Simon Hunter
OWNERS OF older vehicles will not be able to drive into the centre of Madrid from January 1, 2023, as the local council tightens the rules on traffic in a bid to improve the air quality in the city.
Any car belonging to a non-resident of Madrid that does not have an environmental sticker – known as A vehicles – will no longer be able to enter the city centre – i.e. inside the M-30 ring road – as is the case now.
But from January 1, they will not be allowed to circulate on the M-30 ring road either.
Cars that run on gasoline that date from before the year 2000 and diesel cars from before 2006 fall into the A vehicle category. The other categories, which are represented with a windscreen sticker and run from B for slightly newer vehicles to Zero for electric or some hybrid vehicles, will not be affected by the changes.
What’s more, from January 1, 2024, no A vehicles belonging to non residents will be permitted to enter the entire municipality of Madrid, while from 2025 this will apply to residents.
There will also be a change from next year for people who live in the Distrito Centro low-emissions zone. Only residents can enter these areas in their vehicles, and fines are handed out to offenders. From January 1, residents will still have 20 invites a year to give to friends and family so that they can park in the Distrito Centro area. A vehicles, however, will no longer be permitted to do so.
Read more:
- Spain’s traffic authority predicts 13.5 million car journeys in next week thanks to December national holidays
- Cycle lanes in Spain’s Valencia City get 21% boost in users so far in 2022
