Gallic teens revved up by ‘yogurt pot’ cars that need no licence
FRANCE’S golden youth is in thrall to a craze for les voiturettes – little cars teenagers can drive without a licence that have become a hit along the Riviera.
A trendy but pricey alternative to public transport and the classic moped, which is often seen as too dangerous, the two-seaters have also become popular on the island of Corsica.
Getting a driving licence is a tough and expensive option in France, and motorists must be over 18. On the other hand, la voiture sans permis, or VSP, as the cars without licences are officially referred to, can be driven by anyone aged 14 or over with as little as eight hours’ training, including three behind the wheel.
The Covid pandemic has accelerated the trend as the drive for individual transport gathers pace. But they come at a price; the higher-end models can cost up to €18,000 (£15,000), complete with air conditioning, reversing cameras and top-flight sound systems.
Baptiste, 17, posed proudly before a brand new Ligier sports version bought second hand for €10,500 with imitation black leather seats, Bluetooth and a touchscreen.
“It’s so cool,” said the student from the chic Rue Paradis in Marseille, where such cars are 10 a penny.
“I’ve been waiting for it for three years. I wanted to have my autonomy,” he said, adding that public transport was a pain from his suburban home.
Despite the “sports” label, the slight drawback is that all voiturettes’ top authorised speed is 45 kilometres per hour and cannot be driven on motorways or expressways.
However, they are cheap to run, turn on a sixpence and are easy to park.
Once seen as risible little “yogurt pots” mainly for an ageing rural population too old for a proper car or who may have lost their licence owing to drinkdriving, voiturettes have morphed into a must-have accessory for France’s affluent youth.
“Brands have copied the design of models that please adults,” said Stéphanie Lecocq, head of Pièce sans Permis, a company selling spare parts for cars without licences.
Sales have gathered speed since France introduced legislation in 2014, making such four-wheelers legal for motorists of 14 and over as long as the power did not surpass 6kW.
Franck Bellavia, a VSP vendor in Marseille, said: “Our historic clientele were people who never got a licence, or with a disability. The trend has reversed and now we sell to youth. At the end of the day it’s a moped with a body, which is reassuring for parents.
“We’ve seen a snowball effect and now parking areas in secondary schools and college look increasingly like exhibition halls” given the number of models on show, he added.