Is It Worth Getting An Emovis Tag? If you are planning to travel to France, Spain or Portugal, you might want to consider getting an Emovis tag for your caravan. This post offers a detailed insight into the benefits of an Emovis tag and what factors you need to consider when using it.
But first, let’s look at what an Emovis tag is and how it works. We also offer helpful tips on how to use it properly.
Is It Worth Getting An Emovis Tag? What Is An Emovis tag?
A Emovis tag allows you to drive on toll roads in France, Portugal, and Spain without having to pay at any toll plaza on the route. As a UK citizen, you can avail of this automatic payment option to access tag lanes on the routes in these countries.
The device is placed in the windscreen of your motorhome or car and allows you to use priority tag lanes. So, if you have an Emovis tag, you can easily avoid the hassle of waiting in queues, usually seen in the card or cash lanes on the toll lanes.
Using an Emovis tag is quite easy as you do not have to do much. When you approach the barrier at the toll stop, the Emovis tag on your vehicle will be automatically identified, and the barrier will lift right away, so you can get through without having to stop.
In case you are wondering, the tag does not allow free passage. The toll fee is charged to your tag and your account directly, for which you can pay via a pre-registered card.
How To Use An Emovis Tag
To use an Emovis tag, you need to register online, and you will be sent a small tag that you can attach to your windscreen.
When you place the Emovis tag, you must ensure that it is placed in the top centre of the motorhome windscreen behind its rear-view mirror. It will enable the toll plaza’s transponder to pick it up and read it.
If the windscreen of your motorhome has a shaded or speckled area behind the rear-view, this is where the tag should be.
We recommend this particular area on the windscreen because it does not have a metallic or heat reflective coating, which may hinder signals from the tag and the toll plaza detection tools. In case the placement is not right, and your Emovis tag is not detected at the toll plaza, you can hold the tag out of your vehicle window.
However, you must ensure that you only hold the tag when the motorhome is not moving, and you have reached right at the plaza barrier. That said, we do not recommend using this method more than once and getting the placement revised at the earliest, according to the Emovis tag instructions.
Since one of the main purposes of the tag is to save time, you should not have to stop at the toll plaza barrier. It can also be a potential safety hazard. Vehicles in the tag lane do not expect others to stop and may continue to move, assuming you are on the move too and may cause an accident.
Why Use An Emovis Tag
Whether you are driving your motorhome or renting one in France, Spain or Portugal, you are bound to come across at least one or, in most cases, numerous toll roads during your journey.
If you have an Emovis tag installed in the motorhome, you can avoid stopping at these toll plazas to pay manually at each stop. Your tag allows you to use the Tag lanes, which are much faster and don’t require you to stop and wait in the long cash or card payment queues.
The toll fee will be automatically charged to your account while you enjoy the convenience of hassle-free passage through the toll plaza and avoid the trouble of unnecessary queueing at the usually busy toll plazas on these routes.
What Emovis Tag Do I Need?
Whether you need an Emovis tag for your motorhome, caravan, or any other vehicle, you must apply for a Liber-t tag for use on motorways in France and VIA-T tag for motorways in Spain and Portugal. If you want a tag that works on all three routes, you must get the Liber-t and VIA-T tags.
Considering the proximity, you might be wondering if the Emovis tag can be used in Italy.
It is important to note that the tag you get is restricted to France, Spain, or Portugal, depending on which type of tag you have applied for. Sadly Italy is not an option for the Emovis tag.
Another important consideration is weight and height limitation. You can use an Emovis tag provided your caravan or motorhome is less than 3 metres, and the gross vehicle weight of the towing vehicles or the motorhome does not exceed 3.5 tonnes.
If your vehicle meets the weight and height criteria, you can drive it on any non-restricted lane with a VIA-T or Liber-t indication. Some dedicated Liber-t lanes (class 1 category) have a 2-metre height restriction.
Such lanes are usually present on the toll plaza’s left-hand side, but these routes have other lanes without such height restrictions, so you can use them.
Does An Emovis Tag Save Money?
When you buy an Emovis tag, you will need to pay an application fee of £10 plus tax and a refundable security fee of £20. Additionally, you are required to pay an annual fee of £8. It enables you to avoid the hassle of paying the toll fee manually in euros.
All the toll charges are included and are directly debited in pounds. Thus, while the Emovis tag comes with administrative costs, it saves you from paying for currency conversion expenses on your credit card more than you necessarily have to.
Moreover, if you plan to make a number of trips and expect to use the tag frequently, the administrative costs also do not seem significant. The fact that it enables you to save time and avoid the inconvenience of waiting without having to wait in toll plaza cash or card queues makes it quite appealing to frequent travellers on these routes.
How Long Does The Emovis Tag Last?
When you get an Emovis tag, you do not have to be immediately concerned about its battery life. It is because the battery can easily last for a good 5 to 7 years, depending on the usage and maintenance.
So, if you want your Emovis tag to remain intact and last for long, you must ensure proper care. It is better not to leave the tag in the vehicle for a long time if you do not plan to use it, for instance, when you park the RV in winter.
If you want to check your tag’s batter status, you can do so via the Emovis tag site in your account. You will be informed if your batter is expired or nearing the expiration date.
