I rarely rent cars in Europe. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I rented one myself. I’ve driven there many times, but usually in friends’ cars or rentals they arranged. Whenever possible, I tend to take trains and other public transportation since the network throughout much of Europe is so extensive.
However, I learned a great travel tip after reading a Facebook post by Alex S., a traveler from Toronto in the Rick Steves’ Europe Group titled “THE GREAT FRENCH CAR RENTAL SCAM: A CAUTIONARY TALE.”
Alex rented a car in Paris for a trip to Normandy and drove on the A13/A14. Like many North Americans might, he assumed that when he passed beneath cashless toll gantries, the rental company would simply receive the toll and charge his credit card later.
That is not necessarily how it works in France.
Parts of the A13/A14 between Paris and Normandy use a “free-flow” toll system (péage en flux libre). There are no tollbooths and no barriers. Cameras read the license plate as you drive beneath a gantry, and unless the vehicle has an appropriate toll-payment arrangement, the driver generally needs to pay the toll within 72 hours.
Alex didn’t realize that. Eventually, what began as relatively inexpensive tolls resulted in penalties and, worse, multiple administrative charges from the rental company for processing the violations.
There apparently are signs explaining the system, including English-language signs, something several people in the Rick Steves group pointed out. But I can also understand how a North American driving an unfamiliar car on an unfamiliar highway in another country could miss them.
One commenter who lives in Normandy put it well: the payment requirement is signposted, but a brief explanation from the rental-car company could prevent a lot of problems for foreign visitors. Another traveler said her rental company did exactly that:
“They gave us a printout that explained the tolls and that we had to go online to pay them.”
She paid the tolls immediately after returning the car and had no problem.
Another commenter offered an interesting alternative: set Google Maps to “Avoid tolls.” Besides avoiding the payment issue, she said she enjoys taking smaller country roads and discovering towns she otherwise would never have seen. Of course, that can add considerable travel time, so check the route first.
The bigger lesson for Americans renting cars in Europe
Don’t assume tolls work the way they do back home. In the U.S., we’re accustomed to systems where a rental car passes through an electronic toll and the rental company—or its toll-processing company—eventually charges us. In another country, you may personally be responsible for finding the toll operator and paying online within a relatively short period of time.
Before leaving a European rental-car counter, I’d now ask:
- Does this car have a toll transponder?
- If I encounter a cashless/free-flow toll, who pays it—me or you?
- What website or app do I use to pay?
- How long do I have to pay?
- What administrative fee will you charge if a toll or traffic violation is sent to you?
Also, take a photo of the car’s license plate. You may need the plate number later to look up unpaid tolls. And don’t assume one toll system covers an entire country. France has different motorway operators and payment systems, and other European countries have their own rules. Some use tollbooths, some electronic tolling, some vignettes, and increasingly some use barrier-free tolling.
One commenter made another good point: this isn’t unique to France. Americans encounter the same problem in reverse when Europeans rent cars here and discover that toll systems can vary dramatically from one U.S. state or highway to another.
So I wouldn’t call France’s free-flow toll system itself a “scam.” The problem is the potentially expensive combination of an unfamiliar toll system + a missed payment deadline + penalties + rental-company administrative fees. A tiny toll can suddenly become a very expensive lesson.
Hat tip to Alex S. and the members of the Rick Steves’ Europe Group on Facebook for sharing their experiences. Alex’s unfortunate experience certainly taught me something I wouldn’t have known otherwise.
