Car Repatriation from France to the UK
France is where most British drivers break down abroad, simply because it's the first country you drive through. Wherever your car is, from a garage near Calais to the Côte d’Azur, we bring it back across the Channel to your home or garage in the UK.
Breaking down on a French motorway
On French autoroutes, you can't simply call any recovery company. Breakdowns are handled by the official operator approved for that stretch of motorway, at a regulated price. Use the orange emergency phones every 2 km or call 112, and the approved operator will take your car to a safe place off the motorway, usually their own garage. From there, we can take over and bring the car home.
What to have with you
In France you must carry a reflective vest for every passenger (within reach, not in the boot) and a warning triangle. In cities with low emission zones (ZFE), such as Paris, Lyon, Marseille and others, a Crit’Air sticker is required, including for UK cars. If your car breaks down, these zones don't stop it being collected, but they're worth knowing about if you're driving on afterwards.
Getting it home
Once the car is at a garage or pound, tell us the address, the make and model, whether it rolls and steers, and where it should go in the UK. We give you a fixed price for the whole trip, collect it on a transporter and bring it across via Calais or Dunkirk. From the north of France that can be very quick. From the south it's a longer journey, and we'll tell you the expected timing when we quote.
Tip: before you leave the car, take photos of it, note the garage name, address and phone number, and make sure the garage knows we'll be collecting it. It saves a lot of time.
Popular collection points
We collect from anywhere in France. We have dedicated pages for Calais, Paris, Lille, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille and Nice.
France Repatriation FAQs
My car was towed off the autoroute by a French operator. Can you collect it from their garage?
Yes. That's the usual situation. Send us the garage's name and address, and make sure any fees there are paid and the garage knows we're coming.
Do you speak French with the garage?
Yes. We can deal with the French garage directly in French, so you don't have to.
Can my insurer pay for the repatriation?
Many European breakdown policies include it. Check your policy first. If you need to arrange it yourself, we'll give you a written quote you can send to your insurer.
Car Stuck in France?
Send us where the car is, the make and model and your UK address. We’ll come back to you with a fixed price.
