Families driving to south of France face £400 cost for tolls and green charges
Families face paying more than £400 in tolls and green charges alone when driving to the south of France – double the cost of flying.
Toll rates across the country’s expansive “péage” motorway system have risen by around 3pc this month, while Paris has agreed to triple parking fees for SUV drivers.
Twelve French cities are also encircled by low emission zones, with some banning diesel cars predating 2006 and petrol cars built before 1997.
The rising charges means a family of four who choose to drive to Nice could end up paying double the cost of a return flight just in toll roads and net zero levies, analysis suggests.
Holidaymakers failing to understand the medley of varying restrictions on vehicles, and not displaying “Crit’Air” sticker which declares the emissions of their vehicle, could also be hit with £640 fines.
Edmund King, president of the AA, said drivers were being forced to swerve restrictions designed to disincentive driving, not just in British cities such as London where drivers face a £12.50-a-day charge under the Ultra-low Emission Zone, but also on the continent.
He said: “You really need to plan beforehand and build in these extra costs – it’s not as simple as calculating the cost of fuel.
“There are now so many European cities with low emission zones and it varies as to whether you need a paper permit or have to pay to enter.
“It all means driving abroad is not as cheap as it used to be. But it’s not just the cost, it’s the hassle of figuring everything out as well.
“We find that quite a few drivers do their utmost to avoid cities as they are unaware of how the charges work there.”
Cars driving in low emission cities, such as Lyon, Marseille and Reims, must display one of five Crit’Air stickers indicating it can enter a Zones à Faibles Émissions (ZFE), which is similar to the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (Ulez) in London.
All French towns with a population of 150,000 or above are due to roll out a ZFE before next year, although there is a suggestion the rollout could be delayed. Failure to display can result in hefty fines. To avoid a fine, drivers need to display a relevant Crit’Air sticker, which can be ordered online for £3.22.
In a further push for green levies, Parisians have this week voted in favour of bringing in an €18 hourly rate for out-of-town SUV drivers to park in the city centre, as they aim to penalise bulkier and heavier vehicles clogging up streets.
The bylaw will apply to all combustion engine or plug-in hybrid vehicles weighing more than 1.6 tonnes, and electric vehicles weighing more than two tonnes.
Fees increase after two hours and are capped at €225 (£192) for six hours.
Mayor Anne Hidalgo said Parisians wanted “to limit the place of these vehicles in our streets for reasons of road safety and for reasons of pollution.”
Telegraph analysis showed that a BMW X5 driver taking their family of four from Calais to Nice, and stopping overnight in Paris, could pay £403 in tolls and Paris’ parking charges alone.
Add around £270 for fuel and £240 for standard Eurotunnel costs to get there and back home, and the cost of car travel in France would surpass £900, not including breakdown cover or the cost of staying overnight in a Paris hotel.
In contrast, a family of four could secure return plane tickets from London Gatwick to Nice from £180 for a trip in April. This cost doesn’t include travel to the airport or parking.
A trip on the Eurostar would still cost more, with tickets coming in at almost £1,400.
Addressing the tripled SUV charge in Paris, Mr King said: “It seems to be an anti-car policy which will catch out people using their cars quite legitimately.
“One man’s SUV is another person’s family vehicle. If you’re one person in a two-tonne off-roader, it’s probably not the best vehicle to drive down the Champs-Élysées but if you’re a family of six in a large vehicle, then it is quite appropriate.
“Some fairly ordinary electric vehicles are over two-tonne, so you’ve got cars with zero tailpipe emissions getting caught up.”
In total, 76pc of France’s motorways are tolled and there are multiple operators, each setting their own fees.
Last year, the average toll charge increase was 4.75pc, while this year it was 2.93pc.
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