Can you drive in France at 17 on an english full licence?

[ninahookins]

My daughters boyfriend is arriving in france next week, he is 17 and just passed his test in England.  Can he legaly drive here? I know the age in France to have a licence is 18 but he has an english licence?

I also know i have to check my insurance

Any advice is helpful

regards

Nina

[pouyade]

Suggest you look at the FAQ on DVLA and French Embassy websites. My understanding is NO he can't, just as a French moped rider of 15 is not allowed to ride such in UK.

 

Pouyade

[Mckenzie]

You cannot drive in france untill you are 18 even on a full british licence

 Bob

 

[Ron Avery]

The answer is No, this has been covered before, I would also doubt the wisdom of letting somebody who has only just passed their test in the UK drive in France whether in a L/H or R/H drive car.  I think as many will testify, the first experience on French roads on the "wrong side" with the give way to the right rule in many towns is bad enough for an experienced driver let alone a novice.

[Nick Trollope]

It's actually 21 with a UK licence, I believe.

 

[Val_2]

I've heard that too Nick. Would make sense because 18 year olds here have to do three years probation before they can drive "properly" and not at slower speeds and have smaller engines. I know anyone english cannot hire a car here under 21 either.

[Dick Smith]

I'm fairly certain that insurers won't allow anyone under 21 (or even 25 sticks in my mind) onto policies as named drivers. I know my son was quite old (ie 25) before we could do it.

[Dave&Olive]

hi

           ok think it goes even further ,,, you must have held a full uk licence for 12 months to drive here????

                       dave

[Sunday Driver]

The definitive answer can be found at the DVLA:

Visiting another country

You may use your GB licence for driving in all other European Community/European Economic Area [EC/EEA] member states. Check with a motoring organisation if you want to drive in a non-EC/EEA country. They will advise you whether you need an International Driving Permit [IDP]. IDPs are issued by the AA, the RAC, RSAC and Green Flag Motoring Assistance Recovery Club. You must be resident in GB, have passed a driving test and be over 18 years of age.

[KathyC]

As well as not being able to drive in France until the age of 18, I believe there are also speed restrictions on motorways for several years after this age. Age restrictions on adding him to your insurance may have higher age criteria as well.

I think Ron is speaking with great sense here. Young people (and I've spent a lot of my life teaching this age range) seem to think that passing their test is the end of learning to drive rather than just the beginning. The British system, which allows someone of 17 to pass their test, get into a powerful car (if they can afford the insurance) and head off down the motorway (which they've never been allowed to drive on before) at top speed, encourages this thinking. I would think it incredibly unwise for a young British novice driver to drive in France until they've got a good deal of experience in the UK.

[Val_2]

Exactly. My nephew passed his test last month, has been given his Mum's fairly newish car with a 1.8l engine and somehow he got onto the M25 which scared the s**t out of him because he had never been on a m/way as a driver,only as a passenger. My sister said he was so shaken with the amount of traffic and concentration he had to get off at the next exit and come home across country. We worried like hell when our daughter passed her test her,got her first little car and then set off for Lycée 100kms away all on her own,but no problems because here there are only dual carriageways and those are taken into account when learning to drive and the youngsters do a lot of driving on them to get their experience. Perhaps its time for the UK to allow learners to go on the M:ways with some sort of flashing light system or large panel giving other motorists warning - how will they learn until they are forced to go on for the first time and the traffic volmune will never decrease compared to when most of us on this forum learned to drive in the UK.

[Bassman]

[quote user="Val_2"]Exactly. My nephew passed his test last month, has been given his Mum's fairly newish car with a 1.8l engine and somehow he got onto the M25 which scared the s**t out of him because he had never been on a m/way as a driver,only as a passenger. My sister said he was so shaken with the amount of traffic and concentration he had to get off at the next exit and come home across country. We worried like hell when our daughter passed her test her,got her first little car and then set off for Lycée 100kms away all on her own,but no problems because here there are only dual carriageways and those are taken into account when learning to drive and the youngsters do a lot of driving on them to get their experience. Perhaps its time for the UK to allow learners to go on the M:ways with some sort of flashing light system or large panel giving other motorists warning - how will they learn until they are forced to go on for the first time and the traffic volmune will never decrease compared to when most of us on this forum learned to drive in the UK.[/quote]

 

I've always felt that after passing the test there should be a period of not being allowed onto motorways until a further test is passed covering motorway driving, night driving could be included in this also [;-)]  Oh and then another test especially for the M25 [:-))]

[Sunday Driver]

The procedures for learning to drive and driving after the test are the same in France as in the UK.

As in the UK, newly qualified drivers in France are not restricted by any special limitations such as speed limits or smaller engines. The rationale being that if they have achieved the required standard to pass the test, then they are qualified to drive under the same conditions as anyone else.  As in the UK, the only factor limiting engine size is the size of the insurance premiums.

The only regulatory concession to "the potential imprudence of youth" is the issue of a permis probatoire lasting for their first three years and which has only 6 points on it, thus encouraging careful driving during the formative period.  This is the same system as the "maximum six points then back onto to L plates" as happens in the UK.  In France, however, they get additional encouragement during their first two years by receiving a standard three points deduction for every speeding offence (even where everyone else gets one or two points deducted).

