Private radar cars: Dexter and mobile speed cameras on French roads in 2026

They are appearing in ever greater numbers on roads across France.

Drivers are already familiar with fixed speed cameras: they are signposted and, in most cases, easy to anticipate. Over the past few years, however, another approach has been rolled out on mainland France’s road network: mobile speed camera cars.

How private mobile speed camera cars operate

The aim is to contract out part of road speed enforcement to private operators. These staff are not police officers, but they drive continuously in unmarked vehicles. Their route is dictated by GPS, and the radar checks happen automatically whenever a nearby motorist fails to comply with the speed limit.

Vehicles that earn the State a fortune with private radar cars

Le Journal du Geek has listed the 12 models most commonly used in 2026 as private radar cars:

• Renault Captur
• Citroën C5 Aircross
• Dacia Sandero
• Dacia Duster
• Peugeot 308
• Peugeot 508
• Ford Focus
• Ford Mondeo
• Volkswagen Golf
• Volkswagen Passat
• Seat Leon
• Skoda Octavia

Naturally, this is not an exact science, and it certainly does not mean that every vehicle of these types is fitted with radar equipment. Only a very small share of the overall fleet is actually equipped. When it is, our colleague notes that the device used is a Gatso Millia unit. This system can record the speed of vehicles that the car passes or meets while both are moving, in both directions of travel.

In the same way, the equipment automatically photographs offences and sends the information to a processing centre. The driver therefore makes no judgement about any infringement; they simply drive the vehicle.

Dexter: the latest discreet infra-red radar cars in France

By way of reminder, we covered last year the French State’s initiative known as Dexter. It is a new generation of radar cars that circulate unobtrusively on roads across mainland France. Operated by private companies, these vehicles use infra-red radars that can capture offences without producing any visible flash. As a result, they are almost impossible for motorists to detect.

Over the past five years, their deployment has expanded to almost every region, with the exception of the Île-de-France region and Corsica. Each car brings in close to 19400 a0a0€ in annual revenue, and there are around 300 of them at the start of 2026. Dexter has therefore become both a deterrent and a lucrative tool for the State. You can find further details in our previous article.