- Vehicles under 3.5 T
- How do I pay French toll roads?
- Vehicle categories for French vignette
- Ecological vignette France
- Fine for French toll roads
- How can I avoid the French motorway tolls?
- Tolls tunnels and bridges France
- French motorway tax and toll device for vehicles over 3.5 T
- Vehicle categories
- Fine for French vignette
Vehicles under 3.5 T
In France, there is no vignette system for road taxes. The French authorities have imposed the French motorway tolls, for the collection of tolls for the transit of the country. In addition, there is also an ecological vignette that classifies the vehicles according to the degree of pollution.
Tolls in France are paid at the toll stations at the exit from the highway section traveled, and the amount depends on where you entered the highway.
All French motorways are tolled, and there are many of them. Along them, you will find free parking lots, gas stations and mini-restaurants. However, it is important to note that these facilities do not operate around the clock. If you are planning your trip and driving mostly at night, it is essential to take into account the reduced hours of gas stations and restaurants on the highways.
Also in France, there is a surcharge for using motorways and roads on weekends and during certain time slots, information which is often displayed along the motorway.
How do I pay French toll roads?
Whether you have a car or a truck and need to pay the French vignette (French toll roads), you will pay at the toll booths at the motorway exit.
In France, it is not possible to pay the France motorway toll online, but you can pay at toll stations in various ways:
- Cash: You can pay the fee in euros, dollars, pounds or Swiss francs.
- Card: Payments are accepted with CB, Visa, Eurocard, Mastercard or Cofinoga cards.
- The Télépéage Liber-t system: For a faster and automated option, you can install the Télépéage Liber-t device on the car and you will pay the toll passing through the special toll lane, at a maximum speed of 30 km/h.
These toll stations are located at the motorway exit and the amount of the toll will depend on where you entered the motorway, your vehicle category and the distance travelled. To find the exact locations of toll stations, you can consult the full toll roads France map available on the website of the French toll authorities.
Vehicle categories for French vignette
The categories of vehicles related to cars under 3.5 T to pay the France motorway tax (French vignette) are:
- Class 1 – This class includes vehicles with a maximum total height of 2 meters, including and with a MTMA (maximum authorized mass) less than or equal to 3.5 tonnes. This class also includes rolling units with a maximum total height of 2 meters and with the MTMA of the tractor vehicle less than or equal to 3.5 tons.
- Class 2 – Vehicles in this class have an overall height between 2 and 3 meters inclusive, and MTMA less than or equal to 3.5 tonnes. Undercarriages with an overall height between 2 and 3 meters and MTMA of the towing vehicle less than or equal to 3.5 tonnes also fall into this class.
- Class 5 – Class 5 includes motorcycles, motorcycles with attachments and tricycles.
Ecological vignette France
France has introduced the ecological vignette as a measure for classifying motor vehicles in their pollution stage. This vignette must be applied to the right side of the windshield, either top or bottom.
Currently, the obligation of this ecological vignette is implemented in Paris, but it is aimed to extend this measure to other large French cities.
The green dot is intended for electric cars, while the other vehicles are framed in a palette of colors according to their degree of pollution, as attested in the car’s license plate. Vehicles manufactured before 1997 are not eligible to receive these dots.
The ecological vignette is issued free of charge within 14 days and has unlimited validity for the vehicle for which it was purchased. Each ecological vignette is specific to a registration number.
To buy online this ecological vignette in France, you can access this link.
Fine for French toll roads
If you drive on French motorways without paying the French toll roads (French vignette), you risk a €750 fine. It is important to be aware of these rules and purchase the vignette or pay the appropriate fee at the motorway exit toll booths. Thus, you will avoid fines or other inconveniences.
How can I avoid the French motorway tolls?
In order to avoid the toll roads and to travel at a lower speed, you have the option of choosing the express highways in France.
These expressways have a speed limit of 80 km/h, which may be suitable for certain journeys or preferences. To find optimal routes in France and plan trips without using toll roads, you can go to the autoroutes.fr website.
Tolls tunnels and bridges France
In addition to the France motorway toll, you will also have to pay a number of tolls for bridges and tunnels in France, if you cross them, these are not included in the price of the French vignette.