There is one major difference.  French driving instruction routinely includes autoroute driving (provided of course, that there's an autoroute nearby).  Lower speed limits for learner drivers on autoroutes were abolished some years ago on safety grounds.

[Hegs]

Hi Sunday Driver,

You are incorrect. Newly qualified drivers (I am one) still have to obey lower speed limits, that is 110 on motorways, 100 on dual carriageways and 80 on route nationals.

See http://www.code-route.com/vitesse.htm.

[Val_2]

Hegs is correct, my daughter has done 2.5 years of her obligatory "A" period and she has to keep to less speed on the voie express than qualified drivers, it is in the paperwork.She also has to keep the insurers informed of the amount of kms covered each year as if less than 10,000 she keeps the cost down.

[Sunday Driver]

You're right, Hegs.

I'd been trying to reach that website for the information but it's been down the last few days.  I couldn't find a reference to the ruling anywhere else, so I made the assumption - wrongly. [:$]

I did read that in the past, motorway limits had been as low as 70kph for learners and this was the the limit that was abolished.

Thanks.

[Simon]

OK, so that is 18 with a full UK licence, but what about a provisional?  If I want to teach my son to drive both in the UK and in France can a do that, and does he need to be 18 if I am with him?

Regards

Simon

[Sunday Driver]

Provisional licences are not valid outside the UK so he will not be able to drive in France until he passes his UK driving test.  On the other hand, he could enrol in a French driving school and sit the French test......

 

[Les Chirons]

Whilst all of the below and above responses are all relevant, due to the fact that it is the car that is insured here and not the policy holder, it is worth looking at your insurance documents as this will definitively decide things. I believe all of French insurers will not allow any driver to drive your car if they have not held a FULL driving permit for a minimum of 3 years

[Nick Trollope]

[quote user="Les Chirons"]Whilst all of the below and above responses are all relevant, due to the fact that it is the car that is insured here and not the policy holder, it is worth looking at your insurance documents as this will definitively decide things. I believe all of French insurers will not allow any driver to drive your car if they have not held a FULL driving permit for a minimum of 3 years[/quote]

Must say that I have never heard of that rule (and it is not on any of my car policies). How would a new driver get practice?

[Sunday Driver]

The criteria referred to by Les Chirons does not prohibit inexperienced drivers from driving your car but concerns the requirement to pre-notify the insurer about them.

French policies allow anyone to drive your vehicle, but drivers with less than 3 years experience have to be declared to the insurer beforehand and an additional (large) excess is generally applied.

 

 

[nufan]

[quote user="Bassman"]

[quote user="Val_2"]Exactly. My nephew passed his test last month, has been given his Mum's fairly newish car with a 1.8l engine and somehow he got onto the M25 which scared the s**t out of him because he had never been on a m/way as a driver,only as a passenger. My sister said he was so shaken with the amount of traffic and concentration he had to get off at the next exit and come home across country. We worried like hell when our daughter passed her test her,got her first little car and then set off for Lycée 100kms away all on her own,but no problems because here there are only dual carriageways and those are taken into account when learning to drive and the youngsters do a lot of driving on them to get their experience. Perhaps its time for the UK to allow learners to go on the M:ways with some sort of flashing light system or large panel giving other motorists warning - how will they learn until they are forced to go on for the first time and the traffic volmune will never decrease compared to when most of us on this forum learned to drive in the UK.[/quote]

 

I've always felt that after passing the test there should be a period of not being allowed onto motorways until a further test is passed covering motorway driving, night driving could be included in this also [;-)]  Oh and then another test especially for the M25 [:-))]

[/quote]

 

Yes, and I think there should also be a drunk driving test ! Drink 4 or 5 aperos, a bottle of wine and 2 cognacs, then pass the test ! If you pass, you are then free to drive when drunk [:-))]

What ??? Isn't this a great idea ?[:D]

[Sunday Driver]

I think you'll find a drunk driving test already exists.  It's called the breathalyser......[8-)]

 

[Miki]

[quote user="Les Chirons"]Whilst all of the below and above responses

are all relevant, due to the fact that it is the car that is insured

here and not the policy holder, it is worth looking at your insurance

documents as this will definitively decide things. I believe all of

French insurers will not allow any driver to drive your car if they

have not held a FULL driving permit for a minimum of 3 years[/quote]

That really is just plain stupid ! What do you think they do for 3

years then ? Our kids have driven our cars or their own cars from day

one after passing their tests. We inform our insurer and chose to pay a

franchise if they had an accicent. One has a choice how to insure young

drivers, we chose the high franchise. Our insusrer also asks, as many others do, for a photo copy of their permis de conduire.

SD, one does not have to pay a large increase on the premium, if one takes the route we have always taken.

[Val_2]

Thats right. My daughter could have driven the family car but the franchise was going to be more than I pay for the year's insurance and a fair bit to lose in an accident. There are many solutions to insuring young drivers here but at the end of the day, most want their own little car,own bonus and malus and leave the parents out of it.