Emission rules for driving to Italy: can you clear the air for me?

Simon Calder answers your questions on dealing with low-emission zones, passport rules, and the causes of queues at Dover

Visiting motorists in Italy must deal with the Zona a Traffico Limitato (ZTL) (Getty)

Q We are driving from the UK via France and Switzerland to Italy in June (in a 2009 Toyota Yaris). I know that we will need a “Crit’Air” certificate for France. Will I need something similar for Switzerland and Italy?

Kevin J

A Some cities – Paris, Grenoble, Lyon, Nice, Rouen, Reims, St-Etienne, Strasbourg and Toulouse – operate low-emission zones (LEZs). They require vehicles to show a Crit’Air sticker (air quality certificate) that classifies vehicles according to the particles and levels of nitrogen oxide that they emit. The idea is that the least-polluting vehicles may be given preferential treatment, while higher-emission vehicles may be banned at all times (diesel cars manufactured earlier than 2006 are banned from the roads of Paris) and or at certain times when air quality is low.