Holiday in France? Pack these driving essentials.

It’s Summer 2022 and the T4 Family are off to France! After many months of passport drama, we are now packing the van for 10 days around Normandy and Brittany.

Driving in Europe can be confusing for us Brits, for a start the rest of continental Europe drives on the right-hand side of the road. This will take some getting used to but you’ll soon get the hang of it.

There are also strict rules on what you need to have packed in your vehicle when it comes to driving abroad. We will focus on what is required for France and the pack list is similar for most of Europe, although do check the requirements for all the countries you are planning to travel to.

We have broken this list into “Mandatory” and “Advisory” items, and you can view the entire list on our France Travel Essentials shopping list on Amazon.

Mandatory Items

There are a number of items you are legally required to carry on board your vehicle when travelling in France. Failure to be able to show these items on demand may result in an on-the-spot fine. Most of the items are safety-related and you might already have some of them as it’s a good idea to have them in the UK as well.

UK Car Stickers - You may have previously seen vehicles with GB stickers or European-style number plates with the Council of Europe stars and GB lettering. Unfortunately, since September 2021 those are no longer compliant and the GB lettering has been replaced with UK. So you’ll need your UK sticker for the rear of the vehicle, or as we have done, buy a combination pack that also includes UK stickers for your number plates.

High Visibility Jackets or “Hi-Vis” vests are legally required and you must have one per passenger. You must wear a hi-vis jacket if you stop on the motorway or break down and need to exit the vehicle. We have heard that British registered vehicles have been pulled over by police for spot checks so make sure you have them in the vehicle somewhere accessible.

A Warning Triangle is a reflective and hi-vis plastic triangle that is used to warn other drivers that there is a vehicle broken down up ahead. If you break down, place your triangle at the side of the road up to 50 metres behind your vehicle.

It is always a good idea to have a Spare Bulb Kit when driving in the UK, but in France, it is legally required. You can buy individual bulbs and fuses, but we chose to buy a kit as it contains the most common bulbs you might need in a sturdy storage box that can be stashed in the glove box compartment.

On the subject of lights, you will also need Headlight Beam Adapters. Some newer vehicles have the ability to change their beam pattern for driving in Europe but most don’t so fitting beam adapters will prevent your headlights from dazzling other drivers. Beam adapters are required to block the part of the dipped beam pattern that shines up and to the left.

Advisory Items

The rest of our list is not legally required but includes some additional items we think would be really useful for your trip.

French Phrase Book -it is estimated that around half the French population speak some level of English, however as visitors to their country we should be expected to try and speak French. Having a few phrases in the bank will help and this handy guide will give you enough to get by.

A Road Map of France is not a legal requirement but you might want to have a physical map to plan your route in advance. We went for the Michelin A4 Touring and Motoring Atlas as it is detailed enough to be useful and the spiral binding avoids massive folding maps inside the cabin. This particular map is also the one recommended in Take the Slow Road: France by Martin Dorey, so we can quickly cross-reference page numbers.

If travelling using the Sat Nav on your phone is more your thing, you should be aware that using a mobile phone while driving in France is illegal and attracts a hefty fine and potentially points on your UK licence. To avoid that completely we will be leaving the phones in our pockets and have invested in a TomTom GO 620 GPS satnav. The Go 620 has a 6-inch screen, world maps, and connects with your smartphone for live traffic updates. You can even plan your routes in advance on your phone and then sync them to the device.

The last item on our list is not essential for driving, but if you are camping in Europe you might need a European Mains Hookup Adapter as many campsites use Euro 10amp plugs instead of the 16amp fittings that we are used to in the UK.