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Buying Petrol in France (Moved from 'How To') |
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Mike Fishwick
Forum Member Joined: 04 Aug 2006 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 2742 |
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Posted: 15 Mar 2015 at 12:00pm |
Edited by Mike Fishwick - 28 Apr 2022 at 4:33pm |
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Roger123
Club Member Joined: 03 Aug 2013 Location: Oxfordshire Status: Offline Points: 231 |
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Mike, thanks for the heads up on fuel etc. I'm thinking of making a trip to France and Spain this year, the last time being over 36 years ago!
I believe some places in France, and maybe more so in Spain, offer 92 Octane, but I'll be sticking to 95 which is what I usually put in my 645Ci. You mentioned peage station and exit points. Are they the same thing? Sorry, but I've never used these before! I'm taking it that the peage station is the toll booth you pay at as you are about to exit a motorway. I'm assuming there's no ticket you collect when entering a toll motorway. Is that correct? I guess as I'm in a righthand drive car I'd need to jump out in order to put in my credit card and tap in the pin number. Any help appreciated.... Thanks. |
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BrianW
Club Member Joined: 10 Nov 2008 Location: West Sussex Status: Offline Points: 265 |
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When you approach the tollbooth at the Peage you will have to take a ticket.
When you exit the motorway/toll road you then have to insert the ticket in the machine or hand it to the attendant, and pay the toll due. |
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Norrie
Club Member Joined: 15 Jul 2012 Status: Offline Points: 4047 |
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Thanks Mike, very useful. I have not driven in France for about 10 years so very good. I guess cheaper then to fill full before leaving UK, which is around 500 miles worth for me.
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Mike Fishwick
Forum Member Joined: 04 Aug 2006 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 2742 |
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Yes, the exit from a paying-type autoroute is a peage station - sorry I did not make that clear. Not all autoroutes require payment - it depends on how the construction was originally funded. For example, the A75 between Clermont-Ferrand and Montpelier is free, as is the A20 from Vierzon to Brive-la-Gaillard. Travelling from Calais to home - exit 55 of the A20 for Souillac (using the N154 from Rouen to Chartres, picking up the A10 north of Orleans) costs 23 Euros, and has been stable for years. Most of it it is usually deserted, and one cannot moan about the cost . .. although a lot of Brits do so on principle!
Although the Brits cannot often buy anything but 95 octane (and have little chance of finding decent quality 97) remember that BMW engines give their best on 98 - which is readily available in France - and throughout Europe - for little more than the cost of 95 octane. For example, according to BMW an E36 M3 S50 engine which is rated at 321 bhp on 98 octane will drop to 280 bhp if fed on 95 octane. Although there are plenty of reasons to doubt if people's cars produce such power, you see the difference which fuel can make. Our 98 costs about 3% more than 95, yet gives around 10% better fuel economy - or better performance - so why bother with anything else? Apart from in the old DDR, I have yet to see any European pumps offering 92 octane, except in New Zealand, where it is the sole choice, but at least it only costs about 90 pence a litre. Edited by Mike Fishwick - 16 Mar 2015 at 10:49am |
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Roger123
Club Member Joined: 03 Aug 2013 Location: Oxfordshire Status: Offline Points: 231 |
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Thanks guys.
I may well give the 98 octane fuel a try at some point. Whilst I wouldn't turn my nose up at it, I am not particularly interested in any greater performance. However, if fuel economy is significantly better, then it might prove to be worthwhile. This might sound daft (and probably is!) but I assume the peage exit barrier will give us 'right hookers' a chance to jump back into our cars and drive off before it comes crashing down on the roof or boot etc!? |
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Mike Fishwick
Forum Member Joined: 04 Aug 2006 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 2742 |
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No problems - the barrier will not come down again until the car has passed under it, and they do not cut fibreglass cars in half either! A friend with a Daimler SP250 still has a whole car . . .
At the start of the A16 peage zone outside Boulogne payment machines are obligingly provided on both sides of the RH lane, specially for puzzled Brits! It is assumed that by the time you leave the autoroute you will have come to terms with the system. If travelling without a passenger, don't feel guilty about holding up traffic while you walk around the car to collect a ticket or make payment - the French will appreciate your situation, and are quite considerate - but a smile and a wave goes a long way. Just avoid the lanes marked only as 'Telepeage,' which are denoted by an orange 'T' as these are for drivers with a transponder - we can just drive in and leave payment to the electronic gremlins, who use a direct debit on our bank account. Brits can also open a Telepeage account, but it is probably not worth the trouble unless you visit France frequently. Most autoroute lanes, except those marked only with an orange 'T' (usually on the extreme left) are marked with an orange 'T' and a green arrow, and can be used by Telepeage or cash users. Those marked with an orange 'T' and symbols denoring credit cards can be used by Telepeage customers, and those paying by any credit card or French Carte Bleu debit cards. (I will copy this information into a new post so that it can be easily found by those who have not read this entire thread) Edited by Mike Fishwick - 01 Apr 2015 at 2:24pm |
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Roger123
Club Member Joined: 03 Aug 2013 Location: Oxfordshire Status: Offline Points: 231 |
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Thank you Mike, most helpful...
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Mike Fishwick
Forum Member Joined: 04 Aug 2006 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 2742 |
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I have just amended the prices of French fuel in the top article to reflect current prices - note that the price differential between 95 and 98 octane is only 2 pence a litre - it makes one wonder why there is so much difference in the UK . . .
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A Z3 is not just for Christmas - it's for life!
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Roger123
Club Member Joined: 03 Aug 2013 Location: Oxfordshire Status: Offline Points: 231 |
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Yes, it's strange how prices vary between countries. I cannot think of any good reason why the U.K. needs any special facilities for distribution of fuel that are not required in other parts of Europe.
Not that I use it, but diesel users must be pretty annoyed that the price differential against petrol is reversed in France, i.e. more expensive here. I can remember a time in the U.K. when diesel was somewhat CHEAPER than petrol... |
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