Madrid’s low emission zone (LEZ) has been a long time in the making. As of January 2025, it’s fully implemented and covers the entire municipal area.

Madrid’s journey with its LEZ began in 2018 with the implementation of its first Central LEZ. Although this initial attempt was annulled in 2020 by the High Court of Justice of Madrid, it paved the way for a more comprehensive and ambitious approach to improving air quality in the city. This new approach materialised through the Madrid 360 Strategy and its revised LEZ, which expanded to encompass the entire municipality and was based on a more thorough analysis, starting in 2019.

The long road to implementation reflects the complexities of urban environmental policy, highlighting the challenges of aligning public health objectives with economic and political considerations. Today, it stands out as a model of how a city can firmly combat air pollution even amidst public resistance and political controversy.

A plan to grow sustainably

Madrid is the second most populated functional urban area in the EU belonging to two TEN-T corridors. As the city grows, the municipality is aiming to ensure that this growth is sustainable. Air pollution has long plagued Madrid, with nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels regularly breaching EU air quality standards. Due to the city’s location, topography and high traffic volumes, the air pollution tends to stagnate rather than being dispersed by the wind.

“Madrid is surrounded by mountains, which significantly limits air circulation due to the absence of strong winds. Combined with the city’s dense urban fabric, this creates conditions where pollution accumulates and is slow to disperse, particularly during winter,” explains Lola Ortiz, General Director of Planning and Mobility Infrastructure for Madrid.

Recognising the health and environmental threat, Madrid launched its Madrid 360 Strategy, a holistic environmental action plan. “In the Madrid 360 plan, urban mobility is a main pillar with electrification and modal shift as key actions. The LEZ is fundamental to achieving these goals.” Anchored in this plan, the LEZ has already met goals to improve air quality, reduce traffic congestion, and promote sustainable mobility. But the journey hasn’t been without challenges.

“...urban mobility is a main pillar with electrification and modal shift as key actions. The LEZ is fundamental to achieving these goals”

— Lola Ortiz, General Director of Planning and Mobility Infrastructure for Madrid

Rolling out the LEZ

Many perceived the LEZ as a restriction of personal freedom or a ‘money grab’ through fines. Ortiz explains: “We were the first city in all of Spain to establish a LEZ, so it caused a big fuss. Everyone was talking about it. Naturally, this means that many people were pro-LEZ and many people were against it. It sparked significant political debate between parties.”

Initially, critics pointed out that LEZ rules and signage were confusing for residents and tourists alike, leading to court challenges. National courts even initially overturned parts of Madrid’s LEZ rules, citing unclear signage.

To give residents and businesses time to adapt to the changes, Madrid has taken a gradual approach to rolling out the LEZ. The first area to restrict polluting vehicles was Madrid Central, a LEZ of about five square kilometres covering the central district of the Spanish capital since 2018. Although it’s less than 1% of the total area of Madrid, this initial policy represented a step towards more sustainable urban mobility in a car-dominated city. Within its first year, Madrid Central achieved a 20% reduction in pollution levels in the restricted area.

In 2021, the new Sustainable Mobility Ordinance was approved and expanded the LEZ to all 21 districts of the city, but the rollout has been gradual. The regulations began in 2022 with the restriction of polluting vehicles from the M30, the city’s inner ring road. As of 2025, residents who still own polluting vehicles will no longer be exempt, marking the final phase of the city’s LEZ rollout.

At this point, the entire city is off-limits to the most polluting vehicles. Meanwhile, Madrid will continue its investment in cleaner public transport, with plans for 25% of the city’s bus fleet to be electric by the end of 2025. The city’s taxis are also required to be eco-friendly or zero-emission, further reducing mobile emissions within the city centre.

To further lower emissions, Madrid, a partner of EU project SCALE-UP, is making it easier than ever to get around on foot. The city has proposed an initiative to promote walkability. Anda Madrid is a network of six iconic walking itineraries to explore the city. The walking routes are proposed with details of the approximate time it takes to reach the city’s main points. The six routes start and end at Puerta del Sol, the iconic square that constitutes kilometre zero of all Spanish roads. This area has been completely pedestrianised since August 2020 in compliance with one of the Madrid 360 Strategy.

