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Heading out to the Alps this summer but driving this time and have always flown in the past.
Any recommendations for which company to use for a toll tag please?
Also do we really need to do anything with the lights?
Not planning on driving in the dark.
I went with Emovis last year and it was absolutely trouble free.
Lights. Just do it right. Its either stickers and a 5 minute job if you're in an old car, or flicking a lever on the unit of a newer car, or possibly even through the dash if you're really fancy. No reason not to. (you might not be "planning" to drive in the dark, but equally that means if you need to, you'll probably *really* need to. Also some of the superheavy rain storms in mid-france can be terrifying and near dark conditions for the 5 minutes you get caught in one. Its also one less thing for the Gendarmes to pick you up on if you get stopped for whatever reason)
Emovis for me. Used it for the first time last year and it was perfect.
It's very, very nerve wracking rolling up to the barriers for the first time hoping that it works. After a few days I was seeing just how fast I could roll up and slide through without hitting the brakes.
Are you in a modern car? I can switch the headlights over from the head unit. No more faffing with stickers.
If you have LED or even xenon lights then you really should be adjusting them properly regardless of whether you think you will be driving in the dark or not imho
I've been using an Emovis tag for years now, and it's been great.
Goes off to check if I have a lever to flick on my headlights, so I don't have to mess about wth stickers.....
Mmmm.
I have an up and down dial for the lights on the dash and a quick google seems to suggest that just pointing them down using the dial is enough.
Might just buy the stickers as it's obvious for the Gendarmes to see and one less reason to stop me.
Owt else i need to know?
Been about 20 years since I last drove my own vehicle in Europe.
They drive on the right 😀
Check your car manufacturer advice.. I didn't need headlight stickers because of some clever beam pattern from the headlight.. just didn't need 'em
GB sticker?
European breakdown
breathalyser
Hi Viz in cabin, reachable without getting out the car
I borrowed a toll tag and it was ace.. can't remember which company though.
Service stations are fantastic on the whole
I found the toll roads really quiet and easy to drive.
You don't need a breathalyser any more, think with regards hi-viz you need one for everyone in the car. Either way we bought a family pack from Halfords for about £10 and just keep it in the draw under the passenger seat.
Depending on your route and if stopping on the way you need a crit air sticker for certain cities
You're also not allowed radar detectors etc. I use Google maps navigation and it just stops displaying speed camera locations when in France.
Info here
https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/driving-abroad/92245/driving-in-france-top-tips
We use the Emovis one. Have for years. In Italy at the moment and it makes you realise how much of a faff it is having to pay at the tolls instead of using the 30kph lanes the French have
We drive through the night to get more time on the trails and just put the light adjuster on its lowest setting
Another +1 for Emovis.
WRT lights, Passat had a setting to switch the beam from left hand traffic to right hand, A4 with fancy adaptive lights apparent does it automatically.
GB sticker?
UK sticker nowadays. Although if you're driving a Range Rover that doesn't seem to matter...
We had UK stickers on our camper. Most of the Europeans thought we were from the Ukraine
They faded and peeled off so now have the old ones on with EU flag that were underneath. Suprizingly the locals seem more friendly than when we had the UK ones on.
You're also not allowed radar detectors etc. I use Google maps navigation and it just stops displaying speed camera locations when in France.
simple rule of thumb, if you see a speed camera sign, there WILL be a camera shortly afterwards.
So I’m a splitter. https://www.atmb.com voyager Looked best value and it’s been done for a few years now. It’s €1.90 plus tolls only for the months you use it. Setup was about €15 euro bit looks like you just pay postage at the moment.
the only problem is the lack of English language site. I think I ended up completing it in French but referring to a translation in another browser
You should get a https://www.france.fr/en/article/crit-air-anti-pollution-vehicle-sticker/ as some autoroutes are in the zones. At some point it’s going to be camera enforced
The tags are handy if you are driving alone or your passenger is asleep, but I've never found them to make much time difference. As for headlights, LEDs might not need deflectors so check your manual. If you need them, eurolites work well enough.
Living in France we use a BipnGo toll tag, works brilliantly, English language section of the website and you only pay for the month you use it (plus the tolls obv.....) There's also a phone app you can use to track how much you owe.
Has anyone had experience of using any of the 'Péage en Flux Libre' – meaning there are no toll booths or barriers.
It seems to be reliant on picking up your toll badge but you seem to have no way of knowing if the tollbadge has worked and whether all is good and that the charge will automatically be paid. Btw, we've got a Fulli badge... works fine.
UK Sticker on one side and an Ecosse on the other 🙂
Breakdown-wise, make sure you pay a bit extra to ensure that you're covered to bring you vehicle back in the event of an accident - AA, RAC etc.
In all my years of driving in France I've never bothered with a Toll Tag, not even when I was running 'solo' - just stop and swipe with my CC.
I borrowed a toll tag and it was ace.. can't remember which company though.
