Motorhomes just over 3m high and french tolls
We looked at a a couple of AutoTrails today, which were listed as either 3.03 or 3.07 metres high.
Our current motorhome is listed as 2.59 metres high, comfortably within class 2 for our Sanef tag on the French toll roads
Would an AutoTrail at just over 3m get away with paying class 2 tolls via a Sanef tag, or is the equipment sensitive enough to detect the height as being over 3m and thus not class2?
Comments
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whilst the rules for french tolls have restrictions on height and weight, the 'normally' charged rate is class 2.
we are on a 4.25t chassis but actually only weigh around 3.5 t, and are 2.89m high...always class 2.
if you have an automatic lane and it bills ypu for class 3, press the button, call a staff member and say 'classe deux, s'il vous plais' and Robert est votre oncle
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Thanks BB. I should have made clear that weight is not an issue for me, my licence these days limits me to 3.5 tonnes. Up to now neither has height been, our current motorhome is 2.58m high, according to the handbook.
I suppose all that I want to know is whether I could continue to use the Sanef tag without any issues for a motorhome at this height range? It is a small consideration in whether we buy one or not
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I have been told that Motorhomes are always Class 2 but cannot say for certain. Ours is just under 3m but I imagine that the aerial etc. pushes it over the 3m. So far this trip we have been using the automatic gates and I checked my bill and all the tolls
were charged class 2. Driving towards Montpelier today there were big queues at most of the booths and we just drove easily through the auto lane. So cool!0 -
I have a SANEF Tag from my caravan days but now have a MH of 2.98 high and well over 3.5t. SANEF and the toll regs clearly state that if over 3m in height or over 3.5t you are Class 3. But they cannot tell at the gate because I use my tag and am billed
as Class 2!!I hope no Harrogate based SANEF staff are CC members!
Bill C
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I have been told that Motorhomes are always Class 2 but cannot say for certain. Ours is just under 3m but I imagine that the aerial etc. pushes it over the 3m. So far this trip we have been using the automatic gates and I checked my bill and all the tolls were charged class 2. Driving towards Montpelier today there were big queues at most of the booths and we just drove easily through the auto lane. So cool!
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The suggestion that motorhomes are always class 2 is definitely not correct. All French motorways are charged by height, weight and axles, with the exception of certain types of busses I think.
Most motorhomes in France are class 2 because they are made that way, i.e. less than 3m high and less than 3.5t. The legalities of it are that if you are over 3m or 3.5t, whilst you may get charged less on occasions, as peedee says he does, I would suggest if you were to speak to an operator and get a reduced fee you were not entitled to then you would be committing fraud/deception. I suspect given the overall charges the companies get they can’t be too bothered to argue and let it go as a class 2 in the whole scheme of things.
Not sure where it stands about the height being increased to over 3m by the fitting of an aerial, I would have thought it would relate purely to the vehicle height as manufactured and not such additions. I could not find any definitions when I looked on the tolls web site about aerials etc. Regards, Roy
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We travelled in France a couple of years ago with our Auto Trail Apache, 3.07 mts high.
Very soon we were charged as class 3. I tried to explain to the man in the kiosk that we were a camping car. His response was that we were 'plus trois metres'.
We travelled on the 'N' thereafter without any problems.
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Just got caught by the b****y time out again, and lost my post.
The gist of it was to say thanks for the replies so far, that views are mixed, and to wonder why UK constructors do not consider this issue when designing their vehicles.
Whilst not of itself a deal breaker, this will certainly be on our list of things to consider in choosing our next motorhome.
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Quasar I would not worry too much about the height when choosing a van. There are more important things and unless you are still working & need to make good time by using the toll roads it is not an issue. We are class 3 due to weight and only use the toll
roads in France to bypass a busy city such as Tours etc. The N roads are very good & the journey is all part of the holiday to us. The last time I checked, as a class 3, we would spend just short of 300€ to get to where we wanted in Spain that would cost us
around 100€ in a car. If I bought new again I would try to ensure I was 3.5t which is more important when in other countries. I think only France includes a height of 3m. We need a Go Box for instance in Austria at around 24c a kilometer! & in Switzerland
we need heavy vehicle tax on any roads all due to weight. Regards Roy0 -
We used to have an Autotrail at just over 3m and 3850kg, we used the Toll roads extensively and found that almost all the automated toll booths charged us Classe 2, many of the manned booths did too, only occasionally they charged Classe 3, Pont de Normandie
is one I recall specifically. Where possible we only use automated booths.0 -
We are also just over 3m and I have found that as the tolls are managed by different companies in the differernt regions, the class that you fall into also differs.
I can't remeber the breakdown by region, but we were class 3 in some regions and class 2 in others.
We always used the automatic booths. From what I could see, there are infra red beams that are broken as you pass through and this will determine the class that you are in.
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Just been to Playa Joyel and our friends who were with us applied for a Sanef tag before we left but told they could not get one-Autotrail Mohican- and were chrged Class 3 on some, but not all, occaisions.
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This is the question I asked Sanef in Harrogate:
"Can you advise if a motorhome which is listed by the manufacturer as being just over 3 metres high (say 3.03 or 3.07) mainly to allow for the height of a TV aerial would be identified by the automated barrier systems as a Class 2 or a Class 3 vehicle?"
This is their reply:
"The majority of tolls would read the vehicle as Class 3 as it is above 3 metres. Another company
http://www.eurotoll.fr/en/home provide tags for class 3Yours sincerely,
Customer Services Sanef Tolling Ltd"
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Are there height barriers at French/spanish tolls? (By this I mean like bars set at a certain height similar to that outside multi storey car parks for example that prevent certain heights going through?
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I suspect the quoted height is with no load. By the time you have filled the water & loaded I would imagine you will be within the 3M limit.
We are just over 3M at the back by the time we have loaded we are under. 1 other thing approach the toll booth slowly, it's surprising how much the rear rises under braking
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Most N roads in France are tedious. Constant slowing down for small villages, roundabouts etc. and often very restricted stopping places. We prefer the fastest route possible to areas that we actually want to explore so the Autoroutes are brilliant. Plenty of stopping places; even overnight on occasions. I’m sure some of our motorhomes have been just over the 3m but using the tag we have never been billed Class 3.
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All you want to know about motorways/autoroutes, and more in Europe can be found >here<
Weight in motion sensors (WIMS) have been introduced in this country and are beginning to be introduced on the Continent. Some believe they do exist on the French autoroutes but I have not seen any evidence to confirm this.
My motorhome is well over 3.5 tons and 3 meters in height and I accept that on French autoroutes I will always be charged at Cat 3 rates at auto toll stations.
peedee
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