Key facts — driving to the French Alps, winter 2026–27
- • 1 November 2026 – 31 March 2027: winter tyres, or chains/snow socks in the boot, are compulsory in the mountain communes of 34 French departments — UK cars included
- • Only tyres with the 3PMSF mountain-snowflake symbol count. M+S alone hasn't counted since November 2024
- • Lyon: Crit'Air 3, 4, 5 and unclassified vehicles banned 24/7, fines being issued, and the M6/M7 through the city is inside the zone
- • Grenoble: Crit'Air 3, 4 and 5 banned weekdays 7am–7pm; warnings only until June 2027, but no sticker at all is still a fine
- • Annecy: a Crit'Air sticker is mandatory for every vehicle in the zone; only unclassified vehicles are banned for now
- • The ski resorts themselves are not low emission zones
Driving to the Alps has two sets of rules that summer drivers never meet. One is about grip: since 2021 France has required winter equipment in its mountain areas, and the rule tightened in 2024. The other is about emissions: the three cities that sit between Calais and most French ski resorts — Lyon, Grenoble and Annecy — all run low emission zones, each with different hours and different levels of enforcement. This guide covers both, route by route.
If you already know you need a Crit'Air sticker, you can get your Crit'Air sticker for UK delivery here — we handle the French government portal in English.
Booked the chalet? Sort the sticker now.
Official certificate by email within 24–48 hours, valid immediately. Physical sticker follows by post.
The Loi Montagne: Winter Tyres or Chains From 1 November
The Loi Montagne ("mountain law") applies every year from 1 November to 31 March. It covers designated communes in 34 departments across the Alps, Jura, Massif Central, Pyrenees, Vosges and Corsica — each prefect chooses which communes are included, and the Alpine ski departments (Savoie, Haute-Savoie, Isère, Hautes-Alpes) are all on the list. Check the prefecture's map for your resort if you want to be certain.
It applies to every car, van and motorhome on those roads, wherever it's registered. You must have one of the following:
Option 1: Winter tyres fitted
Four tyres carrying the 3PMSF symbol — a snowflake inside a three-peaked mountain. Many all-season tyres have it; standard summer tyres don't. Check the sidewall.
Option 2: Chains or socks in the boot
Metal snow chains or textile snow socks for at least two driving wheels. You don't have to fit them until conditions need it — you just have to be carrying them.
M+S tyres no longer count on their own.
Until 1 November 2024, tyres marked "M+S" (mud and snow) were accepted. That transition period has ended. If your tyres say M+S but have no mountain-snowflake symbol, you need chains or socks in the car.
The zones are marked by road signs as you enter and leave them.
Is it actually enforced?
The law provides for a €135 fine and possible immobilisation of the vehicle. At the time of writing, the decree needed to apply that fine still hasn't been published, so police have been explaining the rule rather than fining for it. That is not the same as the rule being optional: police can still refuse an unequipped vehicle access to the zone, and a car stuck across a hairpin is an expensive recovery. Carry the kit.
Practice fitting chains or socks once on your drive at home. The first attempt, in the dark, at −8°C, with traffic queuing behind you, is not when you want to be reading the instructions.
The Low Emission Zones on the Ski Routes
Which city matters to you depends on where you're skiing.
Tarentaise (Val Thorens, Méribel, Courchevel, La Plagne, Les Arcs, Tignes, Val d'Isère): usually via Lyon's eastern side and the A43 through Chambéry and Albertville. Lyon is the one to watch.
Oisans (Alpe d'Huez, Les Deux Alpes) and Serre Chevalier: via the A48 and around Grenoble. Grenoble is the one to watch.
Aravis (La Clusaz, Le Grand-Bornand): off the A41 and through Annecy. Annecy is the one to watch.
Chamonix, Megève, Portes du Soleil (Morzine, Avoriaz, Les Gets): via the A40 from Bourg-en-Bresse or via Geneva. No French ZFE city on the direct route — but see the Swiss vignette note below.
Lyon — the strict one
Lyon bans Crit'Air 3, 4, 5 and unclassified vehicles 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and has been issuing €68 fines to Crit'Air 3 vehicles since 1 July 2026. The M6/M7 — the old A6/A7 that runs straight through the city — is inside the zone.
Skiers heading for the A43 normally stay east of the city on the A46 or A42 and then the A432 past Saint-Exupéry airport, which keeps you out of the zone. The risk is a sat-nav reroute through the centre when the bypass is jammed on a Saturday changeover — which is exactly when it jams. Full details in our Lyon ZFE guide.
Grenoble — weekday daytime, warnings for now
Grenoble's zone covers 13 communes and bans Crit'Air 3, 4 and 5 cars Monday to Friday, 7am to 7pm. Evenings, weekends and public holidays are unrestricted, and the urban motorways and the access roads to the ski massifs are outside the zone — so a straight run to Alpe d'Huez or Les Deux Alpes doesn't cross it.
In July 2026 the Métropole extended its warning-only period to 30 June 2027: vehicles in a banned category are being warned, not fined. Vehicles with no Crit'Air sticker at all can still be fined.
There is also a day pass giving any driver 12 days a year in the zone on request, via the Métropole's ZFE website.
Annecy — sticker required, almost nothing banned
Annecy's zone started on 1 January 2025. It applies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A Crit'Air sticker is mandatory for every motor vehicle driving in it, but for now only unclassified vehicles (in practice, cars first registered before 1997) are banned. Crit'Air 5 is scheduled to follow in 2028, Crit'Air 4 in 2029 and Crit'Air 3 in 2030.
