Measures Against Air Pollution: Low-Emission Zone in Sofia Comes Into Force on 1 December

From 1 December, Sofia will enforce a ban on vehicles that fail to meet specific environmental standards from entering the city centre. This year, the scope of the measure will be further expanded.

According to Sofia Municipality, levels of nitrogen dioxide within the so-called “small ring” zone dropped by more than 10% over the past winter season.

Before the introduction of the low-emission zone, around 20,000 of the most polluting vehicles entered the city centre each day; that number has since fallen to roughly 2,000.

Between 1 December and 28 February 2026, vehicles in ecological groups I and II will be prohibited from entering the “small ring”, which covers Sofia’s central core. From this year, cars in group I will also be barred from driving within the “large ring”.

“The introduction of the low-emission zone is neither anti-social nor discriminatory. Quite the opposite — a car may be a convenience, but health is priceless, and we will not compromise on that,” said Nadezhda Bobcheva, Sofia’s Deputy Mayor for Ecology.

The boundary boulevards are not part of the restricted zones, and all vehicles will still be allowed to travel along them. Cameras installed at the entrances to the zones will automatically record vehicle registration plates and check whether a car belongs to a prohibited eco-category and who its owner is.

In total, 180 cameras have been placed around the two rings. Fines will be 50 leva for individuals and up to 1,000 leva for companies, explained Viktor Chaoushev, Deputy Mayor for Transport and Urban Mobility.

A vehicle’s ecological group can be verified during its annual technical inspection.

“The eco group is determined by the vehicle’s Euro standard and year of manufacture. Actual emissions are not taken into account — even if a car produces very low emissions, it will not move to a higher eco category,” explained Robert Lyubenov, an automotive expert.

Public reaction to the expanded restrictions has been mixed.

“No one can convince me that cars are the main source of pollution in Sofia. The real problem comes from people burning household waste and tyres.”

“I personally don’t have a problem with my car, but for others it might be difficult — it feels a bit rushed.”

Sofia Municipality once again urged residents to make greater use of public transport.