The 2018 version of France's technical inspection (contrôle technique) is getting stricter, moving from 123 to 132 inspection points and covering up to 606 potential faults, compared with 453 today. For many drivers with an older and/or poorly maintained vehicle that used to sail through the inspection, this will mean a follow-up visit, repair work, extra costs - and sometimes the vehicle grounded altogether.
Until now, two types of faults on the inspection report
Minor faults: these carried no obligation to repair, and no follow-up visit. Only your conscience - and your wish to drive a vehicle that fully meets safety rules - pushed you to sort them out. And major faults: technical issues that required repairs within two months, plus a follow-up visit to confirm the work had been done and the vehicle was compliant. But until that deadline, nothing stopped you from driving the vehicle in the meantime.
And now, so-called "critical" faults
From 20 May, a new category of fault appears on the report: critical faults, 127 of them. If your next inspection flags one, you will be required to carry out the necessary repairs immediately. Your inspection certificate will only be valid on the day itself, just long enough to drive the vehicle home or to your mechanic for the repairs. Beyond that 24-hour window, driving without a valid inspection certificate exposes you to a fine of €135 (already the case today), but also to the vehicle potentially being grounded and its registration document seized until it's put back in order.
What about your converted van?
Vans and converted vehicles registered as VP (a private vehicle, in French classification) will be particularly affected by these new rules. Any conversion element added after the fact to a private vehicle - a bed, a table, a storage unit, a kitchenette - will now need type approval under the VASP caravan category (a specialised motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of 3.5 tonnes or less), and therefore a change to the registration document.
Getting this approval will cost you a little over €500, and you'll be hoping to get the compliance certificate on the first try. Problems tend to show up if you haven't fitted all four fixed elements (bed, table, storage, kitchen) required for VASP approval - in which case your vehicle no longer meets any approval category at all. We'd recommend contacting your nearest DREAL (the French regional authority overseeing vehicle approvals) beforehand, or a professional van converter, to get answers specific to your situation.
So how do you keep driving with peace of mind?
Do these new regulatory and administrative hurdles worry you? We have a solution that lets you keep taking weekend trips in one of these homes on wheels. CoolDrive lets you rent fully approved campervans, converted vans, and motorhomes. No risk to your safety or to other vehicles and pedestrians. In most cases, particularly in Europe, the vehicles are less than three years old. The conversions are designed by professionals, and maintenance is carried out diligently all year round. So there's really no reason to hesitate.
