Environmental zones in Amsterdam, which ban vehicles like diesel cars and older scooters from entry, will be taken one step further in 2025. The Dutch capital will introduce emission-free zones with stricter rules for new scooters, vans, trucks and boats. 

Emission-free zones in Amsterdam 2025

To improve the air quality in Amsterdam, the city has low-emission zones in place that keep vehicles releasing high amounts of carbon from entering the area. From next year, all mopeds, scooters, vans, trucks and boats that run on fossil fuels will no longer be allowed past the S100 city ring. There are also plans to expand the zero-emission zone to the A10 ring road in 2028. 

The plans do not include passenger cars as of yet. Amsterdam residents are able to scan the licence plates of their vehicles on the municipality website to see how the new rules will affect them and until when they’ll be allowed to travel through the emission-free zones with their mode of transport. 

Traffic one of Amsterdam’s biggest sources of pollution

According to air quality expert Tobias Koster, traffic from vehicles that run on fossil fuels is one of the biggest sources of air pollution in the Dutch capital. "In Amsterdam, we breathe in [the equivalent of] about four and a half cigarettes every day, and Amsterdam residents live an average of more than a year less," Koster told AT5.

"Unlike drinking, smoking and unhealthy eating, we actually have no choice about how clean the air we breathe is,” explained Koster. “That is why it is important that the air we breathe is as clean as possible." By only allowing vehicles that run on sustainable energy, such as electric scooters, into the city, Koster believes the air will become cleaner. 

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