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Taking a caravan or motorhome to France means a few extra rules on top of those for a car. The big one since 2025: caravans and trailers over 750kg must be registered with DVLA and carry their own registration plate. If your outfit weighs over 3.5 tonnes, you’re limited to 90 km/h on autoroutes, and motorhomes over 3.5 tonnes need blind-spot stickers. A caravan over 2 metres high also puts you in a higher toll class.
Before you go: caravan and motorhome checklist
- DVLA trailer registration for a caravan or trailer over 750kg, with the certificate and a separate trailer plate.
- The UK identifier on the car or motorhome. See UK sticker.
- Headlamp beam adjustment on the car or motorhome. See headlamp beam deflectors.
- A hi-vis vest for each person and a warning triangle.
- Blind-spot stickers on any vehicle over 3.5 tonnes.
- A Crit’Air sticker for the car or motorhome if you’ll drive into a low-emission zone. See Crit’Air sticker.
- Insurance and breakdown cover that covers the caravan or motorhome abroad, at its weight.
- Your licence covers the weight you’re towing or driving.
Registering your caravan with DVLA
Until 2025, DVLA’s guidance said only commercial trailers and those over 3,500kg needed registering. On 26 August 2025 it changed: GOV.UK now says all trailers over 750kg, which includes most touring caravans, must be registered before you tow them to or through most European countries, including France. Ireland, Spain, Cyprus and Malta are the exceptions, but you need registration to drive through France to reach Spain. The Camping and Caravanning Club reported that German police had started fining British tourists for unregistered trailers.
- Cost: £26 to register for the first time.
- Certificate: carry the trailer registration certificate, to show the authorities if asked.
- Plate: the caravan must display its own trailer registration plate, separate from its normal plate. The Camping and Caravanning Club advises fixing it at the rear, as far from the normal plate as is practical, and estimates it costs around £20.
Caravans and trailers of 750kg or less don’t need registering.
Speed limits
| Outfit | Speed limits |
|---|---|
| Car and caravan, or motorhome, 3.5 tonnes or less | The same as cars: 130 km/h on autoroutes, 110 on dual carriageways, 80 (or 90 where signed) on other roads, 50 in towns. Lower in rain. |
| Car and caravan over 3.5 tonnes in total | 90 km/h on autoroutes. On other roads, follow the signs for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. |
| Motorhome over 3.5 tonnes | Lower limits apply: follow the signs for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. |
The 3.5-tonne figure is the total maximum authorised weight of the car plus the caravan, not what they actually weigh on the day. Our speed limit finder works out the limit for your outfit.
Size limits
According to Service-Public, a car and trailer or caravan must be no more than 18 metres long in total, the caravan itself, including the hitch, no more than 12 metres, and each no more than 2.55 metres wide. Going over the limits can mean a fine of up to €750 (usually €135), or €1,500 and immobilisation if you’re more than 20% over.
Tolls
Toll prices depend on vehicle class, and caravans and motorhomes often fall into class 2:
- A car towing a caravan up to 2 metres high stays in class 1.
- A car towing a caravan between 2 and 3 metres high pays class 2.
- A motorhome up to 3.5 tonnes is class 1 if it’s no more than 2 metres high and class 2 if it’s between 2 and 3 metres. Heavier or taller motorhomes pay a higher class.
Roof boxes and bikes on the roof don’t count towards your height. If you use a toll tag, Emovis Tag says caravans should use a télépéage lane without a height limit. More in French toll roads.
Blind-spot stickers over 3.5 tonnes
Since 1 January 2021, vehicles over 3.5 tonnes driving in France, including foreign-registered ones, must show stickers marking their blind spots (angles morts) on the sides and back, at eye level, between 0.90 and 1.50 metres from the ground. The Caravan and Motorhome Club says this applies to motorhomes and caravans over 3.5 tonnes. Not displaying them is a €135 fine. Most lighter motorhomes, at 3.5 tonnes or less, don’t need them.
Your driving licence
- Passed your test from 1 January 1997: a category B licence lets you tow a trailer up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass, according to GOV.UK.
- Passed before 1997: you can usually drive a car and trailer with a combined maximum mass of up to 8,250kg.
