Checklist for travel in France - advice appreciated

[DrJFoster]

The bulbs thing, I just bought the cheapest generic set I could fine, think it cost about £3. Seemed silly not to so as to avoid the potential discussion.

Ironically, while the bulbs have never been useful and I doubt any actually fit, the fuses that came in the set have been, albeit on my lawnmower.

 

[Wattsisname]

The bulbs thing, I just bought the cheapest generic set I could fine, think it cost about £3. Seemed silly not to so as to avoid the potential discussion.

Ironically, while the bulbs have never been useful and I doubt any actually fit, the fuses that came in the set have been, albeit on my lawnmower.

Thank you.

Let's hope the nice man-at-arms does not know the huge cost of changing Tesla headlights.

I might go with "They can only be changed by a Lone Tesla Ranger on a call out"

 

[Casss]

I might go with "They can only be changed by a Lone Tesla Ranger on a call out"

Elon just has to fly out with the briefcase that contains the tool to remove the headlight and harness clip.

 

[qwickshot]

You don’t need spare bulbs for any car let alone one that has all LEDs.

To be honest, the RACs guide is comprehensive and more likely to be kept up to date so I’d just look at that. It also covers what you don’t need.

The only other things you need to consider for an EV is making sure the card linked to your charging is fee free (Halifax Clarity is my go to but there are loads), consider if you need access to any local charging networks and or a decent travel adaptor for a granny charger if you need it.

 

[GRiLLA]

Reflective jackets (EN471) inside vehicle 1x per person

.. incase any passengers need to strike.

 

[Sparkeur]

Reflective jackets (EN471) inside vehicle 1x per person

You only need one reflective jacket per vehicle which can be donned before you leave your vehicle...it's up to you if you want to purchase more.

 

[SteelmanMFC]

I started this checklist when I went to France in the Summer. Hopefully someone else finds it useful too.

Item	Links	Notes
Passports
Driving Licence
Travel Insurance
Tunnel/Ferry Ticket
V5 or VE103b	BVRLA Guide to VE103b	If you need a VE103b ask lease company.
Car Insurance Certificate		Direct Line’s default EU cover is 3rd party.
Vignette Crit’Air	Official Website	Only necessary for certain locations in France, e.g. Paris.
Toll Tags and Vignettes	Bip & Go emovis tag Ulys e-toll Toll Tickets	Toll charges are the same as a contactless card but much easier than curb rash. Usually requires a bank account that can make SEPA payments.
European Breakdown	RAC AA GreenFlag Eversure	MSE recommend Eversure
SOS Autoroute App	SOS Autoroute	For break downs on the French Autoroute.
‘UK’ Sticker/Number Plate	Driving in the EU - UK Gov
Reflective jackets (EN471) inside vehicle 1x per person
Warning triangle
Jacking pucks x4
UMC with Schuko Adapter Type 2 Cable	Tesla OEM Tough Leads	Depends where you’re staying. Isn't leaving fully charged every day amazing!
Charging Apps/RFID	ChargePoint Shell Recharge JoinBonnet	All worked for me in France. Avoid using a UK contactless card on a French Type 2 to avoid getting your cable stuck!!
Superchargers		Charged in Euros – swap card to a fee-free card on Tesla Account.

Headlight converters: Tesla and the manual say not necessary. YMMV.

Not needed for most trips/people but check:

International Driving Permit	Post Office	Not needed for France with a UK driving licence.
Insurance Green Card		Not needed in EU.

An addition to your list, If you need glasses to drive, you will need to carry a spare set also.

Or alternately get a prescription windscreen © Billy Connolly

 

[NewbieT]

Seconded. My partner’ glasses broke within 5 mins of getting out of the tunnel. Coquelle Auchan has an opticians inside open at 7:00pm on a Saturday = disaster averted.

 

[Wattsisname]

.. incase any passengers need to strike.

we would not want the Men

.. incase any passengers need to strike.

I see what you did there; Gillets Jaunes!
Stick to one. you don’t want to attract the attention of the CRS.

I was poorly after an indiscriminate dousing with that nasty, but now banned spray. I was in a cafe when the boys chased a machette wielding guy inside and doused him, moi et mon onkle Tom Cobbley and all.
Better that spaying bullets though.

 

[Ozboz7]

Going to Bordeaux on Friday - Eurotunnel there and ferry back. Will report back after, but currently things I got were:

• GB magnetic sticker to go on back (free from friend)
• Reflective vest to go in glovebox (free from work)
• Crit'air application (€4 inc postage)
• Toll tag (bip&go.. have referral if people interested)
• Headlights aligned at service centre (free - mine were off prior to this anyway..)

That covers all the legal requirements as the rest comes with the car (2022 M3)

Only other thing I'm looking at is a schuko adapter from toughleads.

Booked a lovely country club hotel with destination charger in le mans. Looking at the destination charger map was very useful to find somewhere appropriate....

 

[Derek25]

Going to Bordeaux on Friday - Eurotunnel there and ferry back. Will report back after, but currently things I got were:

• GB magnetic sticker to go on back (free from friend)
• Reflective vest to go in glovebox (free from work)
• Crit'air application (€4 inc postage)
• Toll tag (bip&go.. have referral if people interested)
• Headlights aligned at service centre (free - mine were off prior to this anyway..)

That covers all the legal requirements as the rest comes with the car (2022 M3)

Only other thing I'm looking at is a schuko adapter from toughleads.

Booked a lovely country club hotel with destination charger in le mans. Looking at the destination charger map was very useful to find somewhere appropriate....

GB sticker is no longer legal. You now need a UK sticker.

 

[WannabeOwner]

Reflective vest to go in glovebox

Do you still need (two!!) alcohol detection kits in France?

