Diesel vehicles meeting Euro 5 standards and petrol vehicles meeting Euro 2 standards will be banned in the Brussels Region starting 1 January 2026, with enforcement confirmed by Bruxelles Environnement.
The regional environmental agency will issue warning letters to owners of non-compliant vehicles, advising them that fines will follow if another violation occurs after three months.
This phase of the low-emission zone (LEZ) was delayed by the Brussels Parliament but reinstated in mid-December after the Constitutional Court annulled the postponement.
Since then, diesel vehicles meeting Euro 5 and petrol vehicles meeting Euro 2 standards, alongside motorcycles meeting Euro 1 or Euro 2 standards, are no longer allowed to circulate in the Brussels Region.
Bruxelles Environnement estimates these restrictions will impact about 7% of the city’s vehicle fleet, equating to roughly 225,000 vehicles per quarter, including 33,000 registered in Brussels. A transitional period was introduced in September to help motorists adjust to the measures, according to the agency.
Starting 1 January 2026, owners of non-compliant vehicles will first receive a warning before being issued fines for repeat offences. Bruxelles Environnement noted that only one fine will be sent per quarter.
The next stage of the LEZ restrictions in Brussels will begin in 2028, prohibiting Euro 6 diesel vehicles and Euro 3 petrol vehicles.
