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Driving changes in France you may have missed in September 2026
Includes fuel price cap and mobile phone use
We review driving updates (and news items) which have been made in the past month that may affect residents of France.
Price cap promise
TotalEnergies will keep its cap on petrol and diesel prices at its filling stations for as long as the conflict in the Middle East continues, its chief executive has said.
It introduced a cap in March, shortly after the outbreak of the conflict, then narrowed its scope in July before expanding it again.
Under the scheme, prices at all of its stations in mainland France are held at €1.99 a litre for petrol and €2.25 a litre for diesel.
TotalEnergies is the only major oil company to have introduced such a cap.
Fuel prices remain high, with shortages reported at some service stations.Use comparison site carbu.com to check prices nationally or in your area. Prices between sale outlets can vary considerably.
Clampdown on phones while driving
Corrèze is the latest department to announce tougher measures against motorists caught using their phones while driving.
It is specifically targeting repeat offenders – those caught again within three years. Since September, they face a three-week licence suspension, alongside the standard €135 fine and the loss of three points from their licence.
Departments applying similar measures include Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, Pas-de-Calais, Charente-Maritime, Ardèche, Deux-Sèvres, Vaucluse, Oise, Aisne, Indre-et-Loire, Haute-Loire and Yonne.
Using a phone as a GPS is permitted, provided the device is securely mounted and not handled while driving.
Spanish traffic light change
Drivers heading into Spain are advised to learn new traffic light rules coming into force in October.
Lights will remain red at all times for drivers when pedestrians have a green light, to improve safety and clarify right of way. Failure to comply can incur fines of €200.
Like France, Spain previously allowed traffic lights to flash amber at the same time as pedestrian lights were green.
This allowed traffic to continue in certain directions when pedestrians were not present. Drivers were meant to give way to pedestrians.
Tailgater caught using aircraft
A tailgater was identified from the air after police deployed a plane during a road-safety operation in Saône-et-Loire this summer, it has been revealed.
The offender, a Belgian coach driver, was spotted by a Cessna light aircraft operated by the police aux frontières (PAF). Information was then passed to police on the ground.
The driver was fined €135, reduced to €90 because he paid immediately.
The French road traffic code requires drivers to leave enough space to avoid a collision if the vehicle ahead suddenly slows or stops.
Article R412-12 specifies this must correspond to the distance travelled in at least two seconds. At 130km/h, this is approximately 72 metres.
