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The ZBE are changing how Madrid moves, between fines and new habits
Low emission zones are already changing the way people move around Madrid. Fines for entering without permission are no longer a distant threat and are starting to weigh on very specific decisions: which car to buy, which route to take, or when it makes sense to leave the car at home.
A report from the Cámara de Cuentas puts numbers to this shift. Between 2022 and March 2025, fines for violating the ZBE have brought in more than 105 million euros for local councils, with the capital accounting for most of the penalties.
The effect is also visible in the vehicle fleet. In the city of Madrid, hybrid and electric cars have increased from 53,820 before the introduction of low emission zones to 382,980 in 2024. That’s a jump of 612%, a figure that shows just how much the restrictions have sped up the change in habits.
Other municipalities in the metropolitan area are also moving in this direction. Rivas and Alcalá de Henares have seen an increase in less polluting vehicles, while Fuenlabrada stands out as an exception in the report, with a different trend from the general pattern.
Public transport is also gaining ground. Demand has almost doubled in Madrid since the arrival of the ZBE, while in Alcalá y Fuenlabrada the increase has been more moderate. Added to this is the growing use of bicycles, although the report does not include this in its figures.
However, implementation is progressing at different speeds depending on the municipality. Of the 24 councils required to have low emission zones, only ten had them fully regulated by March 2025. Torrejón de Ardoz y Tres Cantos, among others, were still in the process.
The Cámara de Cuentas is calling for faster processing and effective penalties so that the ZBE are not just lines on a map without real consequences. The report has also sparked debate over the lack of data from some municipalities, with calls to sanction those who do not cooperate with oversight.
The change is already visible on the streets: more drivers checking their environmental labels, more journeys on the Metro, EMT or Cercanías, and more hesitation before driving through certain areas. In Madrid, the ZBE have gone from being a contested rule to becoming just another part of everyday mobility.