Environment minister Christophe Béchu has announced that there will be a major expansion of the zones à faibles émissions, known as ZFE, that will see certain types of vehicle banned from town and city centres by 2025.
These zones already exist in 11 French cities but by the end of 2025, they will be compulsory for any town that has more than 150,000 inhabitants. In total, this is about 40 towns and cities. Local authorities in smaller towns can also create ZFEs if they choose.
In addition to this, enforcement will be stepped up, moving away from police making traffic stops, to camera monitoring and fines of up to €750 and will commence in the second half of 2024.
The system works via the Crit’Air stickers – a sticker that every vehicle entering a ZFE must display, which assigns the vehicle a number based on how polluting it is from 0 (electric vehicles) to 5 (older diesel vehicles). Vehicles with 4 and 5 stickers are then banned from certain areas (usually the city centre) or limited to certain times. The exact details of the restrictions are up to local authorities, who also have the power to extend the limits.
These mandatory stickers are required for all vehicles, including those with a non-French registration, and must be ordered in advance of your trip, click https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr for details of ordering.
At present, enforcement of ZFEs depends on police making traffic stops, however Béchu announced that automated systems will be brought in to monitor the system and issue fines.