Driving in France: No License, No problem

By Steph Tortogo | Jan 05, 2016 09:03 AM EST

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By simply shopping for a VSP, you can cruise around France sans a license. Voiture Sans Permis, which literally translates to "car without license", is a small two-seater car that anyone at the young age of 14 and above can take out on the road. Even if you only have four hours of experience behind the wheel, it's definitely not a problem.

According to an article from BBC, they remain a vital means of transport in France. Since the theory exam for the full license is said to be difficult in that country, a lot of people buy VSP's instead. Those things are sold alongside tractors and motor-mowers.

In the same article, it says that a VSP seller is able to sell three of them per week on average. When asked if they would sell to just anyone, the answer is yes if the buyer has an insurance. And in some cases where the person has no insurance, the salesman gives him/her a pass after allowing to have him/her take the car out for a spin and if he/she and the car come back in one piece then it can be settled.

Even if they are cheap to run and are easy to park, VSP's can't be taken on motorways or expressways. For 14,000 euros, you can drive a VSP together with its air conditioning, a sound system and a reversing camera - all of which are essential for the new target market.

Manufacturers like Ligier, Microcar and Aixam and many others are aiming to hard sell at parents. Young people have to take a theoretical exam in the French highway code and are to drive with a a representative for four hours. Apart from that, there is no other kind of practical test to be able to drive a car without license.

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