Anger over late-payment fees on France's tollbooth-free motorways

France's new flux libre motorways have no tollbooths. Instead, cameras record vehicles as they pass, and drivers must pay independently within 72 hours.

But critics say drivers are given too little time or information to pay, leading to an unnecessarily high number of fines.

The system is also criticised for being too open to exploitation by scammers.

Flux libre autoroutes operate on the A13 and A14 between Paris and Normandy, on the A79 in Allier, and exit 36 at Boulay, Moselle, on the A4.

The A69 between Castres and Toulouse in Occitanie is due to use the system when it opens, and the government is extending the system to new motorway concessions, citing environmental and other benefits.

The lack of barriers helps reduce the risk of minor accidents, reduces travel time and saves fuel, it says, cutting carbon emissions in the process.

What happens if you do not pay?

Drivers have 72 hours to pay and no reminder letter is sent.

If payment is not received, a fine notice is sent to the vehicle’s registered address, including the toll owed plus a €10 surcharge if payment is made within 15 days. This rises to €90 if paid between 16-60 days and €375 after two months.

In 2025, late-payment fees brought in €25million for Sanef, which operates the motorways in northern and eastern France, on the network between Paris and Normandy, claims French media Le Canard Enchaîné.

Blue rectangular signs warning drivers that they are approaching a flux libre section are placed some 2km before the section, while its start is marked by an official round blue sign.

Further rectangular signs along the route provide information on how to pay the toll, with a final reminder at exits and at the end of the toll section.

Payment can be made automatically via an electronic toll tag or through the Nirio payment system, which is available at participating tobacconists.

Another option is online payment through platforms run by the autoroute operators, though it has been reported that journeys can take up to 24 hours to appear on Sanef’s website, giving drivers just a 48-hour window to pay, rather than the promised 72 hours.

Scam warnings

If the system is introduced more widely, it is thought autoroute companies could make significant savings, with the cost of number plate readers potentially offset by reduced spending on maintaining and staffing tollbooths.

Signal-Arnaques, the community-driven platform where users can report scams, has warned that fraudsters are profiting from the confusion by sending out fake reminders or payment demands.

It recommends that drivers register with the relevant motorway operator in advance of their trip – Aliae if travelling on the A79, or Sanef for the A13 or A14.

Those who do not register and do not have an electronic toll tag should set a personal reminder for 24 hours after the journey, the website advises.

Lawmakers are expected to examine an amendment to the framework law on transport development in coming weeks that could extend the penalty-free payment period from 72 hours to a full month. Even if successful, implementation would be a long way off.

UK driver receives unexpected fine

Julian Bion, a professor at Birmingham Medical School, received an unexpected fine from UK company Euro Parking Collection in June after driving on the A79 in Allier in March.

“We did not see any signs saying it was a pay section,” he said. “We paid all the tolls at tollbooths as we normally do for the rest of the trip.”

His French is “passable” and he says he is familiar with autoroutes and able to read signs without difficulty.

Euro Parking Collection is known in France for a legal case brought against it by owners of French-registered vehicles who received demands for payment – in some cases totalling thousands of euros – relating to London’s Low and Ultra Low Emission Zones, and Dartford Crossing. The owners allege the company obtained their registration details unlawfully.

Prof Bion was unable to find a trace of his registration number and fine on the website of the A79 flux libre operator, Aliae, when he tried to pay the fine directly.

When he twice tried to enter his details on the Euro Parking Collection website, he was unable to do so because he did not receive the confirmation emails.

He contacted the firm and was told there was a delay of “several weeks” but by the start of September there had been no change.

“In my view, the use of number plate recognition charging needs to be very clearly displayed on entry to the Aliae system and non-payment in the first instance should be treated as an error susceptible to correction, not as a crime requiring punishment,” he said.

“The company they are using to collect unpaid tolls in the UK also requires investigation for inaccessibility.”

Aliae did not respond when we asked about Prof Bion’s case.

Can French toll fines reach UK drivers?

Since Brexit, France no longer has a formal, automatic right to pull UK driver details from a number plate alone – the same system used between EU countries.

However, as The Connexion has reported, fines have continued arriving at UK addresses.

Case-by-case requests are still possible. French authorities – via Antai, the automated fines agency – can still submit individual requests to the UK’s DVLA for a specific vehicle owner’s details, under broader ‘mutual legal assistance’ frameworks.

Our own investigation in 2025 found that despite tens of thousands of French speeding fines being sent to UK addresses in recent years, official figures suggest the DVLA had not given data to France under these formal channels since January 2021.

Many of these fines are thought to have come through hire car firms where drivers’ addresses are recorded.