Is the Ban on Crit’Air 3 Vehicles in Greater Paris’s Low Emission Zone Getting Delayed?

Initially scheduled for last year, the ban on driving cars with Crit’Air 3 stickers in the Grand Paris low-emission zone could be postponed to the end of 2024.

As of today, approximately 380,000 vehicles equipped with a Crit’Air 3 sticker or regarded as such (Note: gasoline vehicles Euro 2, 3 – light vehicles Euro 3, 4 – diesel vehicles Euro 4 – heavy vehicles Euro 5 – biodiesel heavy vehicles Euro 5 – 2-wheelers Euro 2)… should have been permanently banned from the Grand Paris low-emission zone on July 1, 2023, which is a one-year delay compared to the original schedule established in 2018.

Specifically, this ban prevents these “polluting” models from circulating Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Outside of these hours, and during weekends, they can still operate without restrictions.

An additional delay of one and a half years?

Aware that it is the more modest individuals who own these vehicles, and that for now, it is financially impossible for them to invest in more modern (and therefore more expensive) vehicles, Patrick Ollier, President of Greater Paris Metropolis (MGP), is considering postponing this measure to the end of 2024.

During an interview with our colleagues at Le Parisien, Patrick Ollier explained that when this reform was being developed, the very difficult economic and social context faced by the French had not been sufficiently anticipated. He mentions “life problems, suffering among households that cannot afford to buy a vehicle in the current inflation context.”

This delay, if finally adopted, will undoubtedly disrupt the rest of the schedule. Indeed, it is the “Crit’Air 2” cars that were supposed to be banned by 2024. These vehicles might also get an additional extension.

Read also: Low-Emission Zone: Which cities have the most polluting cars?