Nearly 22% of the French automobile fleet is made up of vehicles classified Crit'Air 3, or 8.84 million vehicles, including 1.2 million in Île-de-France alone, according to data from AAA Data.
A ban with exceptions on Crit'Air 3
The deadline has arrived. All classified vehicles Crit'Air 3, i.e. diesels registered before 2011 and gasolines before 2006can no longer move freely in four major metropolises since January 1, 2025. These vehicles are now prohibited from driving from Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.. 79 municipalities in the Greater Paris ZFE are affected, in addition to the center of the capital, as well as the main urban areas of the metropolises of Lyon, Grenoble and Montpellier.
No restrictions planned for weekends and public holidayswhich is already the case for the Crit'Air 4 and Crit'Air 5. A real headache: each metropolis chooses its own exemptions. In Paris, for example, motorists will be able to request a 24-hour pass giving them the right to travel 24 days per year (compared to 12 days initially planned), in addition to public holidays and weekends. HAS Lyonthe lifting of restrictions will be granted depending on the driver's situation (worker, disabled person, etc.).
A period of awareness before sanctions
The local authorities have chosen to favor an educational phase. For the moment, only Paris has given a deadline, set for December 2025. In fact, the checks carried out by the police aim above all to inform and raise awareness among drivers. The first fines, set at 68 euros for light private vehicles and 135 euros for heavy goods vehicles, should only be applied from 2026, i.e. after installation of the new automatic radars.
This transition period will also make it possible to finalize certain systems, as required by the 24-hour Pass in Paris. Also note that all motorists are now required to equip their vehicles with a Crit'Air sticker as soon as they enter a zone classified as ZFEi.e. in all towns with more than 150,000 inhabitants.
