The new change in sanctions on polluting vehicles in Madrid changes the criteria with which fines will be imposed within the capital. The limits announced by the José Luis MartÃnez-Almeida City Council in response to European air quality requirements were aimed at prohibiting the circulation of any tourism without an environmental label (type A) throughout the city from January 1, 2025. . But this Thursday, the Mobility delegate Borja Carabante advanced the relaxation of a rule that came into force in just 20 days: in 2025 there will be no fines for domiciled vehicles and the exemptions will be extended to the rest.
The number of vehicles affected by the moratorium on the measure, which unless new modifications will come into force in 2026, is not defined. Parties like Vox speak of 400,000 affected, although the official figures from the City Council are much lower: of a list of subscribers to the Regulated Parking Service (SER) that amounts to just over 219,000 vehicles, only 19,801 lack a label. That is, 9% of the total number of cars registered in areas with parking meters.
But this change does not imply the end of the restrictions in Madrid, it only makes them partially more flexible. For this reason, at Somos Madrid we prepare a guide on the status of the limitations, the dates or the possible doubts that may arise about this complex regulation.
What vehicles are prohibited from entering Madrid?
All passenger vehicles with environmental classification A of the following categories: 00 (unspecified), 02 (family) and 33 (off-road).
The measure applies from July 1, 2024, although only non-resident cars are fined. That is, those that are not domiciled in the city of Madrid in the Vehicle Registry and are not registered in the Tax Register on Mechanical Traction Vehicles (IVTM) of the Madrid City Council. Starting January 1, 2025, residents with A-label cars will receive notices ahead of the expected application of economic sanctions in 2026.
What are the restricted areas?
The entire municipal area of ​​the capital, also called Madrid Low Emissions Zone (Madrid ZBE). That is, the restriction on circulation covers all the streets of its 21 districts.
From what date are there fines?
The restrictions have been progressively implemented and since January 1, 2024, A cars not domiciled in the city have been prohibited from circulating. But the Madrid City Council did not turn on the cameras until last February, so it gave a notice period without fines that ended on June 30, 2024 for non-residents. Therefore, automatic fines for violators began on July 1, 2024 for passenger cars not registered in Madrid capital.
On January 1, 2025, the sanctions were going to apply to vehicles registered in the city, so from that date no car with environmental classification A could circulate. However, the City Council has implemented a grace period of at least twelve months
How is compliance monitored?
Through fixed cameras. The municipal government has deployed hundreds of them throughout the city, especially at the entrances and exits of the main roads. These devices read the license plate numbers of each car, compare it with their database and automatically send the corresponding fines.
We provide a list of all the cameras here and the location map of all the devices is published in the municipal Geoportal.
How much are the fines?
The penalties for accessing a Low Emissions Zone without permission amount to 200 euros, which the Madrid City Council allows to be reduced to 100 in the case of prompt payment. The fines automatically arrive at the offender’s home, several days after the improper entry has occurred.
Are there any other additional restrictions in Madrid?
Yes, in addition to Madrid ZBE, there is another low emissions zone with additional limits on vehicles. This is the Central District Special Protection Low Emissions Zone (ZBEDEP Central District), where only resident vehicles and those with an ECO or Zero environmental label can enter.
Will any A car be able to circulate in Madrid from 2025 without receiving warnings?
Until now there were only three permanent exceptions, which cover very few passenger cars:
- Vehicles specially adapted to be driven by or transport people with reduced mobility as long as they are registered in the Madrid Low Emissions Zone access management system and display the respective TEPMR.
- Vehicles registered as historical in the DGT Vehicle Registry in accordance with the Regulations on historic vehicles.
- Emergency vehicles dedicated to extinguishing fires.
The municipal Executive has expanded these exceptions with the modification of the regulations. Unlike the previous three, in the three new cases (which will be applied permanently and not only in 2025) it will be necessary to request authorization through a process to be specified, since they are not applied by default. The new exemptions are:
- Owners of A vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tons, if they are self-employed (or sole proprietorships) who are 59 years old in 2025, or older.
- Holders of A vehicles or family members who need it for transportation to medical and hospital centers to undergo hospital treatments (does not include consultations).
- Temporary access to vehicles A will be allowed for those people who have purchased a new low-emission vehicle, but who for manufacturing reasons have not yet received it.
Why are these restrictions applied (and why are their relaxations announced)?
The measure arose to reduce pollution in Madrid. The capital had to present a plan to the European Union to try to comply with the limits imposed from Brussels, which ensure better quality of the air that all Madrid residents breathe. The planned restrictions avoided a community fine for Spain for having exceeded these limits.
A vehicle with environmental classification A, according to its polluting potential, emits on average for the municipality of Madrid 1.6 times more gases than a vehicle with environmental classification B; 7.2 times more than a vehicle with environmental classification C and 47 times more than a vehicle with environmental classification ECO. Of the 800,000 vehicles that entered the city of Madrid daily before the restrictions, 114,000 were without labels (14.25%).
One of the arguments with which the City Council justifies the moratorium for residents in 2025 is the substantial improvement in air quality in Madrid since restrictions on road traffic began to be applied. The latest, recorded in October, show a significant decrease in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution data from all stations in the city. The Annual Limit Value (ALV) has fallen significantly compared to that registered during the same period in 2023.
The stations were below 29 μg/m3 (the current limit set by Europe is 40 μg/m3) and nine of the 24 stations would comply with the new European directive that will apply from 2030, which establishes a maximum of 20 μg/m3.
More information
If you still have doubts, click on this link. It will take you to an official Madrid City Council website where you can enter your license plate number and obtain a personalized explanation of the restrictions.
#Guide #limits #Madrid #cars #environmental #label #notices #sanctions #residents #fines #rest
