< Show all posts

Spain: new low emission zones, new signs

By 2023, many cities in Spain will have to introduce low emission zones by law. Both domestic and foreign vehicles are affected. A new traffic sign is now to mark the environmental zones in a uniform and clearly recognisable way.

Every Spanish city with more than 50,000 inhabitants will have to introduce an environmental zone from 2023. This affects about 150 cities. Some cities with populations between 20,000 and 50,000 could also be affected if air pollution levels in the area are too high.

Along with these new zones, the Spanish government has introduced a new traffic sign to mark the environmental zones uniformly throughout the country. It is a white sign with a red circle depicting a car with a cloud of exhaust fumes. Attached to the bottom of the sign are pictures of the Spanish environmental stickers that are still allowed to enter the respective zone.

However, these environmental stickers are only for domestic vehicles. Vehicles registered in Spain are therefore assigned a sticker depending on the Euro standard and fuel type of the vehicle. Foreign vehicles do not receive a sticker, but must register for a fee before entering an environmental zone. Only vehicles that comply with the rules of the zone can be registered. In Barcelona, for example, Euro standards 0 to 2 for petrol vehicles and 0 to 3 for diesel vehicles are excluded.

Environmental zones in the popular holiday destination Spain will therefore increase significantly in the coming years. It is not yet known what rules the zones will have. What is clear, however, is that a lot will change for local drivers and tourists. It is therefore worthwhile to be well informed and to have a sticker or all the necessary registrations before entering in order to avoid high fines.

Of course, you can find the new Spanish environmental zones and their rules in the Green-Zones app, so that you always have an overview.