Must I change headlights on British car?

Is it still necessary to change the headlights on a British-registered car for the contrôle technique in France? I.D.

Published Modified

Firstly, if you are bringing in a car to keep it in France and/or you are yourself a resident of France, you should legally be registering the car here with French plates rather than keeping it UK-registered.

The Le Pontet Contrôle Technique centre in Sarlat, Dordogne, which carries out the CT on British cars from time to time, said nothing has changed or is expected to change this year.

It said you have to change the headlights on a British car for it to pass the CT, furthermore you need to pass the CT before applying to register it with French plates.

It said the only exception is certain models that are built with settings for both the UK and the continent. It can cost anywhere from around €100 to €3,000 depending on the make and model.