The question seems simple, but if you search on Google, you will find contradictory answers, some articles say yes, others say no, and some even mix the M-40 with the M-30 as if they were the same road. They are not, and that difference changes everything.
Let's clarify this once and for all, straightforwardly, so you don't end up as confused as when you started.
The key is who governs the road
Here comes the crucial piece of information that very few people explain well: the M-40 is a state-owned road, which means that its management and regulation fall under the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) and the Civil Guard Traffic, not the Madrid City Council.
And why does that matter? Because the traffic restrictions for vehicles without environmental stickers in Madrid are imposed by the City Council through the Madrid Low Emission Zone (ZBE) ordinance. The Madrid City Council itself confