All You Need to Know About Spain’s Low Emission Zones (ZBE) and Their Importance for Public Health and the Environment

If there is a controversial anti-pollution measure, that is the Low Emission Zones (ZBE). The few that exist (for now) in Spain have not exactly been received with open hands by the drivers. However, it is undeniable that they are missing a lot. Have you never seen the gray and yellow beret that is on our main cities?

Well, think that this air is what you breathe daily if you live in cities like Madrid or Barcelona. The high levels of contamination in many cities represent a very serious public health problem. What’s more, the European Environment Agency points out that air pollution is directly responsible for more than 500,000 premature deaths per year in Europe.

As part of the Anti-Pollution Protocols of the European Union, the LEZs aim at the prevention and protection of the respiratory health of citizens. They focus on reducing the levels of particles such as Carbon Dioxide (CO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) or Nitrogen Oxide (NO_x), highly polluting and harmful particles.

What are the ZBE?

Las Low Emission Zones (ZBE) they are, as stated in the Law 7/2021, of May 20, on climate change and energy transition:

“The area delimited by a public Administration, in the exercise of its powers, within its territory, of a continuous nature, and in which restrictions on access, circulation and parking of vehicles are applied to improve air quality and mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases, according to the classification of vehicles by their level of emissions in accordance with the provisions of the General Vehicle Regulations in force”.

In other words, the delimited areas of the city where restricted access to the most polluting vehicles. These areas can have different sizes, from neighborhoods to entire municipalities. Its main objective is to improve air quality in urban centers, which is why only vehicles that meet the latest emission standards can access it.

As we have already mentioned, LEZs are framed within the anti-contamination protocols of the main European cities. We can find Low Emission Zones of two types:

• Temporary LEZs: the restrictions on the most polluting vehicles are limited to episodes of high pollution. Upon completion, the restrictions are lifted. In these cases we can find multiple restrictive measures (access limitations, speed, parking…).
• Permanent ZBEs: the restrictions on the most polluting vehicles are permanent. For example, the LEZ of Madrid o to Barcelona LEZ. They can be combined with other restrictive measures, such as Residential Priority Areas (APR), which offer facilities for residents; or the Regulated Parking Service (SER).

The key to access LEZs is “the sticker”

One of the main problems we drivers face is that Each City Council has the power to decide the type of vehicles that can circulate through them through Municipal Ordinances. This gives rise to a most varied regulation, with the most heterogeneous restrictions.

The only thing that is common in all LEZs is that the restrictions are established taking into account the DGT environmental badge. As you already know, in Spain we can find four environmental labels. To them is added a specific fifth of the vehicles of carsharing. Let’s see which cars benefit from each of them:

• Badge 0 (blue): battery electric vehicles (BEVs); fuel cell (FCEV); with extended autonomy (REEV) or plug-in hybrids (PHEV) with a minimum autonomy of 40 kilometers.
• ECO badge (blue and green): non-plug-in hybrid (HEV) cars; plug-in hybrids with a range of less than 40 km; models powered by natural gas, compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
• The distinctive C (green): passenger cars and light vans powered by gasoline, registered since January 2006 (EURO 4, 5 or 6) and diesel since 2014 (EURO 6); gasoline or diesel goods transport vehicles, registered since 2014; and motorcycles from the year 2006 (EURO 3 and EURO 4).
• The distinctive B (yellow): passenger cars and light vans powered by gasoline registered from January 2000 (EURO 3 gasoline), or diesel from January 2006 gasoline (EURO 4 or 5); goods transport vehicles, powered by both gasoline and diesel, registered as of 2005; and motorcycles from 2003 onwards (EURO 2).

Normally, the restrictions are established for those vehicles that do not have an environmental label from the DGT.

Penalties for accessing LEZs

Access to LEZs is only allowed to vehicles that meet the best emission standards. If this is not your case and you access a Low Emission Zone (whether by carelessness or treachery), you should know that, after the reform of the Traffic Law that came into force on March 21, 2022, the sanction to the What are you facing? at least 200 euros.

