Low Emission Zone Essen

Do I need an environmental badge to drive in the low emission zone in Essen? What type of environmental badge is required in the environmental zone Essen? Please read below.

Required type of environmental badge in Essen

Green

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Essen

Vehicles allowed only with a valid environmental badge

Private car

class M1

Needs an eco badge

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Company vehicle

< 3,5t (N1)

Needs an eco badge

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Commercial vehicle

> 3,5t (lorry, bus, coach)

Needs an eco badge

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Motorcycle, moped

class L

Allowed without an eco badge

Where to place the environmental sticker

The environmental badge should be placed in the bottom-right corner of the windscreen.

Map of environmental
zone in Essen

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About Green Zones in Essen

Green Zone in Essen, Germany

In 2008, environmental zones were introduced in Essen as well as in Bonn. Both cities jointly tightened the rules for entrance into the city, in order to maintain a peaceful and clean environment. From 1. 10. 2008, only vehicles with a red, yellow or green badge were able to enter the city, and from 1.1. 2013 only those with a yellow or green sticker. Two years later, on 1.7. 2014, the city excluded cars with a yellow sticker and thus only the most environmentally friendly vehicles have since been allowed to enter the city.

Driving in Essen

Are you going to Essen by car?

From 1. 7. 2014, all drivers need a green badge to enter Essen. Entrance is therefore allowed only to vehicles with a minimum level of air pollution that falls under the Euro 4 and Euro 1 emissions classes for diesel and petrol, respectively. Failure to comply with these rules is punished in Germany with a fine of 100 euros. The low-emissions zone includes Essen and other cities forming the Ruhr agglomeration, i.e. Bonn, Dortmund, Hagen and others.

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The date of introduction of environmental zones
in Essen

Date	Conditions
From 1.7. 2014	entry allowed only with green environmental badge
From 1.1. 2013	entry allowed with yellow or green environmental badge
From 1.10. 2008	entry allowed with red, yellow or green environmental badge

Pavlina Pavlina is an author at EnvironmentalBadge.com and our expert on European low-emission zones, with many years’ experience assessing vehicles for environmental badges.

Last update 16.10.2025

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