Fighting transport-related air pollution

Clean urban public transport

Towards less polluting vehicles: Euro standards

The Euro standards come from European regulation designed to limit atmospheric pollutant emissions from light and heavy vehicles in circulation.

Since their introduction in 1992, these rules have been updated several times. The latest version, Regulation (EU) 2024/1257, known as Euro 7, concerns type approval for motor vehicles and engines, and covers emissions as well as battery durability.

In its Euro 7 version, the regulation establishes rules for exhaust emissions from road vehicles, while also covering other emission sources such as tyre abrasion and brake particle emissions. It also introduces battery durability requirements.

Introducing low-emission mobility zones

Air pollution is responsible for a significant public-health burden every year. To address nitrogen dioxide and fine-particle pollution linked to transport, legislation has created a framework for local zones designed to improve air quality.

These low-emission mobility zones are implemented progressively according to air-pollution levels. Their purpose is to limit circulation by the most polluting vehicles in areas where regulatory air-quality thresholds are regularly exceeded.

In practice, affected metropolitan areas are grouped into two types of territory: those that meet air-quality thresholds and those that do not.

Areas that do not meet thresholds: low-emission mobility zones

Urban areas that regularly exceed regulatory air-quality thresholds are treated as low-emission mobility zones. These areas must follow restriction schedules that progressively limit the circulation of the most polluting vehicles.

These rules aim to reduce local pollutant exposure while accelerating the transition to lower-emission transport.

Areas that meet thresholds: vigilance territories

Urban areas that meet regulatory air-quality thresholds remain vigilance territories:

  • For areas that have not yet introduced restrictions, the baseline obligation is to restrict the oldest and most polluting passenger cars, vans and heavy vehicles by the required implementation dates.
  • For areas where low-emission zones already exist, minimum restrictions have generally already been introduced or planned, so no additional strengthening is required beyond the current framework.

Vehicle access in these zones is controlled through air-quality classification certificates. Vehicles are classified by pollution level: the higher the certificate number, the more polluting the vehicle is considered under European standards. Non-compliance can lead to fixed penalties, with higher penalties for buses, coaches and heavy goods vehicles.

For classification tables covering light vehicles, heavy vehicles, two- and three-wheelers and quadricycles, consult the official air-quality certificate reference.