Beyond the technical side, a vehicle must be in order administratively. These points come up regularly in the test because they are easy to check at the roadside.
Documents and plates
Driving licence and vehicle registration document must be carried on every journey and produced on request.
Number plates are allocated to the keeper; they remain state property and must be returned when the vehicle is taken off the road.
Plates must be legible and clean – a plate obscured by dirt or snow is an offence.
The periodic inspection checks technical condition at regular intervals; the summons comes from the road traffic office.
Motorway vignette
It costs 40 francs and is required to use motorways and semi-motorways.
It is valid from 1 December of the previous year to 31 January of the following year – fourteen months.
A trailer or caravan needs its own vignette.
The adhesive vignette must be stuck directly to the windscreen; one merely tucked behind the glass is not valid. An electronic vignette linked to the plate also exists.
Remember: the trailer is the classic test trap – one vignette does not cover the whole combination.
Changes to be reported
Certain changes must be reported to the road traffic office: a change of address, a change of keeper, significant technical modifications to the vehicle. An unreported modification can lead to withdrawal of the type approval – and to problems with the insurer after an accident.
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