Classic Cars Exempt from Paris’ Pre-1997 Vehicles Ban

Recently, the French government has announced that all cars registered before 1997 and motorcycles registered before 2000 will be banned from the city center during weekdays.

That decision wasn’t well received by French historic vehicle enthusiasts, who have convinced Paris’ authorities to provide an exemption to the city’s pending old-car ban for certain historic vehicles.

The ban, which is scheduled to go into effect starting with July 1st, will restrict all pre-1997 vehicles from the city center between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday in an attempt to reduce pollution levels. The embargo will get more stringent over time, as by 2020 only cars registered after 2011 will be allowed on the road.

But according to FIVA, the Fédération Française des Véhicules d’Epoque (FFVE) has reached an agreement with city officials to exempt historic vehicles from the ban, allowing any 30 years or older vehicle wearing a Carte Grise de Collection registration sticker.

That means that any “youngtimer” vehicles will continue to be banned, but FFVE has scheduled further meetings with Paris officials to address possible exemptions for youngtimers as well.

According to Gautam Sen, FIVA vice president, these cars deserve recognition and the agreement could prove influential in convincing other cities facing the same situation as Paris:

“I would imagine it happens differently in each city, but everybody is kind of waiting for the Paris Accord, if you can call it that. Once the Paris agreement is on paper, I’d like to take that to Delhi and say, ‘This is what Paris is doing,” citing Delhi’s existing no-exception ban of all cars 15 years and older.