Millions of motorists take advantage of the sunny days to wash their cars outdoors, but few are aware of the fine hanging over their noses.
Washing your car regularly allows you to drive with good visibility and ensure your safety. It is generally on sunny days that motorists take the opportunity to clean their vehicle from top to bottom, to maintain it and remove exterior and interior dust. While some prefer automatic or manual washing with a karcher, others delegate this task to cleaning professionals. But a good number of French people choose to wash their car themselves. According to the Mobilians automobile industry, 38% of users clean their vehicles at home, but this banal and common practice is nevertheless reprimanded by the law.
Indeed, few people know it, but they are liable to a hefty fine. So, if you want to wash your car in front of your home, be aware that you risk paying a fine of 450 euros. Whether your vehicle is parked in front of your gate, in the street, or even in your garden, especially if it is close to a public road, you are at fault. Article 7 of Decree 2003-462 specifies that “the washing of vehicles is prohibited on public roads, banks, ports and quays, as well as in public gardens”. This offense also applies in all weather, even outside periods of drought.
But then, why aren’t we allowed to wash our car at home? The reason is above all ecological: the water contains detergents, but also hydrocarbons and oil, which are then released into nature without there being any treatment of the wastewater. This polluted water then seeps into the ground, affecting groundwater. And that’s not all: washing your car at home requires on average 340 liters of water compared to 130 liters for washing at a service station, where the water is treated and recycled without risk for biodiversity.
This is therefore the preferred solution if you want to wash your car in the coming days without risking a fine of 450 euros, which represents almost five tanks of petrol! If, however, you wish to keep your car at home to wash it, know that you can call on professionals who have steam or waterless washing techniques, using their workshop vehicle.