Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
Spain has banned diesels older than 10 year olds in its cities.
Credit: bella1105, Shutterstock.
Diesel drivers in the danger zone: Spain bans older motors in 30+ cities – and it’s just the beginning.
In a crackdown that’ll hit millions of Spanish drivers where it hurts — right in the glovebox — cities across Spain have begun slamming the brakes on diesel cars more than a decade old.
What’s the goal? So-called “B label” motors — mostly diesel vehicles registered before 2015 and petrol cars pre-2007. These motors — considered dirtier than a £4.50 greasy-spoon cafeteria full-English — now face strict bans in dozens of low-emission zones (Zonas de Bajas Emisiones, or ZBEs).
This is not a whisper. It’s happening now.
The diesel bangers’ death rattle
Bilbao, the Basque capital, was the latest to implement the ban this summer. Diesel cars older than 10 years are prohibited from the city center between 7 AM to 8 PM on Mondays through Fridays. Get caught flouting the rule and it’s a €200 fine – no ifs, no buts, no exceptions.
Bilbao has joined Madrid, Getafe, and Estepona as zones where B vehicles have been declared persona non-grata.
This is only the warm-up.
One out of three cars is under threat
According to reports, more than nine million cars in Spain — a whopping 30% of all vehicles on the road — fall under the label B category. One in three cars suddenly faces curfews or bans.
While old bangers have already been booted out of many zones, the situation is about to get worse You can find out more about it here. worse.
Bans, bans and more bans are coming soon to a town near you
By the end of this year, over 150 towns and cities in Spain will be legally obliged to have low-emission zones — thanks to the country’s Climate Change Law, which targets areas with more than 50,000 residents (or just 20,000 if air quality stinks).
Did you miss the memo? Don’t worry — your local council hasn’t. Not even the government. It has threatened to cut off funding for public transportation in cities that do not comply.
Malaga and Palma de Mallorca, for example, have announced that they will ban label B cars as of January 2027. Hot on their heels are San Sebastián and — wait for it — the entire region of Catalonia.
Yes, You can find out more about it here. Catalonia
Under a new Clean Air Plan approved by the Generalitat, the region will bar all label B vehicles from every low-emission zone by 2028 — or even earlier in times of heavy pollution. Diesel cars over 10 years of age, petrol cars before 2007 and even vans or minibuses with the label B on them will be banned from all low-emission zones by 2028.
If your diesel is older than TikTok you are out of luck.
What is “label B?”?
If your car’s petrol and from before 2007, or diesel and registered before 2015, the DGT (Spain’s traffic authority) slaps a yellow “B” badge on it — basically a scarlet letter for climate sinners.
No badge? No mercy. No mercy. No bueno.
These labels are designed to punish cleaner motors while putting down the smog monstrosities. Now, they’re the key to whether your car can enter a city — or sit sulking on the driveway.
Spain’s war of wheels has begun
It’s about more than cars. It’s not just about cars. — let’s be honest — The government is forcing drivers to buy newer vehicles (usually electric). The government claims it is all part of a green transition. Critics claim it is a new thinly-veiled tax on the ordinary person.
It is obvious that the diesel dinosaur has been extinct. Extinct species.
It’s important to check your plate if you have an old-school diesel in Spain.
Your ten-year old diesel may not be suitable for the new Spain You can also read more about the benefits of using get you a €200 fine… or a one-way ticket to the scrapyard.
Stay tuned.
Then, you can read more. Spanish living news.
Then, you can read more. News in English about Spain.
