Here’s what you’ll need to keep in your vehicle.
A warning triangle
In the event of a breakdown or accident, you must be able to alert approaching traffic. Drivers are expected to position a warning triangle on the road surface at least 30m from the vehicle in the direction of oncoming traffic as soon as possible.
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As a general rule, the fixed fine for not having a triangle is €135. If payment is made within 3 days, the fine may be reduced to €90.
High-visibility safety vest
For personal safety. There should be at least one high visibility safety vest in every car. Families are advised to have enough vests so that every occupant can put one on in the event of a breakdown or accident that requires them to leave the vehicle.
Be aware that, if you are stopped by police, they may check to ensure you have the appropriate safety equipment to hand in your vehicle - in fact some people drape the 'yellow vest' over the passenger seat so it can clearly be seen.
If you weren't aware of these requirements, the good news is that packs containing the vest/triangle are routinely available in supermarkets in France, as well as at UK ferry ports. They can be stored in the boot of your car easily.
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As with the triangle, you can be fined for not having the vest.
Winter driving laws
Between November 1st and March 31st every year, drivers in certain mountainous regions of France are required to either have winter, all-weather, or studded tyres fitted; or carry snow chains or snow socks for their tyres.
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Driving documents
You may be asked to produce your driving licence or vehicle registration documents by a police officer or gendarme at any time. If you’re on your daily commute and don’t have them with you, it’s not usually much of a problem – but you will be asked to take them to a police station as soon as possible.
If, however, you are on holiday and far from home, be sure to have them with you, just in case. This will make your life much easier.
French-registered vehicles used to have a little green paper tab on the windscreen, showing their insurance details. The paper versions of these have been phased out, and now police can check you are insured by keying your vehicle registration number into the national database.
What you definitely don’t need
More than a decade ago, France introduced laws that made it a legal requirement for motorists to carry a breathalyser in their vehicles – but then promptly cut the fine for not having one from €11 to zero.
That meant drivers in France would not be punished when stopped by police but simply be ‘reminded of the law’.
As a result, it was pretty much ignored, and was finally taken off the statutes in early 2020 - although that didn't stop some businesses targeting tourists in France and claiming that they still needed to buy a breathalyser.
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National sticker
If you are a visitor to France driving a foreign-registered car, you will also need a sticker denoting your car's country of original, via its agreed two-letter code eg IT, DK, ES. You can buy these at ports or service stations, or specialist car shops.
If your vehicle's registration plate displays the two-letter code, there is no requirement for a separate sticker.
The British government recently changed its code from GB to UK, so you should now have a sticker saying UK - although we've yet to hear of any French police officers enforcing this rule (although some British drivers report being approached by French people offering them support and solidarity over their country's invasion by Russia, assuming that the UK denotes Ukraine).
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