Wilfried Devillers / Photo credits: Laure Boyer / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP 8:24 a.m., February 21, 2024

The car, the next unaffordable product for the French? With the rise in gasoline prices, more and more motorists are trying to find tips to save a few euros. Among the options: avoid tolls. On the national 20 between Orléans and Paris, many no longer take the highway.

Soaring gasoline prices, insurance... The car is becoming a luxury for many French people. According to a survey, more than 65% of French people spend more than 100 euros per month to use their car. So, for many, the time has come to save money. Among the favorite tips: avoid the highway. 

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“There is a big difference”

On the national 20 between Orléans and Paris, more and more people are abandoning the motorway. Jean spends his days on the road at the wheel of his black city car and yet it has been weeks since the self-employed person has visited the toll booth. "I never take the highway because it's much cheaper by road. Certainly, the further I go, the more time it adds. But for me, it doesn't bother me," he explains to microphone from Europe 1. 

Especially since “in terms of fuel economy and highway costs, there is a big difference,” adds Jean. Save money, even if it means wasting a little time. The calculation is quickly done for Vanessa. "I lose ten minutes, a quarter of an hour. I prefer to add minutes to my travel time than to pay 20 euros more in toll. Especially since, when you count gasoline, breakdowns, repairs, inflation... All that added up in the end, it makes a hell of a budget,” he estimates. 

Less and less an automatism

Since the birth of her daughter, every euro counts for the young mother, very impacted by the inflation of recent months. Jean-Raphaël, too, is more careful. If he still takes the highway, it is no longer automatic for every journey. “I’m still calculating.

I'm going to look at what I can do, where to take a portion of the highway and then, on a second part of the journey, there, it might be interesting to get off the highway," he explains. 

This is what he does to return to the North from Orléans, with a saving of around 15 euros per trip. According to an Ifop study, 65% of French people avoid taking the motorway, including 35% regularly (46% regularly among poor categories compared to 23% among wealthy categories).