Lhe roads of major cities in France have been emptied of a certain number of vehicles, since 1is January 2025. Indeed, Paris, Lyon, Montpellier and Grenoble are applying new traffic restrictions for the most polluting vehicles, classified Crit'Air 3, due to the poor quality of their air. Owners will have to adapt to these new regulations, which are sometimes unclear. We take stock.
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Who is affected by Crit’Air?
The Crit'air sticker, air quality certificate, “allows vehicles to be classified according to their polluting emissions of fine particles and nitrogen oxides”, explains the dedicated site, Certificat-air.gouv.fr. It is compulsory in communities, such as the metropolis of Lyon or Greater Paris, which have established low-emission mobility zones (ZFE-m). There are six levels: the higher the number on the sticker, the more the vehicle pollutes.
ALSO READ ZFE: the government wants to smooth corners, at the risk of inefficiencyIt is mandatory at the front of the vehicle in ZFE-m, and depends on the type of vehicle, its energy type or its age. The process is done online (on the website of the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion) or by mail; the sticker is valid for life. Before the start of the year, Crit'Air 5 vehicles (diesel vehicles registered between 1997 and 2000) and Crit'Air 4 (diesel vehicles dating from 2001 to 2005) were already banned. The Crit'Air 3 concerns gasoline vehicles before 2006 and diesel vehicles before 2011.
The perimeter prohibiting Crit'Air 3, 4 and 5 vehicles
This perimeter is directly set by the metropolises. For Greater Paris, for example, the ban includes 77 municipalities in Île-de-France, within the perimeters delimited by the A86. In Lyon, the decision applies to an area including Lyon, Caluire-et-Cuire, or the sectors of Villeurbanne, Bron and Vénissieux. Each metropolis details, on its appropriate site, the areas concerned, which therefore generally extends several tens of kilometers around these large cities.
Schedules and exemptions
It's quite simple: the ban is effective every day of the week, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Outside of these time slots (on weekends and after 8 p.m., therefore), it is possible to use your vehicle in these areas. Exceptions can, however, be granted: in Paris, for example, those who need to travel during the week can request a ZFE pass from the Métropole du Grand Paris (MGP). It will allow them to travel without time restrictions in the area, 24 days a year.
ALSO READ The police alert the French about Crit'Air sticker scamsThe metropolitan council has also provided for twenty-two exceptions. They particularly concern certain professions (in construction or events, in particular) and people working staggered hours and not having access to public transport. Here again, you must request it on a platform opened by the MGP.
In Strasbourg, the Eurometropolis grants exemptions for vehicles assigned to the transport of dangerous goods and the supply of municipal markets in the territory. Here again, exemptions are examined on a case-by-case basis and the metropolises alone choose the modalities.
Sanctions against Crit'Air 3 vehicles
Prohibited vehicles are liable to a fourth class fine of 68 euros. Nevertheless, 2025 promises to be, for Paris, a year of awareness: there will be no fines for offenders, the Paris council having preferred a year of education. In addition, the automatic controls have not yet been installed. In 2026, when they are deployed, the ax will inevitably fall.
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Kangaroo of the day
Answer
Grenoble will not wait that long and promises an educational period until June 2025. You will then need to have obtained the sticker (which costs 3.81 euros) or, failing that, to have changed vehicle by then to be in the nails.
ALSO READ Lyon Métropole relaxes its ZFE restrictionsThe sticker is now compulsory in around ten cities: Greater Paris, Grenoble, Lyon, Strasbourg, Reims, Rouen, Marseille, Nice, Montpellier, Toulouse and Saint-Étienne. So far, only four municipalities have taken the step of banning Crit'Air 3. The first in a list set to grow?
