Crit'Air Sticker for Clermont-Ferrand - ZFE Guide 2026

Clermont-Ferrand sits in the Auvergne at the foot of the Chaîne des Puys volcanoes, and for UK drivers it matters mostly as the gateway to the A75 route south through the Massif Central. It has a low-emission zone, but that zone does not apply to cars.

Clermont-Ferrand ZFE zone boundaries

The zone began as an experiment in July 2023 covering the city of Clermont-Ferrand alone, and expanded on 1 January 2025 to all 21 communes of Clermont Auvergne Métropole. Motorway routes through the area are excluded from the perimeter.

What is banned

Only the oldest professional vehicles. Specifically, unclassified light commercial vehicles and heavy goods vehicles more than 20 years old. Private cars and two-wheelers are not covered at all, whatever their age or Crit’Air band.

The scale is deliberately narrow. Roughly 876 light commercial vehicles and 283 heavy goods vehicles fall inside the restriction, which is about 3 per cent and 8 per cent of those categories locally. It is a targeted measure aimed at commercial fleets, not a general traffic restriction.

What this means for the A75 route

This is the practical reason UK drivers end up here. The A75 south from Clermont-Ferrand through the Massif Central is a well-known alternative to the Rhône valley: much of it is toll-free, it carries the spectacular Millau viaduct, and crucially it avoids Lyon.

That matters because Lyon operates one of the strictest zones in France, banning Crit’Air 3, 4, 5 and unclassified vehicles around the clock, with no way to bypass it on the motorway network. For a driver in an older vehicle heading to the Mediterranean, the A75 is often the only realistic route.

The good news is that the detour genuinely works. Clermont-Ferrand’s zone excludes motorways and exempts cars anyway, so routing via the A75 does not simply trade one restriction for another. If you are avoiding Lyon because of your Crit’Air band, this route does what you need it to.

Where the rules do apply on a southern route

Once you rejoin the Mediterranean arc, the picture changes:

• Montpellier formally bans Crit’Air 3, 4, 5 and unclassified, though Crit’Air 3 drivers are not fined until 2027.
• Marseille bans Crit’Air 4, 5 and unclassified continuously.
• Nîmes, on the A9 between them, bans only pre-1997 unclassified vehicles.

So the A75 gets you south past the strictest zone in the country, but it does not exempt you from the ones waiting at the coast.

The Chaîne des Puys and Auvergne touring

The volcanic landscape that draws most visitors, including the Puy de Dôme, the Vulcania park and the Parc naturel régional des Volcans d’Auvergne, lies outside the metropole and outside the zone. Auvergne touring is unaffected by the restriction in any vehicle.

Fines and enforcement

The national scale applies to the vehicles that are actually covered: €68 for a light vehicle, €135 upwards for heavy goods vehicles. Since private cars sit outside the restriction, there is no car sticker fine to incur in Clermont-Ferrand at present.

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. Clermont-Ferrand’s zone does not reach private cars, so it is not a reason to buy one on its own. The reason is what comes after: the Mediterranean cities on the far end of the A75 do restrict older vehicles. Check your registration free to see your band.