Car rental in France - Touring the country in style

Although the minimum age for renting a car in France is 18, age requirements can vary depending on which rental company you have chosen for your car hire in France. Some rental companies have specific requirements for drivers under 21 or up to the age of 26, while an additional fee known as a Young Driver Surcharge may be applied to drivers in this age group. But it's not just young drivers who need to be aware of possible age limits and associated fees because some vehicle suppliers may apply a maximum age limit or an extra fee called a Senior Driver Surcharge to older drivers. Both young and senior driver fees can be relatively high in France, so it's advisable to check the prices of these fees with our different partner rental companies and select the one that has the best offer, not only for car hire but also for the aforementioned young/senior driver surcharge.

To find out if the local rental company applies a young or senior driver surcharge, simply click on the blue and white info (i) button next to each of the offers that come up after doing a quick search through the Auto Europe booking engine. After that, you simply need to scroll down to Driver Information section where you find the respective details. Furthermore, it is extremely important that you enter the age of the main driver when making a search in order to help us provide the most accurate information possible relating to your booking. Please note that any young/senior driver surcharges must be paid to the local supplier when you arrive to collect your car rental. If you have any doubts at all regarding any age restrictions or extra charges that might apply to your booking, please contact our rental specialists and they will provide you with all the info you need for a successful trip.

Yes! One of the advantages of booking your car hire in France with Auto Europe is having the chance to pick up your vehicle in one place (such as Paris) and drop if somewhere (ie Marseille) with one of our popular one-way car rental offers, which is normally subject to an additional fee. This fee might be included in the published rate, otherwise the driver will need to pay it directly to the local rental company when they arrive to collect their vehicle. A domestic one-way car hire (in other words, when the pick-up and drop-off points are both located in the same country) is significantly cheaper with fewer restrictions generally applying than an international one-way hire (this is when the pick-up and drop-off desks are located in different countries). Please consult our dedicated page on this subject for more information on one-way hire with Auto Europe.

To find out the amount of any one-way fee that might apply to your booking, all you have to do is key in your chosen pick-up and drop-off locations when making a quick search in the Auto Europe booking engine, after which a selection of suppliers will appear, all of which will be offering one-way car rentals for your preferred dates. It's important to note that each hire company determines its rates independently, so the rules will vary from supplier to supplier, which means that some may charge higher one-way rates than others, while you might also find a supplier that doesn't apply any fee at all. Therefore it is well worth comparing the prices and conditions when booking an affordable car hire in France with Auto Europe in order to find the best deal for your trip. Please also bear in mind the fact that Auto Europe does not benefit in any way from any one-way fee that might be added to the total rate of your car rental by the local vehicle supplier, although we consider it very important to inform our customers of all the costs involved in order to help them make the best choice according to their travelling needs.

Additionally, it is also of the utmost importance to inform Auto Europe of your intentions to travel to other countries at the time of making your booking either online or by calling one of our award-winning rental specialists. This is the only way that we can confirm whether or not it will be possible for you to cross the border with the rental company you have selected at the time of booking. It's essential to check if there will be any travel restrictions relating to the rental company, country to be visited or category of vehicle being rented. For instance, some rental companies may not allow border crossings into neighbouring countries, plus it may not be possible to leave France with a luxury category rental car or to travel to some of the Eastern European countries. Furthermore, an additional fee may apply if the local supplier grants you permission to travel to other countries, bearing in mind that the rules and fees applied vary from company to company, so it is extremely important that you inform us of your travel plans and read the terms and conditions of your booking very carefully beforehand. You can find all the information about travelling to other countries and any fees that might be applied by clicking on the blue and white info (i) button in the car details after making a search in our booking engine.

Yes. The main driver (who's name will be clearly stated on the rental contract) will always be asked to present a valid credit card in his or her name when picking up their car rental in France. This is because the rental companies with whom we work (ie Avis, Hertz, Sixt, Alamo, Budget and Europcar, among many others) will need to block a security deposit for the duration of the rental which could be charged in the event of an accident or theft of the vehicle, for instance. The amount of this deposit will be promptly released once the vehicle is returned undamaged. Please note that if you decide to rent a luxury or sports car with one of our suppliers, then you may need to present not just one valid credit card in the main driver's name but two due to the high value of this type of high-powered vehicle. To find out which types of credit card are accepted by your chosen vehicle provider, all you have to do is click on the blue and white info (i) button where you'll see all he credit card related details in the Mandatory Deposit Information and Supplier Payment Policy Information sections, all of which is subject to the local supplier's payment policies. Please consult our dedicated credit card page for information about credit cards and security deposits when renting a car in France.

In France, drivers keep to the right, as in most other countries in Europe. Its is very important to respect the speed limits which, as a general rule, are 110-130kph on motorways, 80-90kph outside towns and cities and 50kph inside town and cities. In any case, wherever you are driving in France it is essential to pay attention to signposts indicating exceptions to the rule. These are the telephone numbers in case of emergency: 15 (emergency medical assistance), 17 (emergency police assistance) and 18 (emergency fire assistance). The European emergency number 112 is also operational in France. It's also very important to adhere to the fact that all drivers and passengers must wear their seat belts, even passengers sitting in the back of the vehicle. Driving and using a cell phone is absolutely forbidden, even with a hands-free device. Children under the age of 10 must sit in the back of the vehicle in special car seats or booster seats suitable for their age, size and weight (and duly approved by the French authorities). The use of dipped headlights is compulsory when visibility is poor (even during the day) and please note that drivers must never use their horn unless they are in some kind of immediate danger.

