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These are the Spanish cities that will have Low Emission Zones in 2024

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Some of the biggest cities in Spain are also tightening restrictions on polluting vehicles

These are the Spanish cities that will have Low Emission Zones in 2024

With the arrival of the new year, many Spanish cities will begin to redouble their efforts to establish Low Emission Zones or ZBEs (‘Zonas de Bajas Emisiones’ in Spanish), which are areas of the urban centre where vehicles without an environmental sticker are prohibited. Furthermore, many regions are set to increase their restrictions on polluting vehicles even further.

Low Emission Zones are part of the Climate Change and Energy Transition Law approved by the Spanish government in 2021 which seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality in city centres by limiting access to the most polluting cars.

They also form part of Spain’s commitment to the 2015 Paris Agreement, and its objective of progressively implementing clean and sustainable transport by 2050.

Which cities are affected?

Technically, since the beginning of last year, all municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants, which encompasses 149 cities and large towns, should have started implementing ZBEs. Furthermore, Low Emission Zones are required in regions with more than 20,000 residents but which exceed the maximum pollution levels.

However, following many complaints from regional governments about the tight time frame for such a big restructuring job, the Ministry for Ecological Transition gave many municipalities an 18-month extension on January 1, 2023.

Madrid and Barcelona was at the forefront of the environmental changes and set up their zones before it was even mandatory, as did Pontevedra in Galicia. Since then, several other cities have followed suit, including Sevilla, Córdoba, A Coruña, Badalona, Pamplona, Zaragoza, Estepona and La Línea de la Concepción, while the Madrid municipalities of Rivas-Vaciamadrid and Torrejón de Ardoz have recently joined the list.

On the other hand, many other regions are still in the planning phase and currently developing their Low Emission Zones, presumably with the aim of having them up and running sometime in 2024.

These include Lugo, Valladolid, Bilbao, Girona, Cáceres, Málaga, Melilla, Palma de Mallorca and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, among others.

What’s new in 2024?

The new year has also brought some significant changes to the cities that have already implemented Low Emission Zones.

In Madrid, as of January 1, vehicles without an environmental label won’t be allowed to drive anywhere in municipality. Exceptions include trucks, vans, motorcycles and mopeds, vehicles registered and domiciled in Madrid for the DGT, vehicles belonging to people with reduced mobility and classical cars.

To allow people get used to the changes, the new rules will be gradually introduced and drivers won’t initially be fined.

In Barcelona, cars without a sticker will be banned from driving in ZBEs on weekdays between 7am and 8pm.

You can check which cities have implemented their Low Emission Zones, as well as those in the process of establishing them, on the website of the Ministry for Ecological Transition.

To find out which environmental label your car should have, simply go to the DGT website and enter your licence plate number.

Find all the latest motoring and transport news here or join our Driving in Spain Facebook group for regular updates

Image: DGT

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