Motorists travelling to Europe warned about emission stickers

Richard Aucock, Contributor
Thu, 17 Aug 2023

Motorists planning to drive in France this summer are being urged to check local air quality regulations and, if needed, buy the correct car windscreen sticker before they go.

Those who fall of the Crit’Air rules face an on-the-spot fine of up to £154 (€180).

There are 12 different cities and areas across France that restrict car movements based on how polluting vehicles are. These are similar to the UK’s Low Emission Zones.

However, unlike the UK, France also requires motorists display the correct Crit’Air Air Quality Sticker (also known as a vignette) on their windscreen.

What’s more, some locations in France are more strict than others.

Local signage clearly shows the colours of Crit’Air stickers required to access particular areas – and the correct sticker required to access them can only be purchased in advance. 

Crit’Air stickers explained

There are six different Crit’Air stickers. The cleanest electric and hydrogen fuel cell cars use green Crit’Air ‘0’ stickers.

The most polluting diesel vehicles use dark grey Crit’Air ‘5’ stickers.

The stickers correlate with the Euro emissions category of the vehicle. A search tool on the French government website lets motorists find the correct sticker for their vehicle.

Two locations, Bordeaux and Clermont-Ferrand, simply require motorists to display the correct sticker for their vehicle.

However, a further 10 locations only permit access to the cleanest vehicles displaying the least polluting stickers.

Confusingly, different areas have different requirements.

Paris is the strictest city. Only cars with Crit’Air ‘0’, ‘1’ or ‘2’ stickers can use certain roads, at certain times.

Aix-Marseille-Provence, Toulouse and Reims only permit vehicles with Crit’Air ‘0’, ‘1’, ‘2’ or ‘3’ stickers.

Motorists who drive a vehicle that’s too polluting, or don’t display a Crit’Air sticker, face a fine of £58 (€68), which rises to £154 (€180) if not paid within 45 days.

Next year, fines will increase up to £640 when camera-based enforcement begins.

Crit’Air stickers need to be ordered in advance from the French government website and displayed on windscreens before motorists leave from France.

They cannot be bought locally.

Each sticker costs around £4 (€4.61) and is valid for the life of the car.

“It’s vital anyone travelling to Europe does their homework to see whether an emissions-based windscreen sticker is needed – and give themselves enough time to order one before their trip,” said RAC Europe spokesman Rod Dennis.

“Drivers visiting cities in other European countries, including Spain, Italy and Switzerland, also need to check whether they’re affected by any low emission zones before embarking on their trips.”

Ask HJ

Where should a Crit'Air sticker be placed?

Official advice is to place the French Crit'Air sticker on the right side of vehicle windscreen but for most UK cars this will impinge more than 40mm into zone B and won't that therefore be an MoT failure?

Placing the Crit' Air sticker in the lower right corner of your windscreen will allow it to be read by the automated systems in France. MoT guidelines state that a vehicle should only be failed if the view is significantly affected, so if the sticker is placed as low down and to the right as possible this should not be an MoT failure.

Answered by David Ross

More Questions