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EV holiday in France

France has many rapid chargers at its motorway service areas. You pay to use the motorways, and you need a Crit'Air sticker to drive into the big cities.

By Allan Noer · 1 min read · Updated 12 October 2026

Getting there

You drive through Germany, and possibly through the Netherlands and Belgium. For the south of France, you can also drive through Switzerland.

Charging networks

Tesla, IONITY, Electra, Fastned, Atlante, Allego and TotalEnergies have many rapid chargers. In Chargemap's 2026 user awards, Electra, Atlante and Allego scored best for motorway chargers. See more in EV charging networks in Europe.

Péage

Most French motorways have tolls (péage). You pay at the toll plazas along the way.

Crit'Air sticker

In the low-emission zones (ZFE) of several large cities, the car must have a Crit'Air sticker. This also applies to electric cars, which get the green sticker. Only order it from the official site certificat-air.gouv.fr. Other sites charge much more. Delivery abroad can take up to 30 days, so order early.

Speed

The limit is 50 km/h in towns, 80 km/h on country roads and 130 km/h on motorways. In rain, it is 110 km/h on the motorway. Electric cars may use lanes reserved for cars with several occupants, where signposted.

Winter

In certain mountain areas, the car must have winter tyres with the 3PMSF mark or snow chains from 1 November to 31 March.

Further south

If you are going on to Spain, read the guide on Spain.

Checklist

A green Crit'Air sticker, ordered in good time.
A payment card for the péage.
The app of a couple of the big networks.
Plan your trip in ElmerThe cheapest charging stops for your car, with navigation and CarPlay.About the app