Looking for renting a car in Paris tips? Nervous about driving in a foreign country? There’s no need. Simply read on to learn all about renting and driving in France and discover our best car rental in France tips in preparation for your upcoming road trip!
COMPARISON OF FRANCE’S RENTAL CARS
Compared to other countries…
- You must be at least 18 years old to operate a vehicle in France
- You must obtain an International Driving Permit
- Should you only hold a U.S driver’s license, you must carry a translated French copy with you
- You must always carry your driver’s license on you
“A” roads, such as A71, are motorways, or Autoroutes
“N” roads are the National roads
“D” roads are departmental roads
Highway : 130 km/h, if raining 110 km/h (80 mph, 70 mph)
Dual carriageway : 110 km/h, if raining 100 km/h (70 mph, 60 mph)
Open road : 90 km/h, if raining 80 km/h (55 mph, 50 mph)
Town : 50 km/h (30 mph)
CAR HIRE IN FRANCE – DRIVING LAWS
Before you rent a car in France, here are some basic rules of the road in this country.
- Drivers can be fined 135€ if anyone in their car is not buckled
- No driver can use headphones or headsets while driving
- Children must be buckled in a booster seat (ages 10 and under)
- Blood alcohol level tolerance is lower in France than in other countries
- Motorcycle drivers and passengers must wear helmets and carry reflective jackets
CAR RENTAL IN FRANCE TIPS AND COMPANIES
Which companies are best to use when renting a car in France? Scroll down…
Photo credit: dailymail.co.uk
Avis
Europcar
Hertz
Enterprise
Auto Europe or Europe by Car: Agencies that offer comparisons of different rental companies.
These companies offer rental cars throughout all of France, so should you desire a car hire in the south of France you can pick up one there with these trusted companies as well!
CHEAP CAR TO FRANCE
If rental cars in and around France are a bit out of your budget, we also recommend a service called Bla Bla car! This service can be found on their app, where you can select other drivers to share city-to-city journeys with. If you are not comfortable with this kind of unique service, here are some other tips to be aware of when renting a car in France in regards to additional costs.
- Be sure to rent your car in advance! If you wait until the last minute, prices will have risen drastically.
- Take photos of your car (with the date attached to the photo) when you pick it up! Should there be any scratches or dents, you do not want to be charged with this at the end of your vacation.
- Know which kind of gas your rental car takes! Diesel or gasoline are the two options, and diesel is more economical.
- Also know if your car has a stick shift or is manual! Should you require manual drive, be sure to check your reservation to make sure you properly reserved your rental car.
- Return your rental car ON TIME and RE-FUELED! If you return your rental car late or without filling up the gas tank you could be charged for a whole extra day and more for the gas.
- Know your driving routes! If your journey includes motorways and tolls, expect added expenses that must be paid at each toll. If you will be driving around France a lot, we recommend purchasing a Liber-t tag which will allow you to charge your credit car at every toll as opposed to stopping and paying in cash or swiping your credit card at each toll.
If you want to calculate the cost of the toll charges for a particular journey, click here.
RENTING A CAR IN PARIS TIPS AND APPS TO ENHANCE YOUR JOURNEY
We also recommend downloading a number of applications on either your personal device or INSIDR smartphone to make the journey in your rental car a whole lot easier. Listed below are the best navigation apps to download.
Waze (to navigate around the traffic in France)
Essence Free (to navigate petrol stations in France)
Parkopedia (to find parking in France)
ChargeMap (to find re-charge stations when driving electric cars in France)