Before you set off on your great motoring adventure through France, please make sure that your rental car is equipped with a reflective vest and a hazard warning sign (triangle) to use in the event of an accident or breakdown during the trip. Be advised that vigilance is a high priority for the French government and as such, more than 2,000 speed cameras have been installed on the country's motorways, dual-carriageways and main roads, so you'll need to be very cautious when driving your low-cost car rental in France! Please also note that the maximum blood alcohol level in France is 0.05%, so if you're planning to drive a lot whilst visiting the country, it's best not to drink any alcohol at all (all drivers must have a disposable breathalyzer at all times in their vehicles when driving in France).

Yes. Most motorways in France are subject to tolls and the driver must collect their ticket at the entrance to the motorway and pay at the exit. A rough estimate is that the price of tolls in France is around €1 for every 10 kilometers, but this figure is expected to increase gradually as time goes by. This means that a trip between Paris and Bordeaux would cost around 55-60€ in tolls. Click here to calculate the price of tolls in France according to your itinerary.

In France you can pay the tolls by cash or card but it's important to be aware of the fact that there may be a specific lane or lanes for each type of payment, so you'll need to pay attention to the signs in order to find the right one. Alternatively, a device called Télépéage Liber-t is also available which allows drivers to use the motorways and other toll roads in France without having to stop the vehicle. All you need to do is pass travel along the specific toll lane for Télépéage Liber-t users, which is marked by the letter T. If you have any doubts, it's always best to ask your local car hire supplier any toll-related questions in order to find out what options there are for paying tolls in France when you arrive to collect your rental car.

When you decide to rent a car in France on the Auto Europe website, the standard rate always includes fire insurance, liability insurance, collision damage cover with excess (CDW) and theft protection with excess (TP). You can easily see what coverage is automatically included in the price simply by clicking on the blue and white info (i) button in the car details of all our offers. For further peace of mind, Auto Europe offers its clients a choice of excellent coverage policies such as our popular Full Damage Protection product which means you'll be able to make the most of your car rental in France without worrying about a thing.

It is also possible to purchase extra cover or all-risk insurance directly from the local car rental company, which are entirely optional because they are additional products so the customer is free to decide whether or not to buy them. Please note that once you accept them and sign the rental agreement, Auto Europe will no longer be able to dispute this charge on your behalf with the local vehicle provider, so we strongly recommend that our clients are absolutely sure of the extras they need and want to buy in order to know exactly what they are signing up for. Take the opportunity to learn more about this topic, which can be quite confusing and complex for less frequent travellers, by consulting our dedicated page about car rental coverage, where you'll find lots of useful information about what is included and what is extra.

Yes. It is perfectly possible to include an additional driver in your booking, which is certainly a good idea if you're travelling with family members or a group of friends and want to cover a lot of miles in France and perhaps visit one of the neighboring countries as well. Sharing the driving is a great way for everyone to enjoy road-trip in France even more. Please note that an additional driver fee is normally added to the booking which varies from company to company and is charged directly by the company (not Auto Europe) when you arrive to collect your vehicle.

To check the price of the additional driver's fee, all you have to is click on the blue and white info (i) button included in the car details after making a quick search through our booking engine. After which, you'll find all the details relating to the fee in the Driver Information section, plus the same information is included on the booking confirmation voucher sent to you by e-mail once the reservation has been confirmed.

You may be able to avoid this fee with Auto Europe's popular free additional driver offers. So the next time you are booking an affordable car hire in France, take a look at the offers available at the time of booking, because it's sometimes convenient to share the driving, especially if you're travelling further afield.

It's extremely important to note that any incident or accident will be totally excluded from the rental's collision damage coverage (CDW) and theft protection (TP) contract if a friend or family member drives the vehicle without proper authorization, which means that it is fundamental that all additional drivers are fully registered on the rental contract before embarking on their journey. Otherwise they will liable for the full amount of the damage caused in the event of a collision or theft of the car, so it's best to avoid that by taking advantage of Auto Europe's special offers at the time of booking, or alternatively you can pay the additional driver's fee locally.

Yes, depending on the places that you will be visiting. An environmental sticker (in French: certificat crit'air) policy was implemented on the 29th of June 2016 in many French cities, which now means that drivers wishing to enter traffic-restricted zones in the centre of some cities (such as Nice, Lyon, Marseille, Paris, Toulouse and Bordeaux) must display the sticker on the windscreen of their vehicle, whether it is owned or rented.

This environmental sticker identifies the level of air pollution caused by the vehicle, with six different categories for the most environmentally friendly down to the least environmentally friendly, with vehicle classified according to the year of the vehicle, type of fuel, etc. Failure to present the environmental sticker in the restricted zones will incur a fine of more than €100. Please note, there are two types of restricted zones in France, one permanent (in French, the ZCR - Zone à Circulation Restreinte) and the other temporary (in French, the ZPA - Zone de la Protection de l'Air).

The system was implemented by the French government with the aim of reducing emissions of polluting gases in areas where air quality is poor, mainly in large cities like Paris and Marseille. This means that certain categories of vehicles can be banned from entering these traffic-limited areas, according to the environmental sticker they have. The period of prohibition may be throughout the day or during specific hours when air pollution levels are at their highest. Always pay attention to the signs so that you can proceed accordingly and avoid any fines.

The sticker costs around 3-4 euros and can be purchased online at certificat-air.gouv.fr. As far as your car hire in France with Auto Europe is concerned, the local rental company will take care of purchasing the environmental sticker so you won't need to worry about buying this item during your stay in France. For more information on this subject, please do not hesitate to ask the car rental check-in staff when you arrive to collect your vehicle.

Drivers are not allowed to travel by ferry without Auto Europe's prior consent. If you want to discover the island of Corsica, for example, it's best to leave your vehicle on the mainland and rent a car directly on the island so that you can visit this beautiful place at your own pace and without any worries.