Fines, Crit'Air sticker, 6,000 vehicles banned… We explain to you what changed this January 1 in Lille

The European Metropolis of Lille (MEL) has been planning its transition to a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) for five years. Since January 1, 2025, it has been done: the 95 municipalities of the MEL are officially subject to this ZFE, which concerns approximately 6,290 vehicles. On the motorist side, consumer associations denounce “an unnecessary measure”.

Since January 1, 2025, the European Metropolis of Lille (MEL) has officially moved into a Low Emission Zone (LEZ). A five-year-old project, which has become a real soap opera for the inhabitants and political entities of the Lille region.

While the ZFE project was under consultation in Lille since 2019, theThe Climate and Resilience Law published in 2021 made it possible to accelerate the process, by requiring towns with more than 150,000 inhabitants to create this ZFE before January 1, 2025.

In Nord-Pas-de-Calais, the MEL is the only urban community to have adopted the measure. The five other areas affected by the Climate Law (Douais, Lens-Liévin (the CALL), Valenciennes, Dunkerque (the CUD), and Béthune-Bruay-Artois-Lys Romane (CABBALR)) have not skipped the cap. It is therefore not yet compulsory to have a Crit'Air sticker to travel in these municipalities.

In Lille and in the 95 municipalities of the MEL, on the contrary, several changes took place this Wednesday. Crit'Air sticker, perimeter of the ZFE, exceptions, prohibited cars… Measures that must now be respected to avoid the fine upon entering the urban area.

From now on, so-called “unclassified” vehicles will no longer be able to circulate in the metropolis of Lille. These are vehicles registered before January 1, 1997 (except two and three motorized wheels), which have not received a Crit'Air sticker due to their old age. Across the MEL in 2025, the vehicles concerned number 6,290.

According to the MEL press release published this Wednesday: “For all vehicles, the Crit'Air sticker is compulsory to circulate throughout the metropolitan territory, permanently, 7 days a week and 24 hours a day, as it was already during episodes of pollution peaks.“

From January 1, 2025, all vehicles must therefore have a Crit'Air sticker, whether Crit'Air 1 or Crit'Air 5, to drive through the Lille metropolitan area.

The ZFE applies on the 95 municipalities of the European Metropolis of Lille, as well as the so-called structuring network, namely the A1, the A25, the A22, the A27, the A23, the N227, the N356, the N41 and the N47.

Sanctions can range from a fine of 68 euros for light vehicles to 135 euros for heavy goods vehicles.

Several exceptional situations may allow motorists to continue to borrow their vehicle despite the establishment of a ZFE in Lille. Among them: vehicles carrying a collectible mobility inclusion card, vehicles used as part of events or public demonstrations, specific vehicles (refrigerator, concrete mixer, skip, tanker, etc.), association vehicles civil security, exceptional convoys and specialized self-propelled vehicles (tractors, caravans, etc.).

Other cases may lead to exceptional exemptions, but only after submitting a request to the MEL: if your vehicle does less than 8,000 km over the year, if you are a motorist and you have a Pass Pass card with a monthly or annual subscription, if your vehicle over 30 years old is linked to a commercial activity or if you are a non-sedentary itinerant trader.

“For us the ZFE is useless.“Obviously, the establishment of a zone where all motorists owning a vehicle that pollutes too much will no longer be able to travel as they wish, is still debated in the MEL. The Automobile Club du Nord, an association which defends the rights of drivers , took up this issue several years ago and points out the mobility problem that ZFEs impose on individuals as well as professionals.

Socially this measure is serious. Elderly people who own old cars, people who don't have enough money to change them, those who drive vintage cars… All of these people will no longer be able to drive in the MEL at all.

Philippe Dutrieu, president of the Automobile Club du Nord

Remember that the Low Emission Zone is a measure introduced to try to reduce the number of cars in the city and, thus, to reduce the pollution that persists in metropolises. But Philippe Dutrieu makes it known that “France has observed a clear reduction in pollution over the past 30 years“which has also led the public authorities to not”toughen the EPZs only in Lyon and Paris“. “Initially in Lille we wanted to ban cars with stickers 4 and 5. It would have been 33 000 cars affected (which amounts to 5% of the MEL vehicle fleet, Editor’s note). We are happy that this decision was not adopted but there is still a dysfunction.“