 

[Wattsisname]

Do you still need (two!!) alcohol detection kits in France?

I believe two vests but wise to have one for each occupant. They don't take up much space when new compactly folded. I also carry a safety torch in the glove box.
Breathalysers are no longer required for France.

Along with a pump, you might want to consider Holt's Tyre Weld and a pair of thin nosed pliers. I also carry a 3mm awl to penetrate the sound insulating material in case the offending nail or screw is not too long. It is quite normal for garages to plug tyres in France and the foam repair will get you to one. Of course if you do plugging, you can dispense with the foam.

I was an early Imovis Tag adopter - so, so good. However, with its off centre placement in the Y, we found that the barrier only lifts at the last moment - the suspense adds a frisson but not to be confused with the anticipation of phantom breaking when using EAP.

Supercharging in France is a breeze. Have great trip.

P.S. For anyone not familiar with using tyre repair foam, Ben Vallack's YouTube video is very useful.

 

[Ozboz7]

GB sticker is no longer legal. You now need a UK sticker.

Ah yes meant UK and not GB - know I got a UK sticker as this is one thing I had to specifically leave the house and get!

 

[Wattsisname]

Along with a pump, you might want to consider Holt's Tyre Weld and a pair of thin nosed pliers. I also carry a 3mm awl to penetrate the sound insulating material in case the offending nail or screw is not too long. It is quite normal for garages to plug tyres in France and the foam repair will get you to one. Of course if you do plugging, you can dispense with the foam.

Now then.... SWMBO says "All that guff about pumps and punctures is generic rather than particular to France and therefore the OP has probably got it covered."

 

[mikeyg_ev]

I have an emovis (bip & go) tag for my upcoming trip but -
Can anyone advise on where in an M3 to stick it non-permanently so that it works?

I don't particularly want to have it permanently stuck to my windscreen when I'm only going for a few weeks per year. (really prefer to keep the minimalist look.) Does it work if I just leave it on the dash? possibly with a bit of blue-tak, or has anyone got a better solution?
Definitely don't want to hold up the queue while I wave it around etc.

 

[Cardo]

I have an emovis (bip & go) tag for my upcoming trip but -
Can anyone advise on where in an M3 to stick it non-permanently so that it works?

I don't particularly want to have it permanently stuck to my windscreen when I'm only going for a few weeks per year. (really prefer to keep the minimalist look.) Does it work if I just leave it on the dash? possibly with a bit of blue-tak, or has anyone got a better solution?
Definitely don't want to hold up the queue while I wave it around etc.

The tags will work fine on the dash, just try not to hide them away somewhere where the signal may be blocked. Aesthetics-wise, I have my tag mounted to the left of the rear view mirror / camera housing. I can’t see it from the driver’s seat and it’s not noticeable from outside unless you get up really close.

 

[spon88]

The tags will work fine on the dash, just try not to hide them away somewhere where the signal may be blocked. Aesthetics-wise, I have my tag mounted to the left of the rear view mirror / camera housing. I can’t see it from the driver’s seat and it’s not noticeable from outside unless you get up really close.

We're off later this week and this is pretty much where we're planning to locate it. However, to be sure, we'll go with a manual presentation (at that position) first time and if all good, stick it in place.

 

[Wattsisname]

We're off later this week and this is pretty much where we're planning to locate it. However, to be sure, we'll go with a manual presentation (at that position) first time and if all good, stick it in place.

I had to change my Tag last year. The new design came in two parts; an adhesive bracket and the Tag which slides into it.
When not travelling with it, I remove the Tag from the fairly unobtrusive bracket which I leave in-situ to the right of the centre piece.
It would probably work on the dash. I have even heard of drivers and passengers holding the Tag out of the window.

 

[mikehj]

I do the trip both ways over the channel in UK and EU cars. My latest was coming back to the UK with my LHD 2023 French MY. Just thought to mention all this chat about the headlights not requiring adjustment is absolute rubbish in my experience IF you have one of the newer M3's or MY's with the latest type of headlights that dip up to the left or right (depending on RHD/LHD.

I left the Eurotunnel and was flashed by trucks on the opposite side of the M20 within 5 minutes of arriving in the UK in my LHD 2023 French MY. It started to become cringeworthy on the drive up to Edinburgh as I was being flashed at least once every couple of minutes for the entire 8 hour journey! I had the headlight aim checked by Tesla and it was confirmed as 100% correct and they also repeated the line that no adjustment is required for temporary use abroad. Despite this "advice" from Tesla I couldn't stand driving at night in the car in the UK anymore as so many people were flashing me so decided to look at them myself. My solution was to park the car in front of a wall and place a set of deflectors where they seemed to cut part of the beam that dips up to the right on my LHD car (should be to the left on a RHD so maybe a different placement).

Left Headlight Deflector Placement:

Right Headlight Deflector Placement:

Here is the beam without the beam deflectors on my LHD car:

Here it is WITH the beam deflectors roughly placed on the headlights:

It's not perfect but it has stopped people flashing me and I can still see fine so I think it's a good solution. It's exactly the same on the RHD cars in reverse.

Either the roads on the continent are more headlight friendly or people are more tolerant as I only got flashed a few times a day in a RHD UK M3 in Belgium/Netherlands on a trip in January which might be why many think their lights are "ok". However, I can confirm from testing with a friend driving in the opposite direction they were definitely dazzling. Thus I can be pretty much certain all the later RHD Tesla's are slightly dazzling every car coming on the other side of the road if people simply follow this wrong advice from Tesla. As with my drive to Edinburgh in a LHD car - you will 99.9% get away with it and nothing bad will happen (just like I've never once needed any of the stuff supposedly legally required) in 20 years of travel but with the case of lights just know you will be slightly dazzling people.