Yes, each municipality has the power to establish the amount of the sanctions. It is also worth knowing that it is the same fine that is applied to those drivers who do not respect the movement restrictions established by the municipalities during episodes of high pollution. And you are not going to get rid, because it is a computerized camera system the one that captures the license plates of the vehicles.

ZBEs in Spain

Until 2022, the LEZs in Spain are limited. The main ones are the LEZ of Madrid and the Barcelona LEZ. To these we can add other temporary Low Emission Zones, only active in episodes of high pollution, present in cities such as Valladolid, Sevilla o Valencia.

We also find three particular LEZs in:

However, from 2023 the LEZs will be extended to a total of 149 Spanish municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants. This is established by the current Law on Climate Change and Energy Transition. It also adds the need for another 410 municipalities with a population of more than 20,000 residents to create their own protocols against air pollution in episodes of high contamination.

Below we show you the towns with more than 50,000 inhabitants that must have a Low Emission Zone from 2023:

Andalusia

• Alcala de Guadaira
• algeciras
• Almeria
• benalmadena
• Cadiz
• Chiclana de la Frontera
• Córdoba
• Two sisters
• the common
• The Port of Santa Maria
• Estepona
• Fuengirola
• Granada
• Huelva
• Jaen
• Jerez de la Frontera
• The Conception Line
• Linares
• Málaga
• Marbella
• Mijas
• Motril
• Roquetas de Mar
• San Fernando
• Sanlucar de Barrameda
• Sevilla
• Torremolinos
• utrera
• Velez Malaga

Aragon

Asturias

• Aviles
• gijon
• Oviedo
• Serum

Cantabria

Castile and Leon

• Avila
• Burgos
• León
• Palencia
• ponferrada
• Salamanca
• Segovia
• Valladolid
• Zamora

Castilla la Mancha

• Albacete
• Real city
• Cuenca
• Guadalajara
• Queen’s Talavera
• Toledo

Catalonia

• Badalona
• Barcelona
• Castelldefels
• Cerdanyola del Vallès
• Cornellà de Llobregat
• El Prat de Llobregat
• Girona
• Granollers
• Hospitalet de Llobregat
• Lleida
• Laziness
• Mataró
• Mollet del Vallès
• Reus
• ruby
• Sabadell
• Sant Boi de Llobregat
• Sant Cugat del Vallès
• Santa Coloma de Gramenet
• Tarragona
• terrace
• Villadecans
• Vilanova and Geltrú

Madrid’s community

• Alcala de Henares
• alcobendas
• alcorcon
• Aranjuez
• Arganda del Rey
• Boadilla del Monte
• Collado Villalba
• Old Apiary
• coslada
• fuenlabrada
• Getafe
• leganes
• Madrid
• Majadahonda
• mostoles
• Speaks
• Pinto
• Alarcon
• Rivas Vaciamadrid
• the rozas
• Saint Sebastian of the kings
• Torrejon de Ardoz
• Valdemoro

Valencian Community

• Alicante
• alcoy
• Benidorm
• Castellon de la Plana
• Elche
• Cook
• Gandia
• Orihuela
• paternal
• Sagunto
• San Vicente del Raspeig
• Torrent
• Torrevieja
• Valencia
• Real Village

Estremadura

Galicia

• A Coruña
• Ferrol
• Lugo
• Ourense
• Pontevedra
• Santiago de Compostela
• Vigo

Balearic Islands

• Calvia
• Ibiza
• Palma de Mallorca

Canary Islands

• Aaron
• Reef
• Abona granadilla
• The Gran Canarian palms
• San Bartolome de Tirajana
• San Cristobal de La Laguna
• Santa Cruz of Tenerife
• Santa Lucia de Tirajana
• Counted

The Rioja

Region of Murcia

• Cartagena
• Lorca
• Molina de Segura
• Murcia

Navarra

Basque Country

• Baracaldo
• Bilbao
• a bit
• irun
• Saint Sebastian
• Vitoria

Ceuta and melilla