Toll box France

No, tolls are charged on most French motorways. Exceptions include feeder roads and certain sections in the regions of Alsace, Lorraine, Auvergne and Brittany. Some city motorways and bypasses - for example around Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulouse and Marseille - are also toll-free.

Tolls average around 10 cents per kilometre (as of 2026). On some routes, the costs can be significantly higher - up to 21 euros per 100 kilometres.

France distinguishes between two systems:

Closed system: ticket on entry, payment on exit - depending on the distance travelled.

Open system: flat-rate fee at individual toll stations - regardless of the distance travelled.

Payment options at the toll lanes:

Green arrow: For all vehicle categories.

‘cb’ lanes: Card payment only (credit card).

‘t’ lane: For vehicles with a toll box (e.g. from maut1.de) - automatic recording without stopping.

France uses three toll systems:

Closed: Take a ticket and pay according to the kilometres travelled.
Open: Flat-rate charge on certain routes - often in cities.
FreeFlow: Barrier-free driving under toll bridges. The licence plate number is recorded and the charge is billed digitally. → Without a Toll Box, payment must be made online or at terminals within 72 hours.

Exemplary FreeFlow routes:

 A79 (Montmarault - Digoin) A4 (Paris - Strasbourg), exit Boulay

• After missing the deadline: fine of 10 euros

• In the event of further non-payment: increase to 90 euros

• After 2 months: up to 375 euros fine in addition to the toll

France is increasingly setting up low emission zones - including on motorways or in tunnels (e.g. A35 near Strasbourg or the Fourvière tunnel near Lyon).

This requires the Crit'Air vignette, which is available in six different colours and is graded according to emission classes - even for foreign vehicles. The German environmental badge is not recognised.

Online order: www.certificat-air.gouv.fr 

Permanent low emission zones (ZFE-m) are currently in place in:

• Paris & environs, Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes, Nice, Reims, Rennes, Rouen, Strasbourg, Toulouse, Aix-Marseille, Angers, Annecy, Annemasse, Bordeaux, Brest, Caen, Clermont Auvergne, Le Havre, Nîmes, Pau, Pays-Basque, Saint-Etienne, Savoie and Tours.

• Other cities such as Metz and Mulhouse in France are set to follow.

Without a Toll Box, you take a ticket when you enter the motorway, which you pay when you exit. On some sections of the motorway, a lump sum is payable directly at the toll station - no ticket is required there.

The toll in France is charged according to distance travelled and vehicle category, which in France are classified as follows:

• Class 1: Vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes, up to 2 metres high

• Class 2: Vehicles up to 4.5 tonnes, between 2 and 3 metres in height

• Class 3: Vehicles over 3.05 metres in height or more than 4.5 tonnes

• Class 4: Vehicles with 3 or more axles

• Class 5: Motorcycles and trikes.

Good to know: Vehicles in categories 1, 2 and 5 can use our ‘toll box for vehicles up to 3 metres high’ in France. Vehicles in categories 3 and 4 require our ‘Toll box for vehicles over 3 metres high’.

All lanes in France with a ‘t’ can be used with our toll box for automatic toll collection. With the toll box from maut1.de, you don't have to take a ticket, but can drive through the toll station without contact. This saves you time and hassle when collecting tickets.

So-called free-flow toll routes in France (also known as ‘Péage en flux libre’) are basically barrier-free systems where it is no longer possible to stop and pay on the spot. Here, the licence plate number on the vehicle is automatically recorded by camera and the corresponding charges are billed electronically.

The free-flow toll is already in use on some sections of the following motorways:

• A4: between Saarbrücken - Metz (exit no. 36 Boulay-Moselle)

• A13/14: between Paris - Caen

• A79: between Montmarault - Digoin

Further planned sections are:

• A40: Chamonix - Geneva for 50 km between the Annemasse and Passy junctions

• A69: 53 km between Castres - Toulouse

• Junction ramps on the A41, A48 and A49 (Lyoun and Grenoble)

All drivers without a toll box only have 72 hours after travelling on a free-flow toll route to pay the toll (online or at special terminals at rest stops en route).

The Toll Box from maut1.de also covers the free-flow toll systems in France, so you can travel in complete comfort, you are automatically registered with your licence plate number.

Drivers in France only have 72 hours to pay the toll for their journey after passing routes with free-flow tolls. There are several ways to do this:

• Toll Box (‘badge de télépéage’): If the vehicle is equipped with a toll box, e.g. from maut1.de, the toll box is recorded each time the vehicle passes through the toll gantries and the toll is automatically and conveniently debited via the stored payment method. 

• Registration: You can register in advance with Aliae for the A79 motorway and with Sanef for the A790 motorway. Once you have entered your licence plate number and bank details, the fees will be deducted automatically each time you drive on the motorway. 

• Online payment: After the journey, payment can be made on the motorway operator's website by searching for number plates: e.g. via ALIAE or Sanef or the Nirio network. 

• On-site payment: Along the routes with free-flow tolls, payment machines for cash or credit card are available at service stations, tobacco shops and toll booths.

Some of the traffic rules in France are different to those in Germany. So that you can enjoy your holiday without any worries, we have compiled the most important information on traffic rules, penalties and fines in France for you in our blog.