ZFE: Which cities have the most polluting cars?

The 11 urban areas already designated as low-emission zones generally have fewer polluting cars, but the explanation mainly lies in wealth.

By 2025, Mobility Low-Emission Zones (ZFE-m) will become mandatory. They will apply to all urban areas with a population over 150,000 inhabitants, which is 43 according to INSEE figures. This measure aims to reduce air pollution, but not all are equally affected.

The Poorest Urban Areas Lead

Some are starting from very far behind, others have already implemented a ZFE and appear at the bottom of the list. This is revealed by Le Parisien in an article based on data from various metropolitan areas and the Ministry of Ecological Transition. At the less favorable end of this ranking are Valenciennes, Mulhouse, and Perpignan, each with more than 40% polluting cars. Here, the most polluting are those falling into Crit’Air categories 3, 4, 5, or unclassified. This criterion is used to gradually exclude these vehicles from ZFEs.

“It is especially important to look at each city individually, within and around these metropolitan areas,” explains Jérôme Fourquet, director of opinion research at Ifop, “the least equipped municipalities in clean vehicles are logically the poorest ones, which are not always located in the most distant suburbs.”

Today, Crit’Air 4 and 5 cars are very minority in France, representing only 9% of the vehicle fleet. Including the most polluting cars not even classified under Crit’Air, which are vehicles manufactured before 1997, the share increases to 12%. However, Crit’Air 3 vehicles, targeted by some urban areas, account for 22.5% of cars. This is respectively 36.5% for Crit’Air 2 and 28% for Crit’Air 1.

Paris the Most “Green” of Current ZFEs, but Others Do Better

It is also noteworthy that the top 17 urban areas, except for Saint-Étienne, have not yet established a ZFE. Among the other 10 with existing ZFEs, each with its own exclusion rules and schedule, they are thus among the least endowed with polluting cars. Paris (29.3%), Rouen, and Lyon (30%) are among the best, but others without ZFE are already performing better: Amiens and Annecy have less than 25% Crit’Air 3 or lower vehicles.

Be careful, because even within a metropolitan area, disparities are striking. In Greater Paris, the 10% of the least wealthy municipalities have 45% of the so-called most polluting cars, compared to 19% in the 10% of the wealthiest municipalities.

Also read: ZFE: a mission to avoid the “high exclusion zone”