The Madrid City Council has announced a significant extension to the moratorium for vehicles without an environmental label (A) registered in the capital, permitting their circulation within the Low Emission Zone (ZBE) until December 31, 2026. This decision, confirmed on December 14, 2025, has sparked varied reactions across the political spectrum.
Justification for the Extension
Borja Carabante, the delegate for Urban Planning, Environment, and Mobility, justified the measure by citing the “low environmental impact” of these vehicles and the city’s “good air quality.” Carabante emphasized that this exception exclusively applies to vehicles owned by residents of Madrid, excluding those without eco-labels from outside the city, which are already prohibited from circulating.
Carabante further noted that the number of vehicles benefiting from this extension is relatively small, estimated at “barely 14,000 to 15,000.” This figure is minimal when compared to the 4.8 million daily accesses to the ZBE. He underscored the importance of balancing “environmental sustainability with social sustainability.”
Political Reactions and Criticisms
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties, who have questioned the municipal government’s rationale. Esther Gómez, a councilwoman from Más Madrid, condemned the Almeida government’s “impudence” for using the city’s air quality as an “excuse” to justify the moratorium.
Gómez stated, “The Almeida government has the impudence to use the excuse that we have very good air quality and that it doesn’t matter if thousands of the most polluting vehicles continue to circulate freely through the city.”
Ignacio Benito, a councilman from the Socialist Municipal Group, also criticized the moratorium and the “original excuse” of air quality. Benito remarked, “The Almeida government is once again cheating itself by using the same moratorium it invented last year. What is truly original is the excuse they are putting forward this time: that these 14,000 polluting vehicles do not negatively affect air quality.”
Javier Ortega Smith, spokesperson for Vox in the City Council, accused the government of “pure electoral opportunism.” He highlighted that his group had proposed a similar measure in October, which was rejected at the time, arguing that the current timing of the extension is politically motivated.
Support from Automobile Associations
In contrast to the political backlash, the European Automobile Association (AEA) has welcomed the extended moratorium. In a statement, the AEA praised the measure, emphasizing the “very reduced” environmental impact of these vehicles. The association had advocated for this extension to Almeida in October, arguing that a ban would have created significant problems for “hundreds of thousands of Madrid residents who own vehicles that, despite not having an environmental label, scrupulously comply with emission regulations and pay the Vehicle Mechanical Traction Tax to the Madrid City Council.”
The City Council’s decision reflects an ongoing debate about balancing environmental protection with the social and economic needs of its residents, particularly those who rely on older vehicles for their daily lives.
Source: https://www.telemadrid.es/noticias/madrid/Madrid-permitira-que-los-coches-sin-etiqueta-de-los-residentes-en-la-ciudad-puedan-circular-en-2026-0-2843415634–20251214104904.html