So almost any UK car is allowed in — but only with the sticker on the windscreen. The zone covers most of the commune of Annecy, including Annecy-le-Vieux, which the usual road from the A41 towards Thônes, La Clusaz and Le Grand-Bornand passes through — so this is the zone skiers are most likely to enter without realising. Check the Grand Annecy map for your exact route.
Pollution alerts in the Alpine valleys
Separately from the permanent zones, prefects can impose temporary restrictions during winter pollution episodes — the Arve valley below Chamonix is the best-known example. These usually mean speed limits cut by 20 km/h and restrictions on older heavy goods vehicles, but where restrictions are applied by Crit'Air category, you need a sticker to show which category your vehicle is in.
One sticker covers every zone
Lyon, Grenoble, Annecy — £19.95, once
Valid for the life of the vehicle. Certificate by email within 24–48 hours.
Order Now →Which Crit'Air Category Will Your Car Get?
The category is set by fuel type and Euro emissions standard, not by how clean the car looks or how recently it passed its MOT.
Crit'Air 1: petrol from 2011 onwards (Euro 5/6), and plug-in hybrids — currently fine everywhere
Crit'Air 2: diesel from 2011 onwards (Euro 5/6), petrol 2006–2010 (Euro 4) — currently fine everywhere on these routes
Crit'Air 3: diesel 2006–2010 (Euro 4), petrol 1997–2005 — banned in Lyon; banned in Grenoble on weekday daytimes
Crit'Air 4 and 5: diesel 1997–2005 — banned in Lyon and Grenoble, still allowed in Annecy
Older diesel 4x4s and estate cars are popular ski vehicles and are exactly the ones that land in Crit'Air 3 or 4. If that's yours, plan the Lyon bypass carefully. Not sure where your car falls? Use our Crit'Air category guide.
Going via Geneva or Basel?
Many routes to Chamonix, Morzine and the Portes du Soleil cut through Switzerland. The moment you join a Swiss motorway you need the annual Swiss vignette — there is no short-stay version. Our Switzerland and Austria vignette guide covers the price and where to buy it.
Changeover Saturdays are when plans fall apart
Bypasses jam, sat-navs reroute through city centres, and the fuel station you needed is inside the zone.
A sticker on the windscreen means none of that matters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Crit'Air sticker to drive to a French ski resort?
Not for the resorts themselves — no ski resort is a low emission zone. You need one if your route enters a ZFE city on the way, and three of them sit on the main roads to the Alps: Lyon, Grenoble and Annecy. If you stay on the motorway bypasses you can avoid all three, but a fuel stop, a supermarket run, a hotel night or a diversion can put you inside a zone. The sticker is a one-time purchase that lasts for the life of the vehicle, so most drivers get it once and stop thinking about it.
Do UK cars need winter tyres in France?
In the mountain areas covered by the Loi Montagne, yes — or you carry an alternative. From 1 November to 31 March, every car in the designated communes must either be fitted with four winter tyres carrying the 3PMSF 'three-peak mountain snowflake' symbol, or carry snow chains or textile snow socks for at least two driving wheels. The rule applies to foreign-registered vehicles too. Tyres marked only M+S stopped counting on 1 November 2024.
Will I be fined for not having winter tyres or chains?
A €135 fine and possible immobilisation of the vehicle are provided for in the law, but at the time of writing the decree needed to enforce the fine has not been published, so police have been informing drivers rather than fining them. Don't treat that as permission: police can still refuse an unequipped vehicle access to the zone, and being stuck on a mountain road without chains is a bigger problem than a fine.
Are snow socks enough, or do I need chains?
Textile snow socks count as legal equipment under the Loi Montagne, as long as you carry enough for two driving wheels. They are easier to fit than chains and fine for occasional use. Check your handbook first — some cars with tight wheel-arch clearance can't take conventional chains at all, which makes socks the practical choice.
Is Grenoble's low emission zone enforced?
Grenoble bans Crit'Air 3, 4 and 5 cars on weekdays between 7am and 7pm across 13 communes, but the Métropole has extended its warning-only period to 30 June 2027, so banned categories are currently getting warnings rather than fines. Driving with no Crit'Air sticker at all is still fineable. The urban motorways and the roads up to the ski massifs are outside the zone.
How quickly can I get a Crit'Air sticker before a ski trip?
We email your official certificate within 24–48 hours of your order, and it is valid straight away in every French ZFE — print it and keep it in the car. The physical sticker is posted from France and follows later, so order as soon as your trip is booked rather than the week before.
Ski Drive Checklist
Crit'Air sticker for Lyon, Grenoble and Annecy
Order your Crit'Air sticker — £19.953PMSF winter tyres fitted, or chains/snow socks for two driving wheels in the boot
Toll budget — the run from Calais to the Alps is almost entirely péage
Read our French toll roads guideEES biometric checks at Dover and the Tunnel — allow extra time on peak Saturdays
Read our EES guide for UK driversSwiss motorway vignette if you're routing via Geneva or Basel
Read our vignette guideOrder Your Crit'Air Sticker — £19.95
Works in Lyon, Grenoble, Annecy and every other French ZFE
Order Your Crit'Air Sticker → £19.95Last Updated: October 2026. Zone rules and enforcement dates change — check the relevant métropole's official ZFE page before you travel.