Why a driver was charged €425 on a French motorway for a €1.70 journey

A motorist in the south of France was charged €425 when his toll tag was not detected after he drove through a broken toll barrier that was already raised.

Philippe Rudowicz, an osteopath who has had a toll tag subscription for 10 years, was making a routine drive on May 9, 2025, to collect his grandson from a karate lesson when he passed through the Antibes toll plaza in Alpes-Maritimes.

Since he already had a toll tag and saw the barrier broken and raised, he drove through the barrier assuming he had done nothing wrong.

What Mr Rudowicz did not realise was that because he had driven through the booth without it detecting his electronic tag, he was flagged by the system for crossing a toll without paying and fined.

Worse still, because of a failure to update a recent change of address, the fine was sent to his previous address and he ended up accruing penalties for non-payment. 

Months later he discovered that €375 had been taken from his bank account to cover the increased fine. An additional €50 in bank charges brought the total to €425.

The original journey would normally have cost €1.70.

“I did not understand how such an offence could be held against me when I had a valid subscription,” Mr Rudowicz told Nice-Matin.

Why was the fine increased?

The driver’s electronic tag had not been detected, possibly because he passed through the toll too quickly, VINCI Autoroutes explained, according to Nice-Matin. 

The company added that it usually cancels the €90 fine when a toll tag fails to respond, charging the driver only the actual cost of the journey.

However, Mr Rudowicz had moved and had not updated the address on his vehicle registration document (certificat d’immatriculation). This is why he did not receive the initial payment notice and thus failed to respond to it within the notice’s deadline, leading to the fine increase.

After moving, drivers have one month to update their address on their vehicle registration documents. 

After the fine is increased, it is more complicated to contest, as erasing it becomes a matter for the French state, not VINCI Autoroutes. 

However, Mr Rudowicz's appeal to the public prosecutor's office was reportedly rejected and he took his case to a mediator in October 2026.

“I am simply asking for the €425 taken from me to be refunded,” he told Nice-Matin.

What should drivers do if their toll tag is not detected?

First of all, motorists with electronic toll tags should drive slowly through toll lanes, keep a distance of at least four metres from the vehicle in front and wait for the green light before proceeding, even if the barrier is raised.

Additionally, drivers should also check that their tag is correctly positioned on the inside of the windscreen.

If a tag is not detected, drivers should take a ticket from the machine and use a mixed-payment lane when leaving the motorway, where available.

Motorists who receive a fine for an unpaid toll can contest it by sending a request to the motorway operator within two months of the notice being issued. 

If the fine has already been increased, a formal appeal may be made to the public prosecutor’s officer (officier du ministère public), following the procedure stated on the notice. This can be done online via the Agence Nationale de Traitement Automatisé des Infractions (ANTAI).

Finally drivers should also check their online toll account if they suspect a journey has not been billed correctly and ensure their vehicle registration address is up to date.