Madrid’s special protection LEZs

In certain areas of the city, Madrid 360 Strategy has taken the plan even further. Madrid created Special Protection LEZs (SPLEZs) only allowing zero-emission and eco-friendly vehicles in the Central District and Plaza Elíptica Area.

In Plaza Elíptica Area, the problem of air pollution has been even more pronounced historically than in the rest of the city.

Ortiz explains the square’s significance: “Plaza Elíptica is known for being a ‘pollution trap’ due to its low elevation, where air pollution has previously lingered for days during winter inversions. Nevertheless, Plaza Elíptica SPLEZ saw a dramatic reduction in pollution. The SPLEZ transformed one of the most toxic areas of the city into a cleaner, healthier space”.

By 2022 and 2023, air quality monitoring stations reported that nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) pollution had fallen below the EU limit for the first time. These results were particularly striking given that economic activity and tourism had increased post-pandemic, showing that cleaner air was possible even in the context of increased mobility.

Lessons for other cities

The implementation and expansion of LEZs in Madrid have been key issues in local politics, with debates balancing environmental benefits against economic and social impacts. It has divided public opinion with environmental groups advocating for stricter measures and some political factions and residents expressing concerns over economic implications and personal freedoms. This discussion has been mirrored at the national level since the introduction of a national law requiring LEZs in all Spanish cities with a population of 50,000 or more in 2021.

While there is no one-size-fits-all model for LEZs, the lessons learned from Madrid’s approach offer valuable insights for cities looking to reduce their own air pollution and traffic congestion. Madrid’s experience shows that careful planning, gradual implementation, and clear communication are essential to success.

Implement gradually

One of the most important lessons from Madrid is the power of phased implementation. A gradual, step-by-step approach gave residents, businesses, and local authorities space to prepare for changes, rather than facing abrupt restrictions all at once. Having a clear timeline helps reduce backlash from the public, while also giving policymakers time to adjust and communicate the changes effectively.

Use clear signage

Success requires clear rules and consistent messaging. Confusing regulations, unclear access rules, and poor signage can trigger public backlash and legal challenges. Madrid faced criticism over its vehicle classification system, which uses Spain’s sticker scheme rather than the EU’s Euro category system, confusing foreign drivers navigating different rules and classification systems.

Offer grants for vehicle upgrades.

Cities considering LEZ grants should ensure their systems are simple and easy to access so that residents can fully benefit from the available support. Madrid’s grant program to help residents replace their older, high-emission vehicles with cleaner models was underutilized, with some residents citing confusion over eligibility rules and difficulty accessing the grant. The grant system was intended to make the shift to cleaner vehicles more equitable, especially for lower-income households. However, in practice, many people failed to use the support available.

Demonstrate with data

Demonstrating the success of a LEZ is another crucial factor in building public support. Declining pollution figures and improved air quality are powerful arguments. In Madrid, resistance to the LEZ continues to subside as pollution data proves its success and residents make the connection between cleaner air and better health.

Communicate strategically

Strategic communication is also a powerful tool to shape public opinion. Madrid framed the LEZ not as a punitive measure but as part of a 360-degree strategy for a healthier and more sustainable city.

Initially, criticism of the LEZ was extensive, but thanks to the positive data, public sentiment has shifted towards greater acceptance, with significantly fewer objections.

Madrid’s data-driven approach and clear air quality improvements have helped win public support. Despite legal challenges, in 2024 Madrid reported its best air quality data since records began, attributing improvements to its environmental sustainability strategy, Madrid 360. Clean air, healthier public spaces, and reduced emissions have demonstrated that cities have much more to gain than to lose when implementing LEZs.

In 2024, Madrid complied with the European Air Quality Directive for the third consecutive year and ended the past year with the lowest nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels in its history.

This article was originally published on Eurocities' website. You can find the full article in the link below.

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Author: Alyssa Harris (Eurocities)