Do you know environmental zone 2?

From January 2020, municipalities were given the right to introduce environmental zones with class 1, 2 or 3 and soon the regulations for environmental zone 2 will be tightened. How will you and your cars be affected?

To improve air quality, environmental zones were introduced a couple of years ago. The government gave the municipalities themselves the right to introduce the zones, where they consider it necessary. The environmental zoning means that only certain vehicles, which meet the limit for the amount of nitrogen oxide emissions, are allowed to travel everywhere.

For passenger cars, light trucks and light buses that must travel in environmental zone 2, requirements are currently set that they must at least meet Euro 5, which applies to both vehicles powered by gasoline or diesel.

However, the regulations for environmental zone 2 are about to be tightened. As of July 1, 2022, vehicles powered by diesel must meet Euro 6 to be driven here. The same applies to electric hybrids and plug-in hybrids with a diesel engine.

Currently, environmental zone 3 has not been introduced anywhere in Sweden. However, environmental zone 1 exists in several municipalities, including Gothenburg. Environmental zone 2 is located in a place in Sweden, at Hornsgatan in Stockholm.

That's how you know if the car is allowed

The emission limits are regulated by the EU, which divides cars into different classes, depending on the amount of emissions. Euro 5 became a requirement on September 1, 2009, and Euro 6 was added on September 1, 2014. In general, these dates serve as benchmarks for whether a car meets class 6 or not. If the car is diesel-powered and older than 2014, it most likely cannot be driven in environmental zone 2 after July 1, 2022.

To check what applies to a particular car, you can enter the car's registration number in the Swedish Transport Agency's tool and look under the "Technical data > Engine and environment" tab.

If you have diesel cars that were manufactured earlier than 2014, now is a good time to sell them and at the same time take advantage of the currently high prices for used cars.