Low emission zone Madrid

Important!

Madrid has three environmental zones: Madrid ZBE Centro, Madrid ZBE Eliptica, Madrid ZBE City

Name of the environmental zone: Environmental Zone Madrid ZBE Centro – Spain

Date of entry into effect of the zone: 22-09-2021

Type of environmental zone: Permanent

Not allowed to drive (temporarily): Information currently unavailable

Not allowed to drive (permanently): Vehicle class: car, camper (M1), bus (M2, M3), van (N1), truck (N2, N3), motorbike (L)
Fuel type: diesel, petrol, LPG, LNG, CNG
Euronorm: 0-3 (diesel), 0-2 (petrol)
Sticker/registration/application: Entry only with sticker 0, Eco (M1 cars), C and B (L from 7h-22h)
Note: Foreign vehicles do not need a sticker!

Fines: 200 €

Area/extension of the environmental zone: The Madrid Centro area comprises the 6 districts of Palacio, Universidad, Justicia, Sol, Cortes and Embajadores and covers 472 hectares.
The access to the zone is restricted, except for the roads of Santa Cruz de Marcenado, Mártires de Alcalá, Gran Vía de San Francisco, Bailén, Algeciras, Cuesta Ramón, Ventura Rodríguez and Duque de Liria.

Special features: Temporary exceptions:
without sticker: N2-N3, M2-M3 <18 t for commercial use from 7h-13h (until 31.12.2022)
Sticker B: N1 for commercial use from 7h-13h (until 31.12.2022), N2-N3, M2-M3 <18 t for commercial use from 7h-13h (until 31.12.2024)
Sticker C: N, M2-M3 for commercial use from 7h-15h
ECO sticker: N, M2-M3 for commercial use from 7h-21h

Contact of the environmental zone and exceptions: Information currently unavailable

Exemptions: Residents, Disabled vehicle and Residents and their visitors

Name of the environmental zone: Environmental Zone Madrid ZBE City - Spain

Date of entry into effect of the zone: 01-01-2022

Type of environmental zone: Permanent

Not allowed to drive (temporarily): Information currently unavailable

Not allowed to drive (permanently): Vehicle class: car (M1)
Fuel type: diesel, petrol, LPG
Euronorm: 0-3 (diesel), 0-2 (petrol, LPG)
Sticker/Registration/Application: Entry only with Spanish sticker (only vehicles registered in Spain)

Fines: 200 €

Area/extension of the environmental zone: The Madrid ZBE City environmental zone covers the entire municipality of Madrid.

Contact of the environmental zone and exceptions: Information currently unavailable

Exemptions: Residents, Fire brigade, Military, Vintage car older than 30 years, Police car, Disabled vehicle (registration/application necessary) and Ambulance

Name of the environmental zone: Environmental Zone Madrid ZBE Eliptica - Spain

Date of entry into effect of the zone: 22-12-2021

Type of environmental zone: Permanent

Not allowed to drive (temporarily): Information currently unavailable

Not allowed to drive (permanently): Vehicle class: car, camper (M1), bus (M2, M3), van (N1), truck (N2, N3), motorbike (L)
Fuel type: diesel, petrol, LPG, LNG, CNG
Euronorm: 0-3 (diesel), 0-2 (petrol)
Sticker/registration/application: Entry only with sticker.
Note: Foreign vehicles do not need a sticker!

Fines: 200 €

Area/extension of the environmental zone: The zone is bounded by the following streets: Faro street, Abrantes avenue, Portalegre avenue, Oporto avenue, Antonia Lancha intersection, Santa Lucrecia avenue, Antonio Leyva avenue, Arlanza avenue, Santa María de la Cabeza avenue towards the entrance to Madrid until Capuchinos bridge, Calle Manuel Noya, Cerecinos, Calle Fornillos, Calle Ricardo Beltrán y Rozpide to number 8, Avenida Princesa Juana de Austria in the direction of Madrid, Vía Lusitana junction with Calle Faro via Emperatriz María de Austria Park.

Contact of the environmental zone and exceptions: Information currently unavailable

Exemptions: Residents, Disabled vehicle and Residents and their visitors

Environmental zone ZBE

Do I need stickers or registrations?

To enter the low emission zone, each vehicle concerned needs either a registration (foreigners) or a Distintivo-Ambiental (Spanish vehicles). Otherwise, a fine of 200 euros to 1800 euros must be expected.

The ZBE zones (Zona Baixes Emissions), are fixed zones that can be identified by traffic signs. They are designed to reduce air pollution in Spanish cities quickly and permanently.

A permanent ZBE zone is a zone in which permanent and fixed traffic restrictions apply, such as speed limits and other restrictions, and in which entry is regulated by a system of stickers. Furthermore, in the course of the next few years, stickers may be gradually removed from the system, so that vehicles with these stickers will no longer be able to enter the zones.

The beginning and end of the environmental zones are marked with signs. This shows a red circle as a prohibition sign with the remark Zona Baixes Emissions" (low emission zone).  In addition, there is also a reference to the Distintivo-Ambiental stickers and which entrances are allowed.


In our Green Zones App we have a detailed map of each low emission zone. So you can easily see the boundaries and avoid penalties.

Spain has a total of 7 different environmental zones. These differ in ZBE zones, ZEZ zones and ZPA zones: Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Valladolid, Valencia.


In our Green Zones App we have gathered together all the low emission zones in Europe and presented them clearly.

Good to know...

All current driving bans and further information are available in our Green-Zones App.


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Electromobility is a key building block for more sustainable mobility. Electric cars are considered to be significantly more environmentally friendly than their petrol-guzzling counterparts. However, a recent study by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) shows: Electric cars are not always the more environmentally friendly option. In 2024, a plug-in hybrid, the Toyota Prius Prime SE, will top the list of the most environmentally friendly cars. This is despite the fact that electric cars follow in the next four places.