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FUEL

MAP: Where to find the cheapest fuel when you’re driving in France

The cost of filling up your car in France with petrol or diesel fluctuates regularly and prices can vary enormously depending on where you are and on what kind of road you are driving on. This map and advice will help you find the cheapest fuel prices in France.

Published: 16 August 2019 11:08 CEST
Updated: 14 December 2022 12:58 CET
MAP: Where to find the cheapest fuel when you're driving in France
Photo: AFP

Fuel prices in France have several times topped €2 a litre this year, but you don’t necessarily have to pay the highest prices if you are prepared to do a little research and perhaps drive a little further or take a detour.

Here’s what you need to know about filling the tank up in France for as cheap as possible.

Avoid city centres

If you live in one of France’s big cities, like the capital Paris, then try to fill up when you are outside the centre where prices can be significantly cheaper. 

If you find a cheap fuel station then it’s worth topping up the tank even if it’s not empty to avoid getting caught and having to fill up in the centre of a city.

Avoid the Autoroutes

If you can, try to fill up before taking to the Autoroute in France because as soon as you join the motorway the prices of fuel shoot up.

Don’t be surprised if you see the cheapest price for a litre of SP 95 – E 10 fuel cost well over €2 in fuel stations on France’s autoroutes. Shell stations seem to be the most expensive with Total slightly cheaper.

The big companies who run the fuel stations along France’s Autoroute network pay steep rent prices but they also know that motorists will likely have to fill up at some point. And there is little competition at least for the next 50km or so.

Be aware that leaving a motorway to find a cheaper petrol station might sound like a good idea, but only if there is one close by. If not you will be probably end up using all the that valuable fuel just to find it.

So fill up before you hit the autoroute and try to get to your destination without filling up again. If you want to take a detour to avoid the autoroutes filling stations then make sure you research on your smartphone where the nearest one is.

Head for supermarkets

The large French hypermarchés such as Intermarché, Leclerc or Casino and even Super U are where you’ll find the cheapest pump prices, as they try to be as competitive as possible in order to draw customers into their shops.

So keep an eye out for signs for supermarkets as you drive through rural France, they will normally advertise whether there is a filling station. Prices can even vary among supermarkets so keep a close watch and take note of prices.

Choose automated petrol stations

Whenever possible, select petrol stations which are automated and where you can pay directly with your card at the pump. Since these stations don’t have to pay someone to manage the pump or man the till, they can afford to shave a little more off their pump prices. However not all non-French credit or debit cards will work at these machines.

Now for some forward planning.

MAP the best route 

If you know where you’re going and can plan your route in advance, there are a number of websites which will help you find out where to find the cheapest places to fill up your tank along the way.

The government has a very detailed website which lists all the petrol pumps in France and the current fuel prices at each one.

Photo: Screengrab/Government website

The site allows you to select your place of departure and of arrival and the type of fuel you use, and it will produce a list of all the petrol stations you’ll encounter on your drive. You can then select the cheapest, and you’ll get an interactive map of all the pumps you’ve chosen on your itinerary. 

The website is updated twice a month or so, so it does not have the exact prices to the day, but it will help give you an idea of the kind of prices you can expect.

Other websites such as Carbu.com, mon-essence.fr and Zagaz.com are updated by users, and so prices might be slightly more up to date that the government website. Again, they are easy to use. You just need to type in where you’re going, and you’ll get a list of the petrol stations nearby and their prices. 

The site pelin-moins-cher.fr also has an interactive site that can reveal up to date fuel prices at filling stations in your part of France. And consumer protection site UFC-Que choisir also created an interactive map to help people find the cheapest fuel. Not all filling stations are shown on these maps however but they can be useful.

Screenshot from plein-moins-cher.fr

Use an app

A number of useful apps will also come in handy if you have a smartphone and haven’t been able to plan ahead. The apps Gasoil Now and Essence & Co for example will tell you where to find the most competitive prices within a 50km distance. 

If you want to get a rough idea of how much your drive in France will cost you, here is how much on average you’ll currently pay for the different types of fuel, according to Franceinfo.

