Madrid ZBE comes into force from 1 January and these are its restrictions

On 1 January 2022, the Madrid Low Emission Zone will come into force, a measure that will bring a major change, especially for those who own a car without a DGT environmental label, whose mobility will be restricted in order to reduce pollution in the capital.

The implementation of these measures will be carried out gradually, with the aim of turning the city into a low emission zone by 2025, when all vehicles without an environmental label will be banned from circulating, with no exceptions.

To clear up all your doubts, we will detail how these restrictive measures will be applied, who they affect, who is exempt and what the penalties will be.

Phases of the Madrid ZBE restrictions

First, the first phase, which will come into force from 1 January, will prohibit vehicles without an environmental label from circulating within the area inside the M-30 ring road, i.e. petrol vehicles meeting Euro 3 standards or earlier and diesel vehicles meeting Euro 4 standards or earlier.

It is important to point out that this restriction will only affect vehicles that are not registered in the municipality, or in other words, that do not pay the capital’s circulation tax. So if your vehicle is registered to a postcode other than “280XX”, it will not be allowed to circulate.

For the time being, these restrictions will only affect passenger cars, as commercial vehicles, motorcycles and mopeds will be exempt.

In the case of vehicles with B and C labels, they will be able to circulate without any kind of limitation except in Madrid Distrito Centro and Plaza Elíptica, where entry will only be allowed to park in a public car park or if authorised as residents. Vehicles with ECO and ZERO labels will be able to circulate freely.

The second phase of restrictions will begin on 1 January 2023, and from then on, all vehicles without a label that are not registered in the capital (as we have already explained) will also be unable to circulate on the M-30.

The third phase will begin on 1 January 2024, when vehicles without a label and, again, not registered in the capital, will be prohibited from entering all urban public roads in the municipality of Madrid.

From 2025, with no exceptions

Finally, the fourth phase will come into force on 1 January 2025, when all vehicles without an environmental label, whether or not they are registered in Madrid, will be prohibited from circulating within the area inside the M-30, the M-30 itself and the other roads in the municipality.

Who will be exempt

In addition to commercial vehicles, motorcycles and mopeds, historic vehicles, adapted vehicles, emergency vehicles and the armed forces will also be allowed to circulate throughout the municipality.

To warn those who are not aware, Madrid City Council has set a two-month warning phase (until 20 March), during which the new ZBE cameras will not issue fines, but an informative letter will be sent.

However, although the cameras will not issue fines, there will be checks by mobility agents who may issue penalties in case of non-compliance with the ordinance, with fines of 90 euros for a minor offence. This amount will rise to 200 euros from 21 March, when the offence will be considered serious.