Ignorance is probably better prior to arriving but can anyone answer as to the current price please?

A Parisian friend told me he just paid 1.50 euro per liter.

I don't know how that will compare to other locations in France.

The average price of 95 unleaded in France is around €1.32/litre (the site I use for planning which country to fill up in is http://www.touring.be/fr/conduire-ci...rant/index.asp)

But where does that get you? You're not writing a thesis on fuel prices, are you? And you're surely not going to buy petrol in central Paris?

The simplest rule of thumb in France is to fill up only at hypermarkets (it's actually a bit more complicated, since oil majors' sites in close proximity to hypermarkets often come down to match, but if you're on holiday you really won't want to be bothering with the subtleties of all this)

A few years ago, the French Tourist Office in London had a very useful "Carte de l'Essence moins chere aux sorties des autoroutes". If you can't find one, make sure you've downloaded a full network map of Carrefour, Leclerc and Auchan.

Hypermarket petrol stations often work only with credit cards and PINS on Sundays and at night. I've never been able to get a non-French card to work on these dratted machines (though everywhere else in France takes my PIN), so it's probably safer to avoid having to fill up on Sundays.

Unless you want to be the hero who keeps the indie down the road from Carrefour in business by raising a couple of mortgages to pay his Sunday prices.

1.50 for unleaded 98 is possible (per litre, not gallon!). Unleaded 95 is a bit less. Diesel is cheapest.
As Flanneruk says, go to Carrefour or Casino for petrol. On the motorway its usually the most expensive.

Im glad I asked the question now due to two reasons-
Firstly,so that I didnt die of shock when we first filled up! - we are really feeling the pain down in Oz and we are paying $1.40 a litre which I just converted to equallying .87Euro - so 1.50Euro is shocking! - Pre warned is good in this case.
Secondly, I had no idea there was tricks on where petrol (ie. gasoline) is cheaper - we dont have that here as petrol is regulated and most service stations are in the same ball park.
Thanks for that info as it will definitely be useful and important!

Cosmo; it can sometimes make a difference of 10 cents a litre, which adds up if you drive a lot. On the motorway, there are sometimes signs that show the prices of petrol at different service stations. Have a good trip!

Cosmo, you may discover that what you lose on the swing you'll gain on the roundabout ... the French apply a heavy tax on fuel, but not on wine. I rather like that approach.

On a more serious note, we have always been given a diesel when we rented in France. As an earlier poster pointed out, diesel is less expensive than gasoline.

Anselm

You're also going to find that buying petrol at hypermarchés isn't usually an option if you're American. Our credit cards don't have the "chip" in them that's required to use the hypermarché machines, and paying by any means other than a cc is usually not an option.

Oops! Just remembered you're NOT American - well, you may have a problem using your credit card at a hypermarché gas station anyway. Don't know for sure.........

I just find it amazing that you can buy wine at autoroute rest stops. Nothing like a little French DUI

Of course when my husband is driving, I might appreciate it moer!

While spending in the neighborhood of $5 or $6 (US) per gallon seemed daunting, I was relieved that we had a diesel car and got around 50 MILES to the gallon. That brought it all back to reality for me.

I'm bemused as to why it matters. If you're going somewhere, and you've planned it all around renting a car, unless the price of petrol is more than the price of gold, you have to get on with it. It's not as if you can do a thing about the price (it's not like choosing an hotel where you can select one according to price) so there's not point worrying about it.

At the Geant Casino where we usually get petrol, there's a choice between using the machines and paying with a credit card or cash. On Sunday, you can only use the machine, where my Belgian card sometimes works, sometimes not.

Anyone can buy fuel at a hypermarché during normal business hours, unless the attendants have been universally eliminated in the last 3 months. The attendant in the pay booth will accept credit cards. It is useful to remember that these stores often close for lunch and that the attendant is not available during that time.

And the exorbitant cost of Peages (tolls) ?sp? on autoroutes - these predatory fees can add about $100 or more to the cost of a Paris-Riviera trip - whilst it's nice to take the side roads, these are often truck-filled and traffic-clogged arteries that go right thru the hearts of town. When the new Millau Viaduct was built over the Tarn Gorge it's said that it saved a few hours before typically to transit Millau on the old road. Anyway these tolls can also add greatly to the cost of driving.

I live near St Remy and I filled up my car at the Intermarche in Arles just two days ago... unleaded 98 was 1.37 a litre. Diesel was at 1.14 a litre.

Drove past the same gas station today and it was the same price. Still exorbitant, considering that over 70% of the cost is government tax.

I've helped a few visitors who were unable to use their foreign cards in the self service machines. They give me cash and I use my bank card. I've never seen any of them take a card that wasn't a French one....

PB

Is the cost of gas going to affect how much you drive? If not, it is best not to know the price. Don't look!

As for using American credit cards at self-service petrol pumps - i've used mine at Carrefour in France for years now and all over France and never any problems so some do work.

Thanks everyone, thanks to you all I now know to cross my fingers that we get a car that uses diesel (Im ringing today to check if it can be requested),to try not to run low on the expressways, to have plenty of cash incase my aussie ccard isnt excepted and finally ... Im not going to keep an expense record for the costs! (I agree, best to be in denial)thank you again

And don't forget to note the 24% (? or about) VAT on car rentals!