France is a large country with the same population as the UK but three times the surface area. As a result everywhere is inevitably further apart and despite an extensive and efficient public transport system, a car is almost essential unless you live in one of the larger cities such as Paris or Lyon. If you are fortunate enough to have a Provence property, a car is a necessity and will be one of the first things you need to arrange if you are moving to the south of France. Looking for cars for sale in France, especially used cars in France, is slightly different as there are less independent dealers than in the UK for example. France, with its thriving national car industry, has a strong tradition of buying French cars, and as a result all the main marques (Renault, Peugeot and Citroen) have extensive dealer networks throughout the country that also carry a good selection of used stock.

Buying a new car is predictably straight forward enough as the dealer takes a lot of the hassle out of the experience and does most of the paperwork for you. You also have the advantage of a full manufacturer warranty. You also don’t have to worry about having a ‘controle technique’ done on the vehicle as only cars over four years old have to have the test, and then only every two years, unlike the MOT in the UK which is every year.

Used cars in France carry a premium in France compared to the UK as the French seem to hang on to their cars for longer and the market for used cars for sale in France is more buoyant as a result. There’s no doubt that most UK expats moving to France tend to keep their right hand drive (RHD) cars to begin with. Many keep them on UK plates for some years, though technically illegal, whilst others re-register them onto French plates within the required period. Sooner or later though, usually after one or two near misses when overtaking, many expats start to question the wisdom of continuing to drive a RHD on continental roads. Their thoughts turn to buying a left hand drive (LHD) vehicle and they start to shop around.

Prices are influenced by the fact that the huge corporate market for new cars does not exist in France to the same extent as it does in the UK. Good second hand vehicles are not quite so available as there are not thousands of firms ‘dumping’ 2-year-old ex-company cars onto the market. Add to this the fact that the costs of employing staff are much higher for a dealer in France and you probably have a good explanation for the price difference.

The mileage differences between UK cars and French cars of the same mileage are perhaps explained by the fact that France is a big country of vast distances with a superb and usually jam-free motorway network. French people use their cars over longer distances partly because they need to, and partly because the excellent roads mean they can.

The French invented the word ‘bureaucracy’ in 1818 (as they did ’entrepreneur’, whatever George W. Bush says to the contrary) and sure enough, buying a new or used car in France will inevitably involve its fair share of red tape and queuing in public buildings. Depending on the size of the town that you live near, you will either have to go the prefecture, sous-prefecture or mairie to sort out your paperwork. The paper needed to register a vehicle in France is extensive, and a non-inclusive list includes proof of identity, proof of residence, certificate d’immatriculation, certificate de situation administrative, certificate de cession, the old carte grise (log book), a controle technique and some money to pay the registration fee. Check what forms of payment they accept as it varies from place to place. As you can see bureaucracy is alive and well in France!

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