Access for polluting cars will be restricted in central Bucharest starting next year, announces Ciprian Ciucu

The General Mayor of Bucharest, Ciprian Ciucu, announced on Friday a timetable for gradually restricting old and polluting cars in Bucharest, starting on November 1, 2027. The proposal, which must be approved by the General Council, aims to improve air quality and establish the Low Emission Zone.

In the first stage, non-Euro cars will no longer be allowed to drive in the central area. From 2028, they are expected to be banned throughout the city, while Euro 1 vehicles will also no longer have access to the center. The restrictions would be extended annually: Euro 1 and Euro 2 vehicles are expected to be phased out progressively, while Euro 3 and Euro 4 cars would be targeted in the central area from 2030 and 2031, respectively.

From 2032, Euro 5 vehicles would also no longer be allowed to drive in the center of the capital. In Bucharest and Ilfov, 2,867,404 cars are registered, of which nearly 1.3 million are old and polluting, according to RAR data from 2025.

The City Hall cites traffic and residential heating as the main sources of pollution. A similar initiative, the Oxygen Vignette, adopted in 2019, was abandoned in 2020.

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