- Motorhomes over 3,500kg need the C1 category on your licence. Check yours on GOV.UK before you go.
The weights that count are the maximum authorised masses on the vehicle’s plate or in the handbook, not the actual weight.
On the road
- Mountain roads: on a steep road the vehicle going downhill gives way to the one coming up. Vehicles over 2 metres wide or 7 metres long, which includes most car-and-caravan outfits, must slow down and, if necessary, pull in to let smaller vehicles pass (Code de la route, R414-2 and R414-3).
- Overtaking you: leave room for faster traffic to overtake, and keep right on autoroutes.
- Low-emission zones: the Crit’Air rules apply to motorhomes and the car you tow with. See Crit’Air.
- Take breaks every two hours, as France’s road safety advice recommends: towing is more tiring.
When driving on dual carriageways and autoroutes, leave enough space so that anyone coming on from a slip road can do so without you getting flustered.
Parking and overnight stops
In a 2025 answer to a senator, the French government confirmed that motorhomes can’t be banned from parking on public roads, as long as their parking isn’t dangerous, obstructive or abusive. A mayor can restrict motorhome parking, but only for proven local reasons, in a proportionate way limited in time and place, and height barriers at car parks are only allowed to enforce such a decision. Look for signs at the entrance to car parks and towns.
Many towns and villages have an aire de camping-car, a motorhome area with parking and often water and waste disposal.
Breakdowns
On an autoroute, only approved breakdown firms can recover you, called through the orange emergency phones, the SOS Autoroute app or 112. Their fixed government prices cover vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes (€186.72 on weekdays for 1.8 to 3.5 tonnes in 2026). Heavier motorhomes aren’t covered by the fixed price, and a question in the French parliament in 2024 reported bills of over €1,200 for recovering vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. Check that your breakdown cover includes your motorhome or caravan, and its weight. See what to do if you break down in France.
Caravans and motorhomes in France: towing and motorhome rules FAQs
Do I need to register my caravan to take it to France?
Yes, if it weighs over 750kg. Since August 2025, GOV.UK says all trailers over 750kg, including caravans, must be registered with DVLA before you tow them to most European countries, including France. It costs £26, you carry the registration certificate, and the caravan needs a separate plate showing its trailer registration number.
What is the speed limit when towing a caravan in France?
If the car and caravan together weigh 3.5 tonnes or less, the normal car limits apply: 130 km/h on autoroutes, 110 on dual carriageways, 80 or 90 on other roads, 50 in towns, lower in rain. If the combination weighs over 3.5 tonnes, the limit on autoroutes is 90 km/h, and lower limits for heavy vehicles shown on signs apply elsewhere.
How long can a car and caravan be in France?
No more than 18 metres in total, with the caravan itself, including the hitch, no more than 12 metres. Both car and caravan can be up to 2.55 metres wide.
What toll class is a car and caravan in France?
A car towing a caravan up to 2 metres high stays in class 1. If the caravan is between 2 and 3 metres high, you pay class 2. Measure your caravan before you go.
Do motorhomes need blind-spot stickers in France?
Yes, if they weigh over 3.5 tonnes. Since 1 January 2021, vehicles over 3.5 tonnes must display stickers showing their blind spots on the sides and back, between 0.90 and 1.50 metres high. Not having them is a €135 fine.
Can I park my motorhome anywhere in France?
Wherever a car could park, as long as it isn't dangerous, obstructive or abusive, according to the French government. Mayors can restrict motorhome parking for local reasons, so look for signs and height barriers, and use the many aires de camping-car (motorhome service areas).
Can I tow a caravan on a UK car licence?
If you passed your test from 1 January 1997, a category B licence lets you tow a trailer up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass, according to GOV.UK. Drivers who passed before 1997 can usually drive a car and trailer with a combined maximum mass of up to 8,250kg.
What happens if my motorhome breaks down on a French autoroute?
Only approved breakdown firms can recover you from an autoroute. Their fixed government prices cover vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes; heavier motorhomes are charged at the firm's own rates, which can cost much more. Check your breakdown cover includes your motorhome or caravan and its weight.