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Driving to the south of France from the UK: route, tolls and costs

Checked on 11 November 2026

London to Nice is about 1,353 km of driving, around 14 hours 45 minutes at the wheel, through France. Our estimate for tolls and fuel is €275 (about £230) for a typical car. The Channel crossing and any overnight stops cost extra.

Driving distance
1,353 km
Driving time
14 h 45 min
Tolls, vignettes, fuel
€275about £230
Countries crossed
1
On this page
Route outline: London to NiceThe driving route from central London via the Channel crossing at Folkestone and Calais, then France to Nice.
Driving route (OSRM, OpenStreetMap data)Channel crossing (not driven)Countries on the route

The line is the fastest route found by the OSRM routing engine on OpenStreetMap data on 11 November 2026, from central London (Charing Cross) to the centre of Nice, through the LeShuttle terminals at Folkestone and Calais (Coquelles), where the 59 km shuttle crossing is not counted as driving. It passes Calais, Reims, Troyes, Beaune, Lyon, Valence, Aix-en-Provence and Cannes. The crossing fare is not included in any figure on this page.

Change car, fuel price or start point in the planner

Can you drive to the south of France from the UK?

Yes. You can take your own UK-registered car: cross the Channel to Calais, then drive about 1,238 km through France. The whole drive from central London is about 1,353 km, and OSRM estimates 14 hours 45 minutes at the wheel, without breaks, overnight stops, queues or the crossing.

Take with you

  • Take your UK driving licence. You need your Great Britain or Northern Ireland driving licence to drive abroad. Check it is valid and renew it online if it has expired or is about to. Source: GOV.UK (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

  • Log book (V5C), or a VE103 for a hired or leased car. Take your V5C if you take your own vehicle abroad for less than 12 months; it must show your most recent UK address and you may have to show it at a port. For a hired or leased vehicle you need a VE103 vehicle on hire certificate. Source: GOV.UK (DVLA) (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

  • Insurance certificate, and a green card only for some countries. All UK vehicle insurance gives the minimum third party cover in the EU, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Serbia and Switzerland, and you do not need a green card there (nor in Montenegro). You may need a green card for Albania, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Turkey and Ukraine; ask your insurer, and allow up to 6 weeks if it is posted. Source: GOV.UK (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

  • UK identifier on the plate, or a UK sticker. You do not need a UK sticker if your number plate shows the UK identifier with the Union flag. You must display a UK sticker if your plate has no flag or identifier, a GB identifier, an EU flag or the flag of England, Scotland or Wales. Old GB stickers must be covered or removed. Source: GOV.UK (DVLA) (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

  • Taking a pet: microchip, then rabies vaccination, then wait. Your dog, cat or ferret must be microchipped before or at the same time as its rabies vaccination, and be at least 12 weeks old when vaccinated. You must wait at least 21 full days after the first vaccination before travelling. Source: GOV.UK (Defra and APHA) (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

Full driving to Europe checklist

Countries on the route

  • United Kingdom

    TollsNone

    Distance: 115 kmVignette: Not needed

  • France

    Tolls€119

    Distance: 1,238 kmVignette: Not needed

Distances are measured on the route line with real country borders (Natural Earth outlines) and scaled to OSRM's road distance. Toll figures are estimates; see below for how each one is worked out.

Tolls

The planner multiplies the km in each country with distance tolls by one average rate per km. Some roads on this route may be free and some sections cost more, so treat these as estimates, not quotes.

France

about €119

1,238 km at €0.096 per km (estimate).

