city on the banks of the Garonne River.

• Autoroutes (A) – France’s network of autoroutes, or motorways, are similar to US freeways. You join and leave the autoroutes via ramps, and central reservations separate traffic traveling in opposite directions. Autoroutes have two, three, or four lanes of traffic with an emergency lane. The major difference in France is that over 75% of the autoroute network are toll roads.
• Routes Nationales (N) – Connecting France’s regions and cities, Routes Nationales are the country’s equivalent of interstate highways. Large, fast, and busy, these are toll-free routes that existed before the introduction of tolled autoroutes.
• Départementales (D) – Similar to county highways, départementales link small towns and villages via smaller, quieter roads. There are two types of départementales - yellow and white. Yellow départementales are larger, direct routes with higher speed limits. White départementales tend to be quiet, winding roads with plenty of scenery.

Toll roads make up 76% of France’s autoroutes (freeways). Toll booths will be clearly sign-posted with the word ‘peage’ and the distance to the next booth. At automated booths, you can pay by credit or debit card. There’s also the option to pay in Euros at manned toll booths, though these are increasingly rare.

Costs vary depending on the autoroute you’re on. Prices can vary between €10-€50 at each toll. To calculate the cost of your journey before you leave, look at the Association of French Motorway Companies (ASFA) website.

There are currently over 82,000 public electric vehicle (EV) charging points across France. A number of these are free to use, though you may have to sign up for a few different schemes, such as Freshmile in Bordeaux.

The best cities for electric car rental in France are Paris and Marseille, with a wide range of EVs for rent and good access to charging stations.

Lidl supermarkets across the country also offer free electricity, with no memberships required.

• Driving takes place on the right side of the road.
• Drivers will have to give priority to vehicles on the right, unless otherwise marked by a road sign.
• Roundabouts travel anti-clockwise, and drivers must give priority to vehicles already on the roundabout.
• Children under the age of 10 are prohibited from sitting in the front passenger seat.
• You may be fined €135 and risk losing your license if you are caught using your mobile phone while driving. Only hands-free systems connected to your vehicle are allowed.