It was mine, from Fulli as linked above. I put stickers on lights as above but got one dodgy set from the local thrift group, one of the stickers had fallen off by the time we were halfway to out destination. If you're going to use them, get name brand ones from a reputable shop rather than something a third of the price off eBay
Eurolites stickers if you are in an older car, hi vis for all, bulbs (not a legal requirement, but saves police faff if one goes), UK sticker, insurance/breakdown and I have not bothered with a toll-tag as have always had a passenger. Don't speed.
Crit Air sticker too. Get that in advance. It's quite quick (within a week iirc?) but give it a bit longer to be sure.
Are the tags, tied to a car, or can you amend the registration easily enough?
Are the tags, tied to a car, or can you amend the registration easily enough?
If you're in France then you just need the tag, registration doesn't really matter - I think it's Italian motorways that use ANPR, but I may be mistaken, I've never used mine outside of France. Having said that it's easy enough to change the reg on the Fulli app
I have an Emovis tag and swap it between cars as there's no link with that Company. I've had a tag for ~20 years and it's much easier than paying at the booth. When it's busy, you get through quicker and when it's quieter, you get through almost without stopping and disturbing the passenger/co-driver.
You get a discount if you buy through the Channel Tunnel site.
But his begs the question relating to the post earlier. If you drive on a section of autoroute which is 'Péage en Flux Libre' – meaning there are no toll booths or barriers... . they have to capture details of drivers/cars who aren't registered for a tollbadge so they can recover the payment. So, I'm presuming they must use ANPR for those stretches (some of the A13 I believe).
Also check the wording of your insurance - some only offer 3rd party in europe even with fully comp in the uk.
On my emovis tag, it beeps when it's detected the toll booth/barrier. The nerve wracking waiting for the beep the first time of approaching the gate.
Another +1 for Bip nGo, been using it for the last four years in France, the App is very good as well for keeping a track, planning and costing, invoices etc.
If you drive on a section of autoroute which is 'Péage en Flux Libre' – meaning there are no toll booths or barriers... . they have to capture details of drivers/cars who aren't registered for a tollbadge so they can recover the payment
I'd imagine so. but this page indicates that they'll use your tag if you have one, but if not you can register your number plate and pay online
https://www.autoroutes.sanef.com/en/free-flow/payment-solutions
I'd imagine so. but this page indicates that they'll use your tag if you have one
This is what happens (happened?) in Portugal - tag reader on a gantry for most people, ANPR for non-Portuguese registered cars.
Emovis, never had any problems. But they did do a Euro to £ conversion wrong once, so worth checking that. ( A mate borrowed it. I wouldn't have noticed)
And be aware, French motorway speed cameras don't catch up with UK motorists but the Gendarmes do..
Also, to those people just tilting/levelling lights.. If you are topped up with people, kit and 4 bikes hanging off the back of the car, your lights will probably still dazzle oncoming traffic if the lights aren't adjusted to point in the correct direction..
Emovis, never had any problems. But they did do a Euro to £ conversion wrong once
Fulli require you to have a euro bank account, for which I use Starling bank which allows me to have both GBP and EURO accounts
Emovis, never had any problems. But they did do a Euro to £ conversion wrong once
Fulli require you to have a euro bank account, for which I use Starling bank which allows me to have both GBP and EURO accounts
I use my Amex card, although, yes, I do seem to remember that payment options were limited.
As for anything else I need to know:
Drive like a French person (not a UK-er), overtake and pull back in, if you don't just expect to be tailgated, it's not aggressive, just the norm. Enjoy the peage roads, they are amazing compared to UK motorways. Pick a services with multiple options on the sign as then it'll be better facilities than the picnic and toilet only stops.
Remember that France is BIG, getting from the tunnel to halfway to the alps is a lot of driving in my experience.
Enjoy it, I wish it was like France in the UK more, I love driving in France, well except for close to Paris.
I also love driving in France while I actively avoid it over here. Travelling in the UK is like being squeezed through a tube.
I'll be going overnight again to Morzine this year. I can't wait.
getting from the tunnel to halfway to the alps is a lot of driving in my experience.
We once drove non stop from The Midlands to the very bottom bit of Poland so on that scale it's not that far. 😎
Going from Newcastle too. I really can't be doing with driving from Scotland to the south of England.
Just got my fulli tag through the post, i won't need it for a couple of months.
First obvious question, i am assuming like any device a proportion are DOA? So i guess go for a gate with a bar and wait for it to rise?
Beyond that, do they give a beep when you drive through a non barred gate? My only experience of tags so far is driving from Faro into the southern Portuguese hills.
So i guess go for a gate with a bar and wait for it to rise?
Something like that yes - first toll was a slightly nervous affair as they don't really do anything to tell you they're alive until the beep at the barrier. As far as I remember you could go through barriers that also had a credit card kiosk which is what we did first time.