The countdown begins for massive car restrictions
Remember that feeling when your car, which you thought was modern, turns out to be a classic for the DGT? Well, get ready, because restrictions for vehicles with label B are no longer a distant threat.
Madrid and 36 Catalan cities like Barcelona or Sabadell are starting to impose limits on gasoline cars registered from 2001 and diesel cars from 2006 to 2013/2015. And I’m telling you now, don’t wait until the last moment.
The new DGT restrictions for label B
The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) has confirmed that, from 2028, cars with environmental label B will suffer massive restrictions in the Low Emission Zones (ZBE). Until now, only vehicles without a sticker had been affected, but the regulation has evolved.
The 36 Catalan cities, along with Madrid, have decided to impose these measures that exclude from circulation the oldest fleet of gasoline and diesel cars. These vehicles, which can be between 15 and 20 years old, see their access limited or prohibited in heavily trafficked urban areas.
Which vehicles are affected?
According to the Royal Automobile Club of Spain (RACE), cars with label B are gasoline cars and vans registered from January 2001 and diesel from 2006 to 2013 or 2015. Also included are vehicles with more than eight seats and goods transport registered from 2006, as well as Euro 2 motorcycles.
This means that many cars you still see parked in the city today, or that still take you to work, will be victims of the new regulation.
Which cities have already started?
Madrid has already activated the Sustainable Mobility Ordinance that prevents vehicles with label B from circulating inside the M-30 highway. Barcelona limits access on weekdays, and the rest of the Catalan cities will gradually join in.
How does this measure affect urban mobility?
Bans and affected areas
Starting in 2028, the intention is to completely prohibit the circulation of cars without an environmental sticker, and by extension, strongly limit those with label B. These zones are growing and no longer limited to capitals, but extend to municipalities in Baix Llobregat, Vallès Occidental, and Maresme.
This means that anyone with a car with label B will have to look for alternatives or consider renewing their vehicle.
Options for affected drivers
Owners can choose to change their car for one with an ECO or ZERO label, either through the Auto+ Plan or by buying a second-hand vehicle with a more favorable environmental label.
There is also the possibility of converting the car to LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas), a solution that allows ECO labels for vehicles with label C, but not for those with label B.
What does the future hold for cars with label B?
European regulations and future plans
The measure is framed within the Auto Plan 2030 and European guidelines that will ban the sale of combustion vehicles from 2035, with the exception of those using carbon-neutral synthetic fuels, which reduce emissions by 90%.
Thus, cars with label B, which still circulate on the streets, have less time than they think to adapt to the new urban reality.
Recommendations from drivers and experts
Sources from the DGT and associations like RACE warn that it’s not wise to wait until the last moment and that it’s better to plan the renewal or adaptation of the vehicle before the restrictions become fully effective.
Because, I’ll tell you straight: going against the regulation is like trying to dodge the radar on the Ronda Litoral every day. You won’t end well.
The reality is that these restrictions mark a before and after for many Catalan and Madrid drivers. If you have a car with label B, better start looking at options right now.