Estimate based on APRR's 2026 car tariff: Paris (Fleury-en-Biere) to Lyon (Villefranche-Limas) 41.30 EUR for 430.28 km. Other operators and sections differ. Source: APRR (motorway concession company) (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

Official example tolls for a car

  • Chalons-la-Veuve (A26, Champagne) to Villefranche-Limas toll (A6, north of Lyon)

    €45.90

    Country: France

  • Chalons-la-Veuve (A26, Champagne) to Villefranche-Limas toll (A6, north of Lyon), 459.21 km. Vehicle: Class 1 (car), APRR tariff from 1 February 2026. This route follows the A26, A5, A31 and A6 between these two toll points. Source: APRR (motorway concession company) (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

Vignettes

No country on this route uses a time-based vignette, so the planner adds none.

Tunnel and pass tolls

This line does not pass any of the tunnel or pass tolls we track (the Austrian A 9, A 10, A 11, A 13 and S 16 sections, the Mont Blanc and Frejus tunnels, the Great St Bernard tunnel and the Sozina tunnel).

Low-emission zones on the route

London

About 25 km of the line is inside the zone outline.

Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ): Operates 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day (25 December), across all London boroughs (the M25 is not included). Cars that do not meet the standards (petrol Euro 4, diesel Euro 6) and are not exempt pay a 12.50 GBP daily charge. Source: Transport for London (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

Congestion Charge: 18 GBP daily charge if paid on the day or in advance, or 21 GBP if paid by midnight of the third day after travel. Applies 7:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday and 12:00 to 18:00 on Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays. No charge between Christmas Day and the New Year's Day bank holiday (inclusive). Source: Transport for London (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

What to do: Check your car against the ULEZ standards on the TfL site before you set off; the Congestion Charge only applies if you start inside the central London zone during its hours. Source: Transport for London (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

Lyon

About 7 km of the line is inside the zone outline.

ZFE Metropole de Lyon: Since 1 January 2025 Crit'Air 5, 4, 3 and unclassified vehicles are banned (diesel first registered before 1 January 2011, petrol before 1 January 2006), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, driving and parking. Covers Lyon, Caluire-et-Cuire and the parts of Villeurbanne, Bron and Venissieux inside the Laurent Bonnevay ring road, plus the M6, M7 and ring roads. Fine 68 EUR for cars; also fined if no Crit'Air sticker is displayed. Source: Metropole de Lyon (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

What to do: Order a Crit'Air sticker before you go. Needed to drive in French low-emission zones (ZFE) and during pollution-alert traffic restrictions. Vehicles registered abroad order from the official site with a legible photo or scan of the registration certificate (V5C). Price shown on the official site for a vehicle registered abroad: 3.11 EUR plus 2.00 EUR postage outside France, i.e. 5.11 EUR per vehicle. Only buy from certificat-air.gouv.fr: the official site shows the ministry logo and ends in .gouv.fr. Beware of intermediaries and fraudulent sites that charge more. Source: Ministere de la Transition ecologique (official Crit'Air site) (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

Borders and checks

Channel crossing

  • LeShuttle: arrive 1 to 2 hours before departure. Arrive no more than 2 hours and no less than 1 hour before your booked departure. Complete Advance Passenger Information for everyone 24 hours before travel, as you cannot travel without it. Boarding starts 25 minutes before departure; have passports ready for the border checks. Source: Eurotunnel LeShuttle (Getlink) (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

  • At Dover and Folkestone, EES checks happen before you leave the UK. If you enter the Schengen area through the Port of Dover or LeShuttle at Folkestone, EES checks are done at the border before you leave the UK. On your first visit you may be asked to give fingerprints and a photo at dedicated booths; your digital EES record is valid for 3 years. Be prepared to wait longer than usual. Source: GOV.UK (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

  • Port of Dover: full EES process for tourist traffic is not yet in place. The Port of Dover says the full EES process for tourist traffic has not yet been implemented and asks car passengers to arrive at the Eastern Docks no more than 2 hours before departure for processing at the French border. A car with both EU and British passengers must go to the EES registration area. Source: Port of Dover (Dover Harbour Board) (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

