Barcelona to ban pre-1997 cars from 2019

13 March 2017

From 2019, Barcelona will ban cars registered prior to January 1997 from the city during weekdays. This follows the news last week that Cologne has joined the roster of European cities proposing diesel driving bans. 

This new measure is intended to cut harmful emissions in Barcelona by 10% over five years and by 30% over 15 years. The ban extends beyond the centre of Barcelona to include 39 surrounding municipalities. It will impact approximately 106,000 cars on the road, equating to about 7% of the city’s total car parc.  

In advance of the legislation coming into force in 2019, cars registered before January 1997 will be banned from the beginning of December, albeit only during periods of high pollution. This follows a similar implementation to the driving ban proposed in Stuttgart. The ultimate aim is for the city to improve its air quality to the level mandated by the EU before 2020. The current levels of pollution contribute to about 3,500 premature deaths a year in the Barcelona area.