Crit'Air Categories Explained - UK Driver's Guide 2026

The French Crit’Air system divides every vehicle into one of six colour-coded categories based on its fuel type, Euro emission standard, and registration date. Your category determines which low-emission zones (ZFE-m) you can enter. The cleanest vehicles get Crit’Air E; the most polluting get Crit’Air 5 or are banned outright.

The 6 Crit’Air categories at a glance

Category	Colour	Vehicle type	Registration year	Euro standard	Paris weekday access (2026)
E	Green	Electric, hydrogen	Any	Zero emission	Allowed
1	Purple	Petrol/hybrid from 2011+, gas	Jan 2011 onwards	Euro 5 & 6	Allowed
2	Yellow	Petrol from 2006, diesel from 2011	Jan 2006+ (petrol), Jan 2011+ (diesel)	Euro 4 petrol, Euro 5/6 diesel	Allowed
3	Orange	Petrol from 1997, diesel from 2006	Jan 1997+ (petrol), Jan 2006+ (diesel)	Euro 2/3 petrol, Euro 4 diesel	Banned weekdays
4	Burgundy	Diesel from 2001	Jan 2001 to Dec 2005	Euro 3 diesel	Banned
5	Grey	Diesel from 1997	Jul 1997 to Dec 2000	Euro 2 diesel	Banned
Unclassified	None issued	Pre-1997 vehicles	Before Jul 1997	Euro 1 or pre-Euro	Banned

Key points from the table

• Diesel vehicles can never achieve better than Crit’Air 2, no matter how new they are.
• Petrol vehicles registered after January 2011 get Crit’Air 1, the second-best rating.
• Vehicles too old or too polluting to receive any sticker are completely banned from all ZFE-m zones.

Crit’Air E - zero emission (green sticker)

The green Crit’Air E sticker is reserved for fully electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. It carries no restrictions in any ZFE-m zone and often qualifies for free or reduced-rate city parking. If your vehicle runs solely on electricity, this is your category regardless of age.

Crit’Air 1 - very low emission (purple sticker)

Crit’Air 1 covers:

• Petrol and hybrid cars meeting Euro 5 or Euro 6 (registered from approximately January 2011)
• Gas-powered vehicles (LPG, CNG) of any age

This is the best category a combustion-engine vehicle can achieve. Crit’Air 1 vehicles face no current restrictions in any French city and are unlikely to be restricted before at least 2030.

Crit’Air 2 - low emission (yellow sticker)

Crit’Air 2 includes:

• Petrol cars meeting Euro 4 (registered from approximately January 2006 to December 2010)
• Diesel cars meeting Euro 5 or Euro 6 (registered from approximately January 2011)

This is the best a diesel vehicle can achieve. Crit’Air 2 vehicles currently have access to all ZFE-m zones, though some cities may begin restricting them during severe pollution episodes by 2027 or 2028.

Crit’Air 3 - moderate emission (orange sticker)

Crit’Air 3 includes:

• Petrol cars meeting Euro 2 or Euro 3 (registered approximately January 1997 to December 2005)
• Diesel cars meeting Euro 4 (registered approximately January 2006 to December 2010)

Paris bans Crit’Air 3 vehicles on weekdays within the A86 ring road from 2026. Lyon and several other cities have introduced similar weekday restrictions. If your car falls into this category, plan city visits for weekends or use park-and-ride facilities.

Crit’Air 4 - high emission (burgundy sticker)

Crit’Air 4 applies to diesel vehicles only, meeting Euro 3 (registered approximately January 2001 to December 2005). These vehicles are permanently banned from Paris, Lyon, Marseille, and a growing list of other cities. No petrol vehicles fall into this category.

Crit’Air 5 - very high emission (grey sticker)

Crit’Air 5 applies to diesel vehicles only, meeting Euro 2 (registered approximately July 1997 to December 2000). Like Crit’Air 4, these vehicles are banned from most major French cities at all times.

Unclassified vehicles

Vehicles that pre-date Euro 2 standards - generally those registered before July 1997 - receive no sticker at all. They cannot legally enter any ZFE-m zone under any circumstances. If you drive a classic or vintage car, you will need to plan routes that avoid controlled zones entirely, or check whether the city offers a specific historic vehicle exemption.

How to find your Euro standard on the V5C

Your V5C logbook (the vehicle registration certificate) contains the information needed to determine your Crit’Air category:

1. Field V.9 - this shows your Euro emission standard (e.g., “Euro 6” or “EC X”). This is the primary factor.
2. Field B - date of first registration. Used as a fallback if V.9 is blank.
3. Field P.3 - fuel type (petrol, diesel, electric, etc.).

V.9 is blank or missing

Older V5C documents sometimes omit the Euro standard. In that case, the date of first registration is used to estimate the standard. Our lookup tool handles this automatically by checking DVLA records directly.

Common UK scenarios

Your vehicle	Likely Euro standard	Crit’Air category
2020 petrol hatchback	Euro 6d	1 (purple)
2018 diesel SUV	Euro 6	2 (yellow)
2015 petrol family car	Euro 6	1 (purple)
2012 diesel estate	Euro 5	2 (yellow)
2009 petrol city car	Euro 4	2 (yellow)
2008 diesel van	Euro 4	3 (orange)
2004 petrol sports car	Euro 3	3 (orange)
2003 diesel MPV	Euro 3	4 (burgundy)

Diesel vs petrol: why diesel is always rated worse

The Crit’Air system deliberately penalises diesel vehicles because they produce higher levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter, which are the primary targets of ZFE-m policy. A Euro 4 petrol car gets Crit’Air 2, but a Euro 4 diesel only manages Crit’Air 3. This one-tier penalty applies consistently across the system.

If you are choosing a hire car for a French trip, opting for a petrol or electric vehicle will always give you better ZFE-m access than an equivalent-age diesel.

What about campervans and motorhomes?

Motorhomes follow the same rules as other vehicles. A diesel motorhome registered in 2015 with Euro 6 gets Crit’Air 2. Older diesel motorhomes from the early 2000s will likely fall into Crit’Air 4 or 5, meaning they are banned from most city centres. Check your specific vehicle using the lookup tool above.

When categories get restricted

Cities can tighten restrictions over time. The general trajectory is:

• 2024–2025: Crit’Air 4 and 5 banned in most large cities
• 2026: Crit’Air 3 banned on weekdays in Paris and several other cities
• 2027–2028: Crit’Air 3 bans expected to expand; some cities may begin restricting Crit’Air 2 during pollution peaks
• 2030+: Possible Crit’Air 2 permanent bans in the largest cities

The sticker itself never expires, but the access it grants may narrow as rules evolve.