French traffic fines and points: every offence
Pick an offence: its class, its three amounts, its points and what would be left on your licence. The full table follows.
The French points scale sets, for each Highway Code offence, the number of points taken off the licence: one to six for a single offence, and up to nine for driving after taking drugs combined with alcohol since the law of 18 August 2026. It is read alongside the class of the offence, which sets the fine: €35 for class 2, €68 for class 3, €135 for class 4, under article R49-9 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The most common offences cost four points (red light, stop sign, failing to give way), three (hand-held phone, seat belt, solid line) or six (alcohol, failing to give way to a pedestrian). When several offences are recorded at once, article L223-2 caps the deduction at 8 points, while the fines all add up. A criminal offence takes half the maximum, six points. A full licence has twelve points; at zero it is invalidated. The source of every line is given at the foot of the page.
Standard fine · class 4
€135
Running a red light
| Reduced (15 days, 30 online) | €90 |
| Increased (after 45 days) | €375 |
| Points deducted | 4 |
| Points left | 8 |
| Suspension risked | up to 3 years |
| On a probationary licence | course compulsory |
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
The full table
| Offence | Class | Standard fine | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 km/h over | 3 / 4 | €68 / €135 | 0 |
| 5 to 19 km/h over | 3 / 4 | €68 / €135 | 1 |
| 20 to 29 km/h over | 4 | €135 | 2 |
| 30 to 39 km/h over | 4 | €135 | 3 |
| 40 to 49 km/h over | 4 | €135 | 4 |
| 50 km/h over or more | offence | €300 (fixed) | 6 |
| Running a red light | 4 | €135 | 4 |
| Hand-held phone, earphone or headset | 4 | €135 | 3 |
| Driver not wearing a seat belt | 4 | €135 | 3 |
| Failing to stop at a stop sign | 4 | €135 | 4 |
| Ignoring a give-way sign | 4 | €135 | 4 |
| Failing to give way (priority) | 4 | €135 | 4 |
| Failing to give way to a pedestrian | 4 | €135 | 6 |
| Driving the wrong way down a one-way street | 4 | €135 | 4 |
| Crossing a solid white line | 4 | €135 | 3 |
| Straddling a solid white line | 4 | €135 | 1 |
| Tailgating (safety distance) | 4 | €135 | 3 |
| Dangerous overtaking | 4 | €135 | 3 |
| Driving on the hard shoulder | 4 | €135 | 3 |
| Turning without indicating | 2 | €35 | 3 |
| Dangerous parking | 4 | €135 | 3 |
| Seriously obstructive parking (crossing, disabled bay, pavement…) | 4 | €135 | 0 |
| Obstructive parking (double parking, delivery bay, charging point…) | 2 | €35 | 0 |
| Abandoned parking (over 7 days in one place) | 2 | €35 | 0 |
| Alcohol: 0.5 to 0.8 g/l of blood (0.2 on a probationary licence) | 4 | €135 | 6 |
| Alcohol: 0.8 g/l of blood or more | offence | offence, up to €9,000 | 6 |
| Driving after taking drugs | offence | offence, up to €9,000 | 6 |
| Drugs and alcohol together | offence | offence, up to €15,000 | 9 |
For speeding, the class depends on the limit: class 3 above 50 km/h and class 4 at 50 or below, for under 20 km/h over. The Service Public points page gives the points; the amounts come from article R49-9.
Several offences at once
Several offences at one stop
Points deducted
8
| Sum of the scales | 10 |
| Cap | 8 |
| Points left out of 12 | 4 |
The fines, however, all add up.
The 8-point cap in article L223-2 protects the licence from a huge deduction at a single stop, but not from cancellation: a driver with 8 points who loses 8 is at zero. The balance is worked out on the how many points page.
Reduced and increased fines
Every class 2 to 4 offence has three amounts: reduced if you pay quickly, standard, and increased after forty-five days. Parking has no reduced amount. The exact dates for your notice are on the increased fine page.