European travel --- Crit'Air sticker and 2023 rule changes

rod_vw

Active member
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For those intending to travel into France and Germany the following may be worth reading...

Extract from Motorhoming France website...

In 2023, several French cities will tighten their traffic rules in their low emission zones (ZFE). Eleven cities will ban vehicles classified as Crit'Air 5, or even Crit'Air 4 for some of them.

In France, diesel & petrol vehicles are increasingly subject to traffic restrictions . Each vehicle must display a “Crit'Air” sticker indicating its category of greenhouse gas emissions. The category goes from 0 to 6 depending on the year of production of the vehicle and the type of fuel used. “0” ‘vignettes’ are assigned to electric or hydrogen vehicles, whilst “5” stickers are granted to diesel vehicles registered between 1997 and 2000. Go to the 'Useful Info' page for more info or you can check in which category your vehicle falls by doing an online simulation on the government website.

Compulsory for driving in town , Crit'Air vignettes are also essential during pollution peaks . More recently, we have seen the appearance of Low Emission Zones (ZFE) in most major French cities. These are areas (generally town centres) where car traffic is limited and reserved for the least polluting vehicles . According to the regulations, it is the highest Crit'Air who do not have the right of way. This is to reduce the circulation of the most polluting vehicles, in order to protect air quality and the well-being of local residents. For this year, 2023, the municipalities that will be changing their regulations are:

  • Metropolis of Lyon : ban on Crit'Air 5 vehicles. The system of fines (€68) begins on January 1 , 2023.
  • Greater Paris : ban on Crit'Air 4. Crit'Air 3 will be banned on July 1 , 2023.
  • Grenoble : ban on Crit'Air 5
  • Marseille : ban on Crit'Air 5. Crit'Air 4 will be banned on September 1 , 2023.
  • Montpellier : ban on Crit'Air 5
  • Nice : ban on Crit'Air 5
  • Reims : ban on Crit'Air 4
  • Rouen : ban on Crit'Air 5
  • Saint-Étienne : ban on Crit'Air 5
  • Strasbourg : ban on Crit'Air 5
  • Toulouse : ban on Crit'Air 4
For more info please visit the linked websites in the above text.

Don't get caught out by the expensive sites selling environmental stickers!

Order a German Umweltplakette from Online-Antrag Feinstaubplakette - Berlin.de where you will only pay 5.95€

Likewise the French Crit'Air sticker should be ordered from Le site officiel de la vignette Crit'Air (certificat qualité de l'air) - Ministère de la Transition écologique and will cost you the princely sum of 4.61€

Both of those sites will post the sticker to your UK address.
 
Cheers Rod.
Good post.

I’ve already got the German sticker and I’ve just applied for the French one
 
How long does it last, is it a yearly thing?
French one pretty quick and lasts the lifetime of the van (unless you change the registration plates) and when you purchase it on line you will receive a confirmation email which also acts as legal confirmation that you have purchased the sticker so you can travel with just that if you need to.
 
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