First Time Driving in France from the UK - Complete Guide 2026

Driving in France for the first time is straightforward once you know the key differences. The biggest adjustment is driving on the right. Beyond that, there are a handful of rules, equipment requirements, and conventions that differ from the UK. Here is everything you need to know.

Before you go — the essentials

Documents to carry

• Full valid UK photocard driving licence — check the expiry date
• Passport — required for border crossings post-Brexit
• V5C vehicle registration document — must match the vehicle you are driving
• Motor insurance certificate — confirm it covers driving in France
• MOT certificate — if your vehicle is over 3 years old

Equipment required by law

• Hi-vis jacket — one per person in the vehicle, kept inside the car (not in the boot)
• Warning triangle — to place behind your vehicle in a breakdown
• Headlamp beam deflectors — UK headlamps dip to the left, which dazzles oncoming traffic in France. Stick-on deflectors cost a few pounds, or check if your car has a menu setting to adjust beam direction
• Crit’Air sticker — required if driving in any French city with a ZFE zone. Check your category

Strongly recommended

• European breakdown cover — your UK cover almost certainly does not include France
• GHIC card — the UK Global Health Insurance Card, free from the NHS, covers emergency treatment
• Travel insurance — covers everything the GHIC does not
• Spare bulb kit — technically required if your car uses replaceable bulbs

Driving on the right

This is the single biggest adjustment. A few tips from experienced cross-Channel drivers:

1. Concentrate at junctions — this is where mistakes happen. Look right, then left (opposite to the UK)
2. Roundabouts go anti-clockwise — give way to traffic already on the roundabout (coming from your left)
3. Car parks and petrol stations — when pulling out, your instinct will be to turn left into the left lane. Fight it
4. Motorways are easy — once you are on a motorway, driving on the right feels natural within minutes
5. After a break — the most dangerous moment is pulling out of a rest stop or car park after a coffee. Remind yourself: keep right

Overtaking

Overtake on the left (opposite to the UK). On motorways this is natural. On single-carriageway roads, be extra cautious — your driving position on the right side of a UK car gives you poor visibility for overtaking.

French road rules that catch UK drivers out

Priority from the right (priorité à droite)

On roads without priority signs, traffic coming from the right has right of way — even from a tiny side road. This rule catches almost every UK driver the first time. In towns and residential areas, always be ready to give way to the right.

Look for the yellow diamond sign — when you see it, you have priority. When you see a diamond with a black line through it, priority from the right applies again.

Speed limits

Road type	Dry	Rain
Motorway (autoroute)	130 km/h	110 km/h
Dual carriageway	110 km/h	100 km/h
Single carriageway	80 km/h	80 km/h
Built-up area	50 km/h	50 km/h

These are in km/h. Your speedometer likely shows both mph and km/h — use the inner ring. If in doubt, 80 km/h is approximately 50 mph, and 130 km/h is approximately 80 mph.

Drink driving

The French limit is 0.5mg/ml blood alcohol — lower than England and Wales (0.8mg/ml). In practice, this means even one pint could put you over the limit. The safest approach is zero alcohol if you are driving.

Radar detectors and speed camera alerts

Radar detectors are illegal in France. Fine: up to €1,500 and confiscation of the device. Speed camera alert functions on sat navs are also illegal — switch them off or enable “danger zone” mode instead of specific camera locations.

Tolls (péages)

Most French motorways are toll roads. You take a ticket at the entry point and pay when you exit. Payment methods:

• Credit/debit card — accepted at most booths. Use the lanes marked with a card symbol
• Cash — accepted at staffed booths and coin lanes
• Télépéage (electronic tag) — if you have a Liber-t transponder, use the dedicated “t” lanes

Typical toll costs: Calais to Paris is approximately €20–25. Calais to Lyon is approximately €55–65. Calais to the south of France can be €80–100+.

Crit’Air stickers — do you need one?

If your route takes you into or through any French city with more than 150,000 people, you need a Crit’Air sticker. The major cities with active ZFE zones include Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Nice, Grenoble, and Lille.

Even if you plan to bypass cities on the motorway, we recommend getting a sticker. It costs a few pounds, is valid for the lifetime of your vehicle, and gives you the flexibility to change plans without worrying.

Check your vehicle’s Crit’Air category →

Emergency information

• European emergency number: 112 (works everywhere in France)
• Police: 17
• Fire: 18
• Ambulance: 15
• Roadside assistance: depends on your provider — save their French number before you travel

If you break down on a motorway, pull over to the hard shoulder, put on your hi-vis jacket, place your warning triangle 50+ metres behind the vehicle, and wait behind the barrier if possible. Use the orange emergency phones (every 2km on motorways) or call your breakdown provider.