An eco-badge is a way of classifying vehicles based on their energy efficiency, taking into account their environmental impact. In practice, these badges, which we all know as “DGT stickers,” serve to identify access … From cars to low-emission areas, increasingly present in Spanish cities.
The Climate Change and Energy Transition Act requires municipalities with a population of more than 50,000 to establish low-emission zones (ZBE). Many cities are already working to expand restrictions, although so far the veto has been mainly directed at vehicles without the DGT eco-label. But starting in 2026, cars bearing the B tag will also be subject to a ban in multiple cities.
It is an “irreversible” process, as recognized by the delegate for Urban Planning, Environment and Mobility of the Madrid City Council, Borja Carabante, who emphasized in an interview on Radio 5 that low-emission zones (ZBE) are “a legal mandate and a technical necessity to improve air quality”.
Carabanti was frank in saying that ZBEs are “not an ideological choice, but a regulatory requirement” and that the city is bound by climate change law, state regulations and European obligations.
Delegate for Urban Planning, Environment and Mobility at the Madrid City Council, Borja Carabante
The person in charge of mobility at the Madrid City Council noted that the city has a legal obligation to limit the circulation of vehicles without an eco-label and that the city “cannot roll back emission control policies” to avoid European sanctions. He also confirmed that according to the deadlines already set (and after the one-year extension that expired on January 1, 2025), vehicles without an environmental label (sticker A) will not be able to move in any area of the municipality included in the inner perimeter of the M-30, including residents.
“We cannot allow the most polluting vehicles to return to areas with high levels of nitrogen oxides. “This scenario is not compatible with current legislation,” Carabanti stressed, ruling out general flexibility, although he noted that the city council had made “very specific” exceptions for specific residents and groups.
The mobility delegate called on the central government to increase support for the renewal of the mobile fleet, describing it as the most effective measure to reduce emissions and improve road safety.
“If we want less pollution and fewer accidents, we need safer, less polluting vehicles. He added, “Madrid continues to strengthen aid for electric, hybrid, and low-emission mobility, but it cannot confront this effort alone,” calling for strengthening incentive programs within a “more ambitious” government framework.
He also insisted on the importance of maintaining a stable regulatory framework, both for citizens and for the automotive sector, while ensuring that “the rules are clear and that Madrid will adhere to them.” Carabanti stressed that Madrid’s strategy is not an exception, but rather follows the same trend as other European capitals such as Paris, Milan, Brussels and Amsterdam, whose timelines for phasing out thermal compounds are more stringent.
As the General Directorate of Transport explained, the classification of vehicles through the environmental badge aims to positively discriminate against more environmentally friendly vehicles and to be an effective tool in serving municipal policies, whether in restricting traffic in periods of high pollution, or promoting new technologies through tax benefits or those related to mobility and the environment.
This environmental badge is already being used to restrict traffic on high-pollution days, preventing the circulation of vehicles that do not carry it.
Although obtaining and applying a badge is voluntary, it must be done by affixing the sticker to the lower right corner of the windshield, if available. Failing this (in the case of motorcycles), on any visible part of the vehicle.
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