Rules of the road
Driving in France
Every value below links to the official source it was checked against, with the date it was checked. What is not verified yet says so.
Which side of the road
Which side you overtake on
Left
Overtaking on the right is only for passing a vehicle turning left, or trams.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
Speed limits
Speed limit on the motorway
130 km/h
110 in rain. Lower limits are signed in tunnels and roadworks.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
Speed limit on country roads
80 km/h
Departments may sign 90 on some roads. Sections with two lanes in the same direction are 90 on those lanes.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
Speed limit in towns and cities
50 km/h
Can be raised to 70 where signed. The Paris ring road is 70. Many city centres are signed lower.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
Speed limit in rain or snow
- Motorway — 110 km/h
- Dual carriageway — 100 km/h
Applies when rain or other precipitation is falling.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
Speed limit for drivers who passed their test recently
- Motorway — 110 km/h
- Dual carriageway — 100 km/h
- Country roads — 80 km/h
For the probationary period: 3 years after the test, or 2 with accompanied driving. Applies whatever the weather.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
Alcohol
Alcohol limit for drivers who passed their test recently
0.2 g/l
For the whole probationary period. In practice this means do not drink at all.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
Your licence and age
Youngest age you may drive
17 years
Lowered from 18 in January 2024. Under-18s may not drive outside France.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
Whether you need an International Driving Permit
Depends on where your licence is from
EU and EEA licences are accepted as they are. Other licences must be in French or carried with an official translation or an International Driving Permit.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
What you must carry in the car
What you must carry in the car
- Warning triangle
- High-visibility vest
The vest must be within reach and worn if you leave a broken-down car on the road. Missing either is a 135 euro fine.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
Phones at the wheel
Hands-free phone calls
Allowed, with restrictions
Earpieces, earphones and headsets are all banned while driving. Only systems built into the car are allowed.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
Who goes first
Turning at a red light
Not allowed
A complete stop is required at every red light. Cyclist exceptions are signed.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
Who has priority at a roundabout
Depends on the signs
Almost all roundabouts have give-way signs, so traffic already on the circle has priority. On the rare unsigned ones, entering traffic from the right has priority instead — Place de l'Étoile in Paris works this way.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
Priority to traffic coming from the right
Yes — traffic from the right goes first at unmarked junctions
At an unmarked intersection, traffic from the right has priority. This catches out visitors — a car pulling out from a small road on the right may have the right of way.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
Seatbelts and children
Age below which a child needs a child seat
10 years
A child under 10 must use a restraint suited to their size and weight.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
Youngest age a child may sit in the front
10 years
Exceptions: a rear-facing baby seat with the airbag off, no back seats, no rear seatbelts, or the back full of other under-10s.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
Parking
What happens if you park wrongly
- A fine
- Towing
Obstructive parking can mean immobilisation and the pound, not just a fine.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
Winter driving
Winter tyres
Required where signs say so
In 34 mountain departments from 1 November to 31 March, marked zones require either four winter tyres (3PMSF marking) or snow chains on board. Zones are signed at their entrance.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
Snow chains
Required where signs say so
Chains on the drive wheels satisfy the mountain-zone rule if you do not have winter tyres. A specific sign can make chains compulsory on a given road.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
Tolls and city charges
How you pay for motorways
- Toll booths
- Electronic tolls with no barriers
Most motorways are tolled. Newer free-flow sections (A13, A14, A79) have no barriers — pay online or at a tobacconist within 72 hours, or fines follow the number plate.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
If something goes wrong
Emergency number
112
Direct lines also work: 15 medical, 17 police, 18 fire.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
Fines
Whether police can fine you on the spot
Yes — visitors must pay at the roadside
A driver who does not live in France must generally pay the fixed fine or a deposit immediately, and the car can be held until it is paid.
Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source
Not yet verified for France
These rules exist, but no value has been checked against an official source yet. Missing beats wrong.
- Speed limit in living and residential zones
- Speed limit when towing a trailer or caravan
- Alcohol limit for professional drivers
- Youngest age you may rent a car
- How long you may drive on your own licence
- What you should carry, but do not have to
- When you must switch your headlights on
- Headlights in tunnels
- Height below which a child needs a child seat
- What the lines and painted kerbs mean
- How you pay to park
- Parking on the pavement
- Parking facing against the traffic
- How far you must park from a junction or crossing
- Low-emission zones
- Congestion charges