Driving in Paris

France: 1 scheme to know about before you drive in.

The short answer for Paris

Paris has one driving restriction on our books: the Zone à Faibles Émissions métropolitaine (ZFE) (low emission zone). What is a low emission zone?

What it means for your car

Petrol or LPG. Petrol cars first registered before 2006 are restricted, because they fall into Crit'Air 3 or worse. Crit'Air 2 covers petrol and hybrid cars from 2006 to 2010, and Crit'Air 1 covers petrol cars from 1 January 2011 onwards.
Diesel. Diesel cars first registered before 2011 are restricted, because they fall into Crit'Air 3 or worse. Crit'Air 2 covers diesel cars from 1 January 2011 onwards; Crit'Air 3 is diesel from 2006 to 2010, Crit'Air 4 diesel from 2001 to 2005, and Crit'Air 5 diesel from 1997 to 2000.

Sources last read on 2026-09-02, from Métropole du Grand Paris. The next scheduled check is 2026-12-01.

The schemes, one by one

• Zone à Faibles Émissions métropolitaine (ZFE) Low emission zone

  Greater Paris runs a low emission zone covering 77 communes. To drive in it you must display a Crit'Air sticker — and you need one even if you only park there during restricted hours. Since 1 January 2025 Crit'Air 3 vehicles are restricted too, which means diesel cars registered before 2011 and petrol cars before 2006.

  Enforcement is still in an educational phase: until 31 December 2026 checks are occasional and informative.

Driving to Paris?

Starting from

Check the route to Paris

Lists the schemes on the road you would take, and when you would reach them.

Before you set off

France also has a national requirement

• Certificat qualité de l'air (vignette Crit'Air)Every vehicle class the nomenclature covers — cars, two-wheelers, tricycles and quadricycles, light commercial vehicles and heavy vehicles including buses and coaches. The class depends on the vehicle type, its engine and its Euro emission standard, and once assigned it is valid for the whole life of the vehicle.

This is owed on the country's roads, not inside this scheme. What France asks, with the source

Other cities in France

• Rouenabout 112 km away, 1 verified scheme
• Angersabout 265 km away, 1 verified scheme
• Nancyabout 281 km away, 1 verified scheme
• Rennesabout 307 km away, 1 verified scheme
• Nantesabout 343 km away, 1 verified scheme
• Clermont-Ferrandabout 346 km away, 1 verified scheme

And 8 more in France