After a short break due to, among other things, the Covid episode, Low emission zones (ZFE) will tighten the nuts in 2023 Crit’Air Sketches will become more and more restrictive and this is in 11 existing EPZs and soon a total of 43! So which cars will be targeted then prohibited, in Paris and elsewhere in France? How do you know if your car will soon be roadworthy again? Let’s summarize.
Paris, Reims, Rouen, Toulouse, Montpellier, Grenoble, Strasbourg: ZFEs that are turning the nuts in 2023
The year 2023 will be an important milestone in the strengthening of traffic bans in France. From January 1, there will be a lot of SEZs to tighten the loop. There is no national calendar, so don’t expect readability. But here’s a list of cities that will change things next year, and how much they will change course:
- Big Paris : Crit’Air 3 will be banned from July 1st within the A86 perimeter (a few rare municipalities are exceptions)
- Grenoble : Crit’Air ban 5 on July 1st
- Montpellier : Crit’Air 5 banned on January 1st
- Toulouse : Crit’Air 4 and 5 banned from January 1st
- Reims : Crit’Air 4 banned on January 1st
- Strasbourg: Education phase ends on January 1st, so Crit’Air 5 and NC will be penalized
- Rouen : as in Strasbourg, the end of the educational phase on January 1, which covered Crit’Air 4 and 5
Traffic restrictions: how do you know what applies to your car?
The rules for awarding Crit’Air stickers, which have been fixed for several years, have not changed. But they can stay a little darkin particular because we often talk about a “deadline” for car production, when in fact this is not the rule.
Indeed, your Crit’Air sticker depends primarily on the Euro standard of your engine. For example, to benefit from Crit’Air 5 you must be at least Euro 2, Euro 3 for Crit’Air 4, then the distribution depends on whether you drive diesel or petrol. For gasoline, Euro 2 and 3 correspond to Crit’Air 3, Euro 4 to Crit’Air 2, and Euro 5 and 6 to Crit’Air 6. For diesel, it is Euro 4 3 for Crit’Air and Euro 5 and 6 for Crit Air 2.
To find out the Euro standard of your car, there is nothing easier: it is indicated on your car gray card. Meet in category V9it should be mentioned there.
Compared to the sometimes presented system related to the year of manufacture, the subtlety is that sometimes you will be entitled good surprise. Indeed, some manufacturers have homologated their engines on the eve of the deadlines for compliance with Euro standards. For example, a petrol Renault Clio II 2003 1.4 16V or 1.6 16V was Euro 4 approved. But the ZFE often talks about a 2006 date that will serve as a stopgap for awarding the Crit’Air 2 sticker. The Clio is much older, but still eligible.
In short, complicated in theory, but quite simple in the end. Consult your gray card to make sure.
Which cars does this apply to in 2023?
As you understand, it is difficult to make a list all models are prohibited in each EPZ. But you can cross-reference the information in the first two paragraphs to see if you’ll be eligible to travel to your city in 2023. For example, in the metropolis of Greater Paris, Crit’Air 3 will be banned from July. As a result, petrol cars with Euro 2 and 3 standards (before the mid-2000s) and diesel cars with Euro 4 standards (late 2000s) will no longer be able to drive at normal times.
For more information on this topic, see the full journal article Auto Plus #1778from 30.09.2022.
Source: Auto Plus
Robert is an experienced journalist who has been covering the automobile industry for over a decade. He has a deep understanding of the latest technologies and trends in the industry and is known for his thorough and in-depth reporting.