post office multiplied by eight, by nine and even by 10 the sale of environmental stickers of the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) in various provinces last year. Demand grew so much in certain periods that some offices ran out of stock.
The next creation of the low emission zones (LEZs), which should already be in operation since January 1 of this year, has brought hundreds of thousands of drivers to the Post Office windows, one of the points where the DGT distributes its badges. In Ourense, they dispatched 9,874 labels in 2022, compared to 906 the previous year: 989.8% more.
The company’s data is almost as unconscionable in Asturias and Cantabria, with growths of 809% and 695%, respectively. One step below, the increase in the province of Bizkaia was 547%. “There was no general shortage, but the drivers had to be redirected to other offices at times”, acknowledges a source Correos.
sold out stickers
All Spanish cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants were obliged to establish a restricted traffic area to reduce polluting gas emissions. The climate change law, In force since 2021, it required doing so “before 2023”.
And although only 10 municipalities have one or more ZBEs active, and the only mobility ordinances that require displaying the sticker are those of Madrid and Gijón, many drivers have responded by purchasing the DGT environmental label.
Despite the fact that Correos denies having run out of traffic signs Overall, the distribution problem does not seem to be resolved. In Post Office Market, company website, the label is out of stock. “Due to high demand, orders for this product may be delayed,” the site notes.
Where to buy the sticker
On average, the sale of labels in post offices throughout Spain grew last year a 144,7%. The sticker is priced at five euros. This classification mode is the one used in LEZs to restrict or allow vehicles to pass through. Thus, the labeling system distinguishes five categories.
- no label: pre-2001 gasoline and pre-2006 diesel models
- Label B: gasoline registered between January 2001 and 2005, and diesel registered between January 2006 and August 2015
- Label C: gasoline registered from January 2006 and diesel registered from September 2015
- ECO label: hybrids with an electric range of less than 40 kilometers, whether electrified (micro-hybrids, self-recharging hybrids and plug-in hybrids) or gas (LPG or CNG)
- Zero Label: plug-in hybrids with more than 40 kilometers of autonomy and pure electric, including those with extended autonomy.
How to obtain the DGT label?
Since the environmental classification system was launched in 2016, most motorists purchase the DGT sticker at the Post Office. In 2022, this group distributed 745,763 units.
Traffic does not account for the global sale of badges, which can be obtained at various points. Among others, the workshops of the confederation FOURTH, association tire dealers OPEN or the Institute of Automotive Studies (Ideauto).
To find out which badge corresponds to a vehicle, simply enter the license plate in the specific section of the DGT website.
how many cars have tag
With data from the Anfac manufacturer employers’ association, at the end of 2021, in Spain there are almost 30 million vehicles tagged, cars and motorcycles. A third of them (33.2%) do not have a badge: they are the first to stay outside the low emission zones. The rest have labels B or C (31.5% and 32.1%, respectively), ECO (2.7%) and Zero (0.5%).
