If you need to buy a Crit’Air sticker this year, be aware that its price will increase slightly in 2025. We’ll explain everything to you!
Low emission zones (ZFE) reached a major milestone on January 1, 2025. This system, already in place in several large cities for several years, has now been greatly extended and strengthened, affecting a considerable number of motorists and vehicles across France. And inevitably, this has difficulty getting through to drivers, who are sometimes trapped and who can no longer even get to their place of work with their car. And for good reason, several million are now considered too polluting and are prohibited from driving in major French cities.
Even stricter EPZs
In fact, since January 1, all urban areas of more than 150,000 inhabitants must establish a low emissions zone. This concerns a large number of cities which were until now spared from this regulation. Consequently, petrol or diesel vehicles registered before 1997 are strictly prohibited from driving in these areas. These old models, although representing a reduced share of the automobile fleet, are often present in rural areas or used by modest motorists who do not have the means to renew their car.
For pioneering cities such as Paris, Lyon, Grenoble and Montpellier, the measures are even stricter. Since January 1, vehicles classified as Crit”Air 3 have in turn been banned. These vehicles include diesels registered before 2011 and gasolines dating from before 2006. This decision impacts a significant portion of motorists, given the popularity of these models within the French automobile fleet According to figures, nearly 8.84 million vehicles, representing approximately 21% of the national automobile fleet, are affected by these new restrictions.
A rising price
The key tool for enforcing these new rules, which are even stricter than before, remains the Crit’Air sticker. This sticker, mandatory for driving in ZFEs, classifies vehicles according to their level of pollutant emissions, on a scale from 1 to 5, with an “unclassified” category for the oldest vehicles. It constitutes the essential passport to access these areas. However, this much-criticized sticker is obviously not free, and its price increased slightly in 2025. The cost increased from 3.77 to 3.81 euros for shipping to mainland France, and from 4.76 to 4. 91 euros for international shipments.
A modest but significant increase in a context of a general increase in motorists’ spending and especially in decline in their purchasing power. While EPZs aim to reduce air pollution and improve the quality of life of residents, they are not without controversy. Many motorists, particularly the most modest, criticize these measures, considering them discriminatory. Indeed, not everyone has the financial means to invest in a new vehicle or even in a low-emission model.
Local authorities, for their part, are trying to put in place aid to support the most affected households, but these measures sometimes remain insufficient.
Source: www.autoplus.fr
