Electric Vehicles

The future of vehicular transport is electric, and France is in the vanguard. Although there are more than 30,000 charging stations (bornes électriques de recharge) in the country, there need to be more. Smartphone apps such as Chargemap and Izivia can help you to find them and to pay the charging fee.

Keep an eye out for chargers at fuel stations, hotels, busy restaurants, major tourist attractions, and city parking zones and parking garages.

Assure that the station you want and the electric car you're driving are compatible—not all chargers fit all cars.

Fossil Fuels

Types of Fuel

The four most common types of motor vehicle fuel (carburant) in France are:

SP95/E10: Mixture of 95-octane gasoline/petrol (90%) with ethanol (10%)

E85 (Super Ethanol): A less-polluting mixture of ethanol (70% to 85%) and gasoline/petrol (essence) (15% to 30%, depending on the season). To use E85, a car's engine must be designed for it, or modified to accept it. If you rent/hire a car, you may want to ask about E85: the fuel costs far less than gasoline/petrol. But do not use it in a car that's not designed for it.

Gasole (Gasoil): Euro-diesel ('clean diesel') fuel

GPL: Liquefied Propane Gas

Locations & Prices

Fuel stations are not as common in France as in some countries, so you should note them, and check your supply of fuel, when you see them.

Fuel stations are required to display fuel prices prominently, in liters and euros. Most fuel stations are self-serve, meaning that you pump the fuel yourself.

Large supermarkets and shopping plazas on the outskirts of towns often have multi-pump fuel stations.

The French government maintains a website, Les Prix des Carburants, listing (in French only) all the fuel stations in France and the prices charged by them for the various types of motor fuel. More...

If you plan to hire/rent a car in France, your car will probably be a late model, and the type of fuel to be used should be specified somewhere on the car or rental agreement. (The fuel filler door or cap is a good place to look for a note on which fuel to use.)

Payment for Fuel

In our experience, fuel stations can be the most difficult places to make payment. Pumps may not accept your credit/debit card or smartphone payment app, and there may or may not be an attendant close by to help. It may help to have some cash euros handy for such encounters.

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