Low Emission Zones and Spain's car fleet

The Low Emission Zones (ZBE) are geographical areas established in Spain with the aim of reducing pollution levels in the different cities. These zones restrict the circulation of vehicles that emit high levels of pollutants, such as old diesel cars or those that do not meet the established emission standards.

New ZBE restrictions

In Spain, last January 1st the regulation came into force requiring cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Seville or Valencia, among others with more than 50,000 inhabitants, to have restricted zones for the most polluting vehicles. Traffic restrictions in ZBEs may also affect drivers of commercial transport vehicles that do not comply with the restrictions. Furthermore, in Madrid, cars without a label will be prohibited from entering and circulating on the urban public roads inside the M30, including the M30 itself.

ZBEs are designed to improve air quality and reduce people’s exposure to substances harmful to health, such as nitrogen dioxide and suspended particles. In addition, these zones also aim to promote sustainable mobility, reduce the impact on climate change and reduce dependence on private transport, in favour of public transport, cycling or walking.

The standards of restrictions may vary depending on the city and the type of ZBE established, but generally the entry of diesel vehicles registered before 2006 and petrol vehicles registered before 2000 is prohibited. That is why you should be careful if you drive through any of these zones with a car that does not comply with the restrictions, as you will probably end up receiving an economic penalty.

Neutral In Motion

The association Circulo Neutral in Motion (NIM), which brings together the main automotive and vehicle associations in Spain such as AEDIVE, AER, ANESDOR, ANFAC, ASCABUS, FACONAUTO, FENEVAL, GANVAM and SERNAUTO, places the average age of the car fleet at 13.9 years, two years above the European average and well above countries such as Germany, with an average of 9.8 years, or the United Kingdom, with an average of 9.4 years.

According to data obtained at year-end, NIM estimates that around 29.5% of all Spanish passenger cars are vehicles without an environmental label or are off-road vehicles. On the other hand, only 0.9% of vehicles carry the 0 label and 4% carry the ECO label. These data indicate that there is still a high percentage of vehicles that do not meet emission standards and therefore do not have access to Low Emission Zones.

NIM points out that nearly 7.5 million cars, 30% of the Spanish car fleet, are more than 20 years old and are polluting more than 35 million new cars, since, as the company states, an old car pollutes more than five new ones. That is why the NIM automotive industry proposes measures and solutions that encourage the renewal of the car fleet.

Among these measures, they propose direct aid for the purchase of new vehicles or vehicles under 5 years old, as well as a reform of automotive taxation, replacing the circulation tax with a new usage tax. They also propose tax exemptions for companies and self-employed workers who purchase zero-emission vehicles. If these measures are not achieved, the current trend of ageing of the Spanish car fleet would continue and inclusive mobility would be limited.

NIM assures that it is committed to the decarbonisation objectives set by Europe