Low Emission Zones (LEZ) are urban areas delimited by a public authority where access, circulation and parking are restricted for the most polluting vehicles, in order to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. For companies with a fleet or urban delivery, LEZ are no longer a recommendation: they determine which vehicles can enter and when, and therefore operations and costs.
In Spain their implementation is a legal obligation for municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants. This article explains what LEZ are, the rules that govern them, the role of the DGT environmental labels, how they affect fleets and corporate delivery, and how to adapt and measure the impact of the transition.
What LEZ are and why they are created
An LEZ is a continuous perimeter within a city where only certain vehicles can circulate according to their emission level. Its aim is twofold: to reduce local pollutants such as particles and nitrogen oxides, which harm health, and to contribute to climate change mitigation by favouring lower-emitting vehicles. Restrictions rely on the environmental classification of vehicles and are usually applied gradually, starting with unlabelled vehicles.
The obligation in Spain: Law 7/2021 and Royal Decree 1052/2022
The legal origin of LEZ is Law 7/2021 on climate change and energy transition. Its article 14.3 requires municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants, island territories and municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants when air quality limit values are exceeded, to establish low emission zones. The set deadline was before 2023.
The implementing regulation came with Royal Decree 1052/2022 of 27 December, which sets the common minimum requirements that LEZ must meet: delimitation, signage, control systems, air and climate improvement objectives and periodic evaluation. In practice, each municipality adopts its own ordinance within this framework, so the details (hours, affected vehicles, timetable) vary from one city to another.
The rollout is uneven. A good share of the municipalities under the obligation still have no LEZ up and running, and among those that have approved one, perimeters, hours and restriction timetables differ widely. More cities are likely to activate their zone in the coming years and existing ones to tighten the vehicle categories affected, so it is worth checking the ordinance of each municipality where you operate.
The DGT environmental labels
LEZ restrictions rely on the environmental label of the Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT), which classifies vehicles by their technology and emissions. The categories are:
| Label | Vehicle type (summary) |
|---|---|
| Zero emissions | Battery electric, extended-range, plug-in hybrids with a certain electric range, and fuel cell vehicles. |
| ECO | Non-plug-in hybrids, plug-in hybrids with lower range, and gas vehicles (LPG or CNG/LNG) meeting the criteria. |
| C | Petrol registered from 2006 and diesel from 2014, meeting the most recent Euro standards of their time. |
| B | Petrol registered from 2000 and diesel from 2006, with intermediate Euro standards. |
| Unlabelled | The oldest vehicles, the first to be excluded from LEZ. |
Unlabelled vehicles are generally the first affected by restrictions, and cities can progressively extend the limitations to the B and C labels.
How LEZ affect fleets and delivery
For a transport, distribution or services company with urban vehicles, LEZ have concrete effects:
- Conditional access: the oldest vehicles may be excluded from the city centre, affecting delivery routes and the last mile.
- Need to renew the fleet: it accelerates the switch to ECO and zero-emission vehicles, with an impact on investment and planning.
- Logistics reorganisation: it may require micro distribution platforms at the edge of the LEZ, delivery with light vehicles or cycle logistics.
- Risk of penalty: circulating without meeting the ordinance conditions can lead to fines.
The good news is that these measures connect with sustainable transport and with reducing the carbon footprint, so the investment brings benefits beyond compliance.
How to adapt: electrification and planning
Adapting to LEZ is a process worth planning well in advance:
- Fleet diagnosis: inventory the vehicles, their labels and their use in affected urban areas.
- Renewal plan: prioritise replacing unlabelled vehicles and those most used in the city with ECO or zero-emission options.
- Charging infrastructure: plan charging points at facilities and logistics bases.
- Route optimisation: cut mileage and consolidate loads to lower both emissions and costs.
- Delivery alternatives: consider cycle logistics, light vehicles and proximity platforms for the last mile.
The available technologies are evolving fast. You can read more in the article on emerging technologies for more sustainable mobility. And to place LEZ within the broader framework of corporate mobility, the article on the Sustainable Mobility Law and its obligations for companies is useful, as is the analysis of the new deadline for the Sustainable Mobility Plan.
Measuring the impact of the transition
Adapting to an LEZ avoids penalties and, in addition, reduces emissions you can quantify. Measuring the impact allows you to justify the investment and communicate progress. To do so, it is worth calculating the emissions linked to transport and logistics before and after the changes, tracking those that cause both local pollutants and greenhouse gases. An environmental management platform makes it easier to track the evolution by vehicle, route and period, and to demonstrate the reduction with verifiable data.
Frequently asked questions
Which municipalities are required to have an LEZ in Spain?
Law 7/2021 requires municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants and island territories, as well as those with more than 20,000 inhabitants when air quality limit values are exceeded. The set deadline was before 2023, although the actual rollout is uneven.
Which vehicles can circulate in an LEZ?
It depends on each city's ordinance, but the key is the DGT environmental label (Zero, ECO, C, B or unlabelled). Unlabelled vehicles are usually the first excluded, and restrictions can be progressively extended to other categories.
How can a company prepare for LEZ?
With a diagnosis of the fleet and its labels, a renewal plan towards ECO and zero-emission vehicles, charging infrastructure, route optimisation and delivery alternatives for the last mile. Measuring emissions before and after helps prioritise and demonstrate results.
Measure your fleet's impact with Manglai
Adapting your fleet to low emission zones is an opportunity to reduce emissions and costs. With Manglai you can calculate and manage the service footprint of your logistics and transport activity, track how your emissions evolve by route and vehicle, and demonstrate with data the impact of electrification and the optimisation of your operations.
