Has your city recently introduced a low-emission zone or ZBE? Here’s what you need to know as a driver, including how to get an environmental label for your car.
Over the last few years, cities across Spain have been introducing Low Emission Zones (Zona de Bajas Emisiones or ZBEs in Spanish), which aim to help reduce air pollution in Spain’s urban areas by 2050 and make sure vehicles are cleaner and more sustainable.
They started to be mandatory in 2023 for some municipalities and this year the is the government’s deadline for all cities over 50,000 inhabitants to have one.
This includes places like Girona, Castelldefels and Vilanova I la Geltrú in Catalonia; Torrevieja and Alcoy in Valencia; Murcia city, and Cádiz, Marbella and Mijas in Andalusia. For the full list of towns and cities, which will be obliged to have one this year, click here.
This means that in order to drive in these towns and cities, you will need to make sure your vehicle can get an emissions sticker.
This year, Spain’s Directorate of Traffic (the DGT) has introduced new environmental label classifications for cars. These will integrate Euro regulations to redefine labels and classifications.
The new labels are:
Zero Emissions: These are for the greenest and most sustainable vehicles. 100 percent electric, hydrogen, and plug-in hybrid vehicles that achieve at least 90 kilometres of electric range.
ECO: Plug-in hybrids with less electric range and non-plug-in hybrids, as well as gas vehicles that comply with Euro 6d or higher regulations.
READ ALSO – LISTED: The cities in Spain with new low-emission zones in 2026
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C: This green label is for less polluting vehicles, which do not use any type of renewable energy. They include passenger cars and light vans, registered since 2006 that comply with Euro 6d, as well as diesel vehicles registered since 2015 that comply with Euro 6d-TEMP or Euro 6d. It also includes Euro 3 and Euro 4 motorcycles and mopeds.
B: The yellow B label is for the most polluting cars, which can qualify for a sticker. This includes petrol vehicles with Euro 4, registered from 2001 onwards and diesel vehicles with Euro 6, registered since 2006. It also includes Euro 2 motorcycles and mopeds.
If your car is older and does not meet any of the above criteria, it will belong to group A, which means it doesn’t qualify for a sticker and will have significant restrictions in many cities, and will not be able to drive in low emission zones.
If your car is new and you bought it from a dealership, it will most likely already have the sticker, so you won’t have to get one yourself.
If your vehicle is second-hand or you’ve owned it since before these stickers existed, and you don’t have one yet, you will need to get one.
If your vehicle is registered in another country, you will also not be able to get a sticker.
READ ALSO: Can I get a low-emissions sticker for my car if I’m visiting Spain?
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Where can I can an emissions sticker/environmental label?
The easiest place to get one is your local Correos or Post Office, as well other designated DGT locations.
You can do this either online or in person.
For online go to the following web page and follow the steps to enter your details. It costs €6. You should receive it in 3 or 4 days, but because so many people are applying at once, the system is currently experiencing delays.
You can also go in person to any Correos office and get it right away. You’ll need take your vehicle’s registration document (permiso de circulación) and your ID. Another person can pick up the label at correos even if they aren’t the registered owner of the vehicle as long as they show ID and have the permiso de circulación with them.
Once you have your sticker you’ll be able to move more freely around your city, as well as other towns and cities with ZBEs across the country.
