Search Q&A
Diesel Automobiles
Does anyone know exactly what the regulations are with regard to cars of a certain age and with a diesel engine being banned from some cities? Specifically, (1) Which cities in Belgium now ban such cars. (2) Are cameras already in place so that drivers will be fined? (3) Are these cameras at the entrance to the city or spread throughout the cities as is the case in inner London? (4) Can one drive on the ring or in the countryside with such cars? Is this information published by the government and if so, where? Is similar information available for other Benelux countries and Germany and France?
Hello Bruce,
I has to do just with old diesel vehicles manufactured before 1997.Vehicles who have a emission standard of Eur1 or no Eur at all. So vehicles more than 20 years old. Some cameras are already in place and more cameras will be added gradually. There will not be any fine issued until October 2018. It will be just informing letters to people having and old car and caught by cameras until October 2018. The fines will continue after October 2018.
For more info check in the official website for Low emission zone:
http://lez.brussels/en
Yes, as EDI notes above, it's only going to affect older cars, And, if you have a really old car (older than 30 years old, with it's original registration plates), you won't be affected either.
In very simple terms, it's a law against old people who haven't changed their cars in decades, or poor people who bought cheap second hand cars. (i.e. two classes of people that no one cares about). Bit of a sham really.
As for other countries, there are similar sites to the one EDI noted for everywhere, i.e. London:
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone/check-your-vehicle
Frankly, regulations restricting the use of diesel cars (even those that meet the latest EU emissions rules) in city areas are being introduced so rapidly throughout Europe that it seems, to me at any rate, that it would be unwise to purchase any new diesel car.
I have always owned diesel cars, because I like driving them, but I have come to the very reluctant decision that my next car will have to be a petrol one.
Avoid buying any diesel car (new or older) as it's not just the access to cities or the availability of the fuel that is going to be an issue. Most cars are bought (new or nearly new) with a 3-4 year ownership expectation, which means buying one now will probably equate to resale around 2023+. The value of a diesel car past 2020 will drop dramatically every year, including an increase in taxation. As an example, buying an SUV powered by a 2 liter+ diesel engine (new/nearly new) at around 30-60K€ today would mean a loss of over 50% vehicile value in 1-2 years of ownership. There is no resale market if nobody wants to buy a diesel car, so the wise money chooses to avoid buying this type of vehicle anymore. This is why hire car fleets are dropping diesels from their ranges as they won't be able to resell them in a few years...