Christmas/New Year holidays

The French government currently applies a fuel subsidy of 10 cents per litre, but this ends on January 31st 2023. If you’re driving over the New Year holiday, therefore, take the opportunity to fill up before the end of 2022.

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For members

DRIVING

EU countries to extend range of offences foreign drivers can be fined for

The EU has agreed to extend the number of driving offences for which motorists from other member states can be fined for and to make it easier for authorities to chase up the fines and make foreign drivers pay.

Published: 13 May 2024 17:28 CEST
EU countries to extend range of offences foreign drivers can be fined for

In the last voting session of this term, in April, the European Parliament passed new rules to ensure drivers who breach local traffic rules in another EU member state are found and fined.

The cross-border enforcement (CBE) directive was first adopted in 2015 after it was found that non-resident drivers were more likely to commit speeding offences. The European Commission estimated that in 2008, foreign drivers accounted for about 5 percent of road traffic in the EU but committed around 15 percent of speeding offences.

The directive partially improved the situation, but according to the Commission 40 percent of traffic violations committed in other EU countries are still unpunished “because the offender is not identified or because the fine is not enforced”.

In March 2023, the Commission therefore proposed updating existing measures.

New rules extend the type of offences that will trigger assistance from another member state and seek to improve collaboration among national authorities to identify and fine offenders.

The European Parliament and Council agreed in March on the final text of the directive, which is now being formally approved by the two institutions.

André Sobczak, Secretary-General at Eurocities, a group representing European cities in Brussels, said: “While the final outcome of the discussions is not ideal, we are pleased that EU policymakers have at least put the issue of the enforcement of local traffic rules on foreign vehicles on the table. As we approach an election year, I believe such a practical example can demonstrate why a European approach is necessary to address local issues.”

Which traffic offences are covered?

The previous directive covered eight driving misconducts that would require member states to cooperate: speeding, not wearing seat belts, failing to stop at a red traffic light, drink-driving, driving under the effect of drugs, not wearing a helmet (motorcycles / scooters), using a forbidden lane and using a mobile phone or other communication devices while driving.

The Commission proposed to add to the list not keeping a safe distance from the vehicle in front, dangerous overtaking, dangerous parking, crossing one or more solid white lines, driving the wrong way down a one way street, not respecting the rules on “emergency corridors” (a clear lane intended for priority vehicles), and using an overloaded vehicle.

The Parliament and Council agreed to these and added more offences: not giving way to emergency service vehicles, not respecting access restrictions or rules at a rail crossings, as well as hit-and-run offences.

Despite calls from European cities, the new directive does not cover offences related to foreign drivers avoiding congestion charges or low emission zones. In such cases, information about vehicle registration can only be shared among countries with bilateral agreements.

Karen Vancluysen, Secretary General at POLIS, a network of cities and regions working on urban transport, called on the next European Commission to take other local traffic offences, such as breaches of low emission zones, “fully at heart”.

Collaboration among national authorities

For the traffic violations covered by the directive, EU countries have to help each other to find the liable driver. The new directive further clarifies how.

Member states will have to use the European vehicle and driving licence information system (Eucaris) to get the data of the offender.

National authorities will have 11 months from the date of the violation to issue the fine to a vehicle from another EU member state. However, they will not have to resort to agencies or private entities to collect the fine. This was requested by the European Parliament to avoid scams or leaks of personal data.

Authorities in the country of the offender will have to reply to requests from another EU member state within two months.

When the amount of the fine is more than €70, and all options to have it paid have been exhausted, the member state where the violation occurred can ask the country of the offender to take over the collection.

The person concerned will be able to request follow-up documents in a different official EU language.

When will the new rules will be enforced?

Now that the EU Parliament has passed the law, the EU Council has to do the same, although there is no date set for when that will happen. Once the directive is adopted, EU countries will have 30 months to prepare for implementation.

Last year the Commission also proposed a new directive on driving licenses, but negotiations on the final text of this file will only take place after the European elections.

This article has been produced in collaboration with Europe Street news.

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