For Brits driving to France via the Eurotunnel or hiring a car once there, here are six essential driving tips, plus useful information such as road types, speed limits and emergency numbers, from mobility experts, SIXT.

MAKE SURE YOU PACK THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT

France has strict regulations on what you need to keep in your car at all times. If you are driving a private car from the UK and driving into France, your vehicle will require a GB sticker to be displayed clearly on the exterior. The law also requires that you always carry within the vehicle; a red warning triangle, a high-visibility reflective jacket, headlamp adjusters and a breathalyser testing kit – without these, you risk being fined. All SIXT cars rented in France come equipped with these items as standard, giving you one less thing to worry about.

LOW EMISSION ZONES / CLEAN AIR STICKERS

Certain areas of France require all vehicles to display a ‘clean air’ windscreen sticker – also called a Crit’Air vignette to identify their levels of emissions (with six levels overall). Vehicles with lower emissions can access a variety of benefits, including better parking and traffic conditions, whereas polluting vehicles can be denied entry to certain areas entirely, with each area setting its own minimum level requirement. You can check which cities require the Crit’Air vignette ahead of your journey and order one from the official website for around £3.60 – much better than an the on-the-spot fine of up to €135.

KNOW THE RULES OF THE ROAD

It’s important to remember the basic rules of the road. Fortunately, it’s very similar to the UK, just on the other side of the road. In France, you drive on the right, and overtake on the left, however you can overtake on the right in lane traffic when there are slow moving lanes. You also need to give way to traffic on the left at roundabouts, and if on a steep hill, uphill traffic has priority and downhill traffic must give way.

TOLLS

French motorways are marked by the letter A for Autoroute, followed by numbers. Most French autoroutes are operated by private companies and are therefore toll motorways. Entrances to them are marked with the word "Péage". When entering an autoroute with a toll, you’ll pick up a ticket as you enter. Tolls are then paid either as you leave the autoroute, or when the toll area comes to an end. In certain places, there are fixed toll points, usually in urban areas or toll bridges – you can use a debit or credit card to pay, or coins.

KNOW YOUR LIMITS

Speed camera detectors, including those as part of sat-nav systems are illegal in the country so ensure that you stick to the speed limits! The speed limits in France are measured in kilometres an hour, rather than miles per hour and the standard speed limits are slightly higher than those in the UK so it is important that you familiarise yourself with them before you travel to the country. Our top tip is to look for the word ‘Bis’ on road signs – this indicates a ‘holiday route’ which is usually a less crowded and more scenic alternative.

AVOID ALCOHOL

The maximum legal blood alcohol level for drivers in France is 0.05 per cent - which is less than the 0.08 per cent limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. If your blood alcohol level is higher than 0.08 per cent you could be fined up to €4,500 or even face a prison sentence of two years. So, you may want to steer clear of alcohol completely if you know you will be driving, to be on the safe side.

SIXT’s resident travel expert Jamie Holt, Operations Director says: “When it comes to car getting the best prices, the further ahead of your trip you book, the cheaper the price is likely to be - and, just as importantly, the greater the chance of getting the car you want. It’s useful to know that if you are looking to rent a car for five or more days you might find that a weekly rate is cheaper. Booking via the SIXT app can also get you a better rate and company newsletters are always great to sign up to for news on deals and promotions.”

Visit www.sixt.co.uk for more information and to book your car rental now.

TYPES OF ROADS

Blue sign marked with an A: Highway/Motorway
Green sign marked with an N: National highway
Yellow sign marked with a D: Departmental route
White sign: Town

SPEED LIMITS

Within city limits: 50 km/hr (30 mph)
2-3 lane rural roads: 80 km/hr (50 mph)
4 lane expressways (rural): 110 km/hr (68 mph)
Motorway: 130 km/hr (80 mph)

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

Police: 117 (from a mobile phone) / 17 (from a fixed line)
Fire: 118 (from a mobile phone) / 18 (from a fixed line)
Ambulance: 115 (from a mobile phone) / 15 (from a fixed line)

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