France Autoroute Peage Class 2 Charge Avoidance Liber-t

[BongoBonkers]

Hello

On previous trips to France it seems pure chance whether we get charged class 1 or class 2 at the toll booths and we have found the difference significant (especially on long trips). A female passenger with a nice smile seems to help sometimes but this is hardly a reliable means of getting around high toll charges......You could try and argue but the fact that a Bongo is actually 10 cm 'too high' is not a good fact to base your argument on!

We are considering getting one of those devices you put in your windscreen (liber-t) to automatically charge your bank account, etc. We don't mind queuing up, we purely want it to try and get around the class 1 / class 2 thing. Does anyone who uses one know if you can avoid getting charged class 2 by always going through the truck lane or the car lane or some such dodge? I'm pretty sure the Bongo (2m10) would fit through the 2m car lane because there is a bit on the liber-t website saying that if you have a 2 metre car with a roofbox on just go through the car lane as normal i.e. it must hence accommodate vehicles over 2 metres...?

We can of course, just get the tag and try for ourselves but I just thought one of you peeps might have experience of this....?

Cheers, Dave

[briwy]

Just got my account through yesterday.

Class 1. However, this is for August and as you probably know the motorways are owned by different companies so it will be interesting to see if the other companies charge the same.

By the way, don't leave it fixed to the screen or on the dash. It has been known for them to nicked which would obviously make a mess of your Bongo. Sometimes it needs to be waved about a bit to get it to work as well.

Wouldn't be without it. Love the looks from the French when they think another stoopid rosbif got it wrong. And the Belgians and Germans who tear past at 90+ only to get held up at the tolls and have to do it all over again.

You obviously can't go through the Telepeage lane only though as the Bongo is too high as you say.

Ours is from Sanef incidentally, who I think now have a web site in English if your French isn't good.

Have a look at the different ones though as they sometimes have deals on.

BTW, get an map which shows which Autoroutes are free. There are a surprising lot of them. The little map that comes with the Camping Cheque book shows them.

[Nick65]

Make sure that when you go through, you are at least 2 metres away from the car in front. It has a habit of picking up other peoples pings, letting them through and you have to wait for someone to come in behind you.

[briwy]

September account was all Class 1 as well so looks like all the toll companies charge the same with a telepeage doofer.

[Matt&JoyBongling]

Wouldn't be without it. Love the looks from the French when they think another stoopid rosbif got it wrong. And the Belgians and Germans who tear past at 90+ only to get held up at the tolls and have to do it all over again.

Don't forget the looks from the Brits in their 4x4 Chelsea tractors - we had loads of fun passing them at the toll station and watching them over take us several mins later only to be stuck in another toll queue as we streamed past

[flossie]

https://www.saneftolling.co.uk/?gclid=C ... 4QoduHhnrg

[briwy]

https://www.saneftolling.co.uk/?gclid=C ... 4QoduHhnrg

Some interesting info there flossie.

Interesting that we have only been charged Class 1 as the chart shows over 2m is Class 2, perhaps our tyres were flat
Good job though as it increases by 50% Class 1 to 2 especially as diesel in France is now not that much cheaper than here-at present anyway.

The map also clearly shows which ones are free.

Just noticed they are based in England as well.

[dvisor]

It's a shame the tags are so expensive, though.

In the first year:

19 euros plus up to 10 euros (+TVA?) for the active service fee

Subsequent years:

7.20 euros management fee plus up to 10 euros (+TVA?) for the active service fee.

Then there is the 20 euro deposit on top of that (refundable, but would you hand your tag back?)

I'd be tempted to get one but for the ongoing fees.

[Bin Bongoed]

In 4 years, 2 months or so a year, we have never been charged Class 2, even though it's a black with tinted windows, and you can see it's over 2m by the height guide on the kiosk. Incidentally, at the last camp site near le Havre coming back in mid October, the car & caravan next to us had accidentally driven through the less than 2m barrier at his last French toll, and ripped the roof on the caravan - plus it was raining. Poor bu- - er.

[BongoBonkers]

It's a shame the tags are so expensive, though.

In the first year:

19 euros plus up to 10 euros (+TVA?) for the active service fee

Subsequent years:

7.20 euros management fee plus up to 10 euros (+TVA?) for the active service fee.

Then there is the 20 euro deposit on top of that (refundable, but would you hand your tag back?)

I'd be tempted to get one but for the ongoing fees.

Hello, yes the initial costs may seem a little steep but they are insignificant once you have done a trip or two. The reason we got a tag wasn't for queue jumping (although this is undeniably handy...) but because we have always had a lottery at the tolls in the Bongo where sometimes you get charged class 2 and sometimes class 1. You can't really argue as you are class 2 (albeit by a mere 10 cm....). Class 2 tolls are significantly higher than class 1 and it can feel most annoying getting hit for an extra 50% or more when you resent paying anything at all really...So if you do any lengthy autoroute trips you will likely recover the initial setup costs very quickly.

We have only done 1 short trip with the tag but scored 100% class 1 on the tolls. We are doing a much longer trip at Christmas so we'll see how it goes.

Perhaps the most important aspect of using a tag is that the 2m lanes vary in their design and construction. Some will accommodate a Bongo no problem (as they are designed to allow for the use of a roofbox on top of a 2m car - still class 1 under the rules). Some will not accommodate anything over 2.00m - I'd learn the difference pretty quick if I were you!

In practise you can normally spot a problem barrier from a distance as it will be 'well battered' from previous scrapes! You could of course always go through the freight lane but in our early experimental days we are trying to avoid this for fear of some clever sensor detecting our height and charging us class 2! Having said this, we have used freight lanes when we have to and still been class 1.

As some people have alluded to, the more mischievous among you might find the investment in a tag worthwhile for the amusement value alone. On a ski trip there is generally always the throng of Audi's and Range Rovers booting it all the way from Calais, never mind the peage grand prix at every chance. A mere fifty euro or so is surely cheap for the satisfaction of outrunning these Chelsea Warriors again and again with your ageing Jap camper - much to their confusion Good luck

[briwy]

It's usually only the "Telepeage only" lane on the left that has a height barrier. These lanes read the doofer well before the barrier which means that you can go through at 30kph-allegedly. In practice I've always found the doofer is a bit hit and miss so slow down in this lane as well.

Provided you keep to the normal lanes with the T showing you shouldn't have a problem.