Low Emission Zone Lyon

Do I need a Crit'Air sticker to drive in the low emission zone in Lyon? What type of environmental badge is required in the environmental zone Lyon? Please read below.

Required type of Crit'Air sticker in Lyon

Crit'Air 2 and better

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Avoid fines up to £320.

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Lyon

Vehicles allowed only with a valid Crit’Air 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

Needs an eco badge

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Validity of the Lyon Low Emission Zone

Low-emissions zone (ZFE)

For buses of category M2 and M3, and lorries of category N1, N2 and N3

All week 24/7

Passenger cars M1 and motorcycles

All week 24/7

Emergency low-emissions zone (ZPA)

In the event of worsening air quality, entrance is allowed only to cars with a valid Crit’Air environmental badge and at a limited speed. The specific rules for entering the Lyon low emission zone are subject to the current air quality and are announced at least one day in advance.

If you drive without the environmental badge in the low-emissions zone, you will pay a fine of € 68 (i.e. approximately £ 62), which can climb to € 375 (i.e. approximately £ 320) in cases of late payment.

The Ecological Zones Apply to Foreign Drivers

From 1. 4. 2017, both French and foreign vehicles that pass through the activated low-emissions zone of Lyon are required to have the Crit’Air sticker affixed to the windscreen, entitling them to enter the city.

Where to place the Crit’Air environmental sticker?

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

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About Green Zone in Lyon

Ecological Zones in Lyon

Since the end of 2016, a so-called emergency low-emissions zone (ZPA) has been in force in Lyon, which always takes effect when a high degree of air pollution is reached.

The original rules restricted entry to vehicles according to whether their license plate ended in an odd or even number. From 16. 11. 2017, permission to enter is governed purely by the class of the environmental badge.

You can read more about the types of environmental badges in the section Types of Environmental Badges.

Driving in Lyon

Are you going to Lyon by car?

From 1. 4. 2017, foreign cars must be marked with the “crit’air” environmental badge. This so-called emergency low-emissions zone takes effect when the level of smog increases. After 2 days of smog alert, entry is allowed only to vehicles with the crit’air plaque of classes E, 1, 2 and 3. The conditions then tighten up further when the smog alert lasts longer. There are 6 types of badge in France that express how much the vehicle is involved in air pollution. If you fail to comply with these rules, you risk a fine of € 68 to € 375 (i.e. approximately £ 62 – £ 320).

The whole city, including the adjacent Villeurbanne and inner roads, falls within the low-emissions zone of Lyon. The restriction does not apply to highways A6, A7, and A42 and the A6 tunnel.

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The date of introduction of the low emission zone in Lyon

Date	Measures
2028	Vehicles with Crit’Air 5, 4, 3, 2 and unclassified are planned to be prohibited from driving within the ZFE zone.
From 1.1. 2025	vehicles classified as Crit’Air 5, 4, 3 and unclassified are prohibited from driving within the ZFE zone
From 1.1. 2024	vehicles classified as Crit’Air 4 are prohibited from driving within the ZFE zone
From 1.1. 2020	Lyon introduced a low-emissions zone (ZFE)
From 1.4. 2017	an emergency low-emissions zone (ZPA) has been in force in Lyon

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 16.12.2025

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United Kingdom

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