Crit'Air Sticker for Angers - ZFE Guide for UK Drivers

Angers sits at the western end of the Loire valley and is a natural base for the châteaux, the Anjou vineyards and the run down towards Nantes and the Atlantic. It introduced a low-emission zone at the start of 2025, and it is among the least restrictive in the country.

Angers ZFE zone boundaries

The zone covers the central area of Angers Loire Métropole, taking in the city centre with the Château d’Angers and its Apocalypse tapestry, the cathedral quarter, the main shopping streets and the banks of the Maine.

What is banned

Angers applies the minimum restriction available to it:

• Unclassified vehicles - banned since 1 January 2025. Cars registered before 1 January 1997 and light commercial vehicles registered before 1 October 1997.
• Crit’Air 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 - all explicitly permitted, no restriction.

If your vehicle is recent enough to be issued any Crit’Air sticker at all, the Angers zone does not restrict it.

Derogations, including for classic cars

Angers Loire Métropole has set out a set of temporary and permanent derogations to ease the transition, several of which run until 2027. Collection vehicles are included, as are vehicles taking part in public events and vehicles in the process of being replaced.

That last category is worth knowing if you are between cars. It is also worth stressing that derogations are city-specific: a collection-vehicle exemption in Angers implies nothing about Lyon or Grenoble, where an unclassified vehicle would be barred outright. Do not carry an assumption from one zone into another.

The Loire valley and the châteaux

The reason most UK visitors come to this part of France is comfortably outside the zone. The châteaux strung along the valley, including Saumur, Chinon, Villandry, Azay-le-Rideau and Chenonceau further east, are all beyond the metropole boundary. So are the Anjou and Saumur vineyards.

The zone only ever covers central Angers, so a Loire touring holiday that uses the city as a base is essentially unaffected in any modern vehicle.

Where the rules tighten from here

Angers is gentle, and so are most of its neighbours. Nantes, an hour west, restricts only unclassified vehicles and only at weekday peak hours, making it the most permissive schedule in France. Rennes to the north bans unclassified vehicles alone until Crit’Air 5 joins in January 2027.

The change comes if you turn inland or south. Lyon bans Crit’Air 3, 4, 5 and unclassified around the clock. Montpellier’s ban formally reaches Crit’Air 3. An older diesel that is welcome across the whole Loire and Brittany region can be refused entry in the Rhône valley.

Fines and enforcement

The national fine of €68 for a car applies in principle, rising to €135 for heavier vehicles. As the restriction reaches only pre-1997 vehicles, the practical exposure for a modern UK car inside Angers is very low.

How to apply from the UK

Through France Stickers, you can get your official Crit’Air sticker delivered to your UK address for just £7. Enter your registration, confirm your details, and we handle the French-language application. The sticker is valid for the lifetime of your vehicle and covers every French ZFE, which is the real argument for it: Angers will not stop you, but the cities further south will. Check your registration free to see your band.