| Tunnels and bridges | Motorcycles | Vehicles under 3.5 t category 1 | Vehicles under 3.5 t category 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puymorens Tunnel | 4.20 EUR | 6.90 EUR | 14.30 EUR | |
| Maurice-Lemaire Tunnel | 3.70 EUR | 6.10 EUR | 9.60 EUR | |
| Normandy Bridge | 0.00 EUR | 5.50 EUR | 6.40 EUR | |
| Tancarville Bridge | 0.00 EUR | 2.60 EUR | 3.20 EUR | |
| Millau Viaduct | 5.30 EUR | 10.80 EUR | 16.10 EUR | |
| Millau Viaduct | 5.30 EUR | 8.60 EUR | 12.90 EUR | |
| Tunnel du Frejus one way | 31 EUR | 46 EUR | 61 EUR | |
| Tunnel du Frejus 2 way | 39 EUR | 58 EUR | 77 EUR | |
| Mont Blanc Tunnel one way | 31 EUR | 46 EUR | 61 EUR | |
| Mont Blanc Tunnel 2 way | 39 EUR | 58 EUR | 77 EUR | |
| Prado Carenage Tunnel | 2.80 EUR | 2.80 EUR | 2.80 EUR |
French motorway tax and toll device for vehicles over 3.5 T
If you are a transporter, you have two options to pay the toll pass France for trucks. The first option is to pay in cash or by card at the toll booths at the highway exit. The rate will be based on the class 4 of the truck and the distance traveled.
Instead, another simpler option is to install the Télépéage Liber-t device on the car. With this device, you will be able to pay the toll automatically by passing through the dedicated toll lane with the Télépéage Liber-t system, at a maximum speed of 30 km/h.
This second option will help you save time and avoid queues at toll stations, as payments will be made automatically and quickly, without the need to stop at each toll station. Thus, you can benefit from a more efficient and delay-free journey on the French highways.
Vehicle categories
Vehicle categories determine the amount for the France motorway toll(French vignette). The classes established by the French authorities for vehicles over 3.5 T are:
- Class 3 – This class includes vehicles with 2 axles, having an overall height of more than 3 meters or with an maximum authorized wight of more than 3.5 tonnes.
- Class 4 – Class 4 includes vehicles with more than 2 axles, with a total height of at least 3 meters or with an maximum authorized wight greater than 3.5 tons. Also, rolling stock with an overall height of at least 3 meters and rolling stock having an maximum authorized wight of more than 3.5 tonnes are included in this class.
Fine for French vignette
If you drive on the motorways in France without paying the appropriate toll, you risk a fine of €750. It is important to be aware of these rules and purchase the vignette or pay the appropriate fee at the motorway exit toll booths. Thus, you will avoid fines or other inconveniences.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes. If you drove without a vignette and were recorded by the inspection cameras, you have a very high chance of receiving the fine at home. But in some countries, you may have the misfortune of being stopped to pay the fine on the spot. Generally, the fine is a few hundred euros, but it varies from country to country.
Vignettes in any country can be purchased at gas stations or specially dedicated points. In recent years, most European countries also allow the purchase of the vignette online. In the Toll Shop app you have step-by-step information for purchasing the vignette in all European countries and the possibility to buy online for some of them.
Most countries in Europe allow this. They have developed their own online payment methods, and for many of them you have access to purchase the vignette directly from the Toll Shop. To find out exactly how you can purchase your vignette for each country, visit the free Toll Shop app, you have all the information in one place.
There is no such option. If you have purchased a vignette, it remains valid until the end of the selected period. Be very careful when entering the data so as not to make a mistake, because once purchased, you cannot get the money back.
No matter how many countries you transit through, you must purchase a vignette for each country. It is important to make sure it is valid upon entering that country to avoid fines.
No, you do not need to print any physical sheet if you purchased the vignette online. You just need to make sure that the online payment has been processed and that the vignette is within the validity period.
Yes, whether it's personal or company data, your data is kept safe in the app.
Yes. Whether you have several personal cars or own a car fleet, you can register as many vehicles as you have to purchase a vignette in any country available in the app.
Yes. After purchasing the vignette, you will receive the invoice both by email and in the application.
The vignette is checked by the video cameras installed on the roads that require the payment of the toll. After the check, you will receive the fine at home. In other countries, you may be stopped to pay it on the spot.
Yes, absolutely. Most countries require vignettes for motorcycles as well, so you will be able to purchase either online (for example through Toll Shop) or physically in the country for which you need the vignette.
Categorical. You can have several vignettes active at the same time, for each country you transit. The most important thing is to buy the vignette before entering each country to make sure you don't risk fines. With the help of Toll Shop, you can simultaneously buy several vignettes in Europe, for the same vehicle or for several.
In many European countries, in addition to the vignette, you will also have to pay tolls for bridges or tunnels. You can find all the information in the Toll Shop app.
The validity of the purchased vignette, regardless of the country and regardless of whether you purchase it physically or online, starts from the selected day until the last day of the selected period. You can choose to have the vignette for your car valid from today, without any delays.
After the vignette expires, you must purchase the vignette again for the desired period. You can always check its status in the application or select the option to be informed by email when it is about to expire.
The validity of the vignette differs from country to country. Each country sets the validity periods, such as 1 day, weekend vignette, 7 days, 10 days, one or three months and other periods up to one year at most.
