Fleet drivers taking their cars to France are being reminded to get an emissions sticker or risk a fine of up to €180 (£154).

Paris is the strictest city, allowing only cars with Crit’Air ‘0, ‘1’ or ‘2’ stickers to use certain roads

France is the most popular destination for UK drivers, but a total of 12 different areas across the country now restrict car movements based on how polluting vehicles are, with some locations much stricter than others.

And unlike in the UK’s clean air zones, visitors to these parts of France must also ensure they have a specific sticker – called a Crit’Air Air Quality Certificate – displayed on their windscreen.

Six different stickers are available – denoting how polluting the car is and whether it’s permitted to drive into a low emissions zone or not. The cleanest electric and hydrogen vehicles require green Crit’Air ‘0’ stickers, while at the opposite end of the spectrum the most polluting diesel vehicles need dark grey Crit’Air ‘5’ ones.

Rules are fast-changing too. As of July, two new locations – the cities of Bordeaux in the south-west and Clermont-Ferrand in central France – require drivers to display the right Crit’Air sticker for their vehicle.

But in 10 other locations, stricter regulations mean that only vehicles that have specific stickers, and are therefore deemed clean enough, are permitted.

Unsurprisingly, Paris is the strictest city, allowing only cars that bear Crit’Air ‘0, ‘1’ or ‘2’ stickers to use certain roads and certain times from this summer, followed by the Aix-Marseille-Provence region, Toulouse and Reims that permit only vehicles with Crit’Air ‘0’, ‘1’, ‘2’ or ‘3’ vignettes.

As time goes on, the regulations also get stricter and within a few years, all but zero-emission vehicles will be banned from some city centres.

UK drivers will also need to order their Crit’Air vignettes via the official French Government website before they leave for France – they cannot be bought locally. The cost is €4.61 (around £4), and the sticker is valid for the life of the car.

The RAC has also warned drivers of unofficial third-party sites that charge six times as much for the same sticker.

Any driver found to be driving in a low emissions zone and not complying with the local regulations – by either not displaying a sticker at all or by driving a car that’s too polluting – risks a fine of €68 (£58), which rises to €180 (£154) if not paid within 45 days. Fines will increase up to €750 (£640) next year when camera-based enforcement begins.

Other European countries also have increasingly strict emissions regulations. Switzerland has the Stick’Air vignette scheme – similar to that in operation in France – while cities in Spain require ‘DGT’ stickers. One country’s sticker is not valid in another, so if a driver plans a road trip covering several nations, they need to ensure they have the appropriate sticker for each.