Low Emsissions Zone Grenoble

Does Grenoble have a Low Emsissions Zone? Yes, Grenoble has both a temporary and a permanent environmental zone. So be cautious when driving to Grenoble, as there are temporary and permanent vehicle restrictions in and around the Grenoble-Alpes region for vehicles without certain environmental stickers.

Temporary Zone (ZPA)

Since December 6, 2016, Grenoble has been one of the first cities to implement a Temporary Environmental Zone (ZPA). This zone activates after several days of high air pollution. When the zone is active, all vehicles without a French environmental sticker are prohibited. You can check if the environmental zone is active on the electronic signs along the road and on the Grenoble website.

The temporary environmental zone includes all 49 municipalities within the Grenoble-Alpes region. The zone covers the motorways up to the toll gates of Crolles and Voreppe, including the A41, A48, A480, and N481. The following municipalities are included:

Champagnier, Claix, Corenc, Domene, Échirolles, Eybens, Fontaine, Gières, Grenoble, Herbeys, Jarrie, Isère, La Tronche, Fontanil-Cornillon, Gua, Pont-de-Claix, Sappey-en-Chartreuse, Meylan, Miribel-Lanchâtre, Mont-Saint-Martin, Montchaboud, Murianette, Notre-Dame-de-Commiers, Notre-Dame-de-Mésage, Noyarey, Poisat, Proveysieux, Quaix-en-Chartreuse, Saint-Barthélémy-de-Séchilienne, Saint-Égrève, Saint-Georges-de-Commiers, Saint-Martin-d'Hères, Saint-Martin-le-Vinoux, Saint-Paul-de-Varces, Saint-Pierre-de-Mésage, Sarcenas, Sassenage, Séchilienne, Seyssinet-Pariset, Seyssins, Varces-Allières-et-Risset, Vaulnaveys-le-Bas, Vaulnaveys-le-Haut, Venon, Veurey-Voroize, Levendig & Vizille.

If an environmental zone is active and you do not have a French environmental sticker, we recommend looking for a Park and Ride (P+R) location outside the ring and using public transport to visit the city centre.

3-Step Plan for Active Low Emissions Zone

In the event of air pollution, the following measures will be taken step by step:

Step 1: On the second day of confirmed pollution, the maximum speed limit on motorways will be reduced by 20 km/h. All vehicles can still enter the Grenoble valley without an environmental sticker.

Step 2: If air pollution persists after five days, only vehicles with a French environmental sticker will be allowed in the zone. Additionally, public transport and city bike prices will be halved.

Step 3: From the seventh day, older vehicles with brown and grey (classification 4 and 5) environmental stickers will no longer be allowed on the road. This measure may be expanded to include restrictions on vehicles with other coloured stickers, depending on pollution levels. A small advantage; using public transport and city bikes in Grenoble will be free.

The permanent zone is marked in orange on the map. The temporary zone is marked in blue.

Permanent Zone (ZFE) - Grenoble

Initially, the permanent zone only applied to trucks and light commercial vehicles. Buses in categories M2 and M3 and trucks in categories N2 and N3 were subject to traffic restrictions. Trucks and light commercial vehicles are prohibited from entering the permanent environmental zone (ZFE) at all times according to the following schedule:

• from July 1, 2020, Environmental Sticker France 5, 4, and without a sticker;
• from July 7, 2023, Environmental Sticker France 5, 4, 3, and without a sticker.

For passenger cars, a different schedule applies, with restrictions only in place between 07:00 and 19:00 on weekdays (excluding public holidays).

• from July 7, 2023, access for the following passenger cars is prohibited; Environmental Stickers France 5 and without a sticker;
• from January 1, 2024, Environmental Sticker France 5, 4, and without a sticker;
• from January 1, 2025, Sticker France 5, 4, 3, and without a sticker.

This applies to the following municipalities: Bresson, Champagnier, Champ-sur-Drac, Claix, Corenc, Échirolles, Eybens, Fontaine, Gières, Grenoble, Jarrie, La Tronche, Meylan, Montchaboud, Noyarey, Poisat, Pont-de-Claix, Quaix-en-Chartreuse, Saint-Égrève, Saint-Martin-d’Hères, as well as the University Campus, Saint-Martin-le-Vinoux, Sassenage, Seyssinet-Pariset, Seyssins, Varces, Venon, and Veurey-Voroise.

On the traffic routes A48, N481, A480, A41, N87 (ring road), N85, and A51 within the zone, the driving ban does not apply.