  • LeShuttle (Folkestone): EES kiosks ready, waiting for the French authorities. LeShuttle says its kiosks and staff are ready but it is awaiting confirmation from the French authorities before EES can be fully launched at its terminals; its latest notice says there was no EES biometric capture at Folkestone or Calais during the summer 2026 holiday period. Source: Eurotunnel LeShuttle (Getlink) (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

Estimated cost of the drive

  • Tolls (estimate)

    €119

  • Vignettes

    €0.00

  • Fuel (95 litres at €1.65 a litre)

    €156

  • Estimated cost of the drive, one way

    €275about £230

Not included

  • The Channel crossing fare (LeShuttle or ferry).
  • Overnight stops, food, parking and any low-emission zone charges or stickers.
  • The journey home.

How we worked it out: a car using 7.0 litres per 100 km and fuel at €1.65 a litre (the planner's default settings, not a measured pump price), the per-km toll estimates above and the official vignette prices. Pounds at the ECB reference rate of 10 November 2026 (1 EUR = 0.83545 GBP, European Central Bank reference rates via Frankfurter). Non-euro vignette prices use the same ECB rates Source: European Central Bank reference rates (via Frankfurter) (opens in a new tab), checked 11 November 2026.

Change car, fuel price or start point in the planner

Country guides for this route

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from an official source, checked on 11 November 2026. Distances and times are calculated from OpenStreetMap data with OSRM.

  1. 1.
    European Central Bank reference rates (via Frankfurter) (opens in a new tab)

    api.frankfurter.dev. Checked on 11 November 2026.

  2. 2.
    Driving abroad (opens in a new tab)

    GOV.UK, gov.uk. Checked on 11 November 2026.

  3. 3.
    Taking a vehicle out of the UK: for less than 12 months (opens in a new tab)

    GOV.UK (DVLA), gov.uk. Checked on 11 November 2026.

  4. 4.
    Vehicle insurance: driving abroad (opens in a new tab)

    GOV.UK, gov.uk. Checked on 11 November 2026.

  5. 5.
    Displaying number plates: flags, identifiers and stickers (opens in a new tab)

    GOV.UK (DVLA), gov.uk. Checked on 11 November 2026.

  6. 6.
    Taking your pet dog, cat or ferret abroad: travelling to an EU country (opens in a new tab)

    GOV.UK (Defra and APHA), gov.uk. Checked on 11 November 2026.

  7. 7.
    APRR (motorway concession company) (opens in a new tab)

    voyage.aprr.fr. Checked on 11 November 2026.

  8. 8.
    Ultra Low Emission Zone (and ULEZ standards for cars) (opens in a new tab)

    Transport for London, tfl.gov.uk. Checked on 11 November 2026.

  9. 9.
    Congestion Charge (opens in a new tab)

    Transport for London, tfl.gov.uk. Checked on 11 November 2026.

  10. 10.
    Zone a Faibles Emissions (ZFE) : projet et deploiement dans la Metropole de Lyon (opens in a new tab)

    Metropole de Lyon, zfe.grandlyon.com. Checked on 11 November 2026.

  11. 11.
    Certificat qualite de l'air Crit'Air, vehicule immatricule a l'etranger (opens in a new tab)

    Ministere de la Transition ecologique (official Crit'Air site), certificat-air.gouv.fr. Checked on 11 November 2026.

  12. 12.
    On the day: arrival and check-in (opens in a new tab)

    Eurotunnel LeShuttle (Getlink), leshuttle.com. Checked on 11 November 2026.

  13. 13.
    EU Entry/Exit System (updated 10 April 2026) (opens in a new tab)

    GOV.UK, gov.uk. Checked on 11 November 2026.

  14. 14.
    EU Entry / Exit System (EES): travel information and FAQ (opens in a new tab)

    Port of Dover (Dover Harbour Board), portofdover.com. Checked on 11 November 2026.

  15. 15.
    Support: Entry/Exit System (EES) (opens in a new tab)

    Eurotunnel LeShuttle (Getlink), leshuttle.com. Checked on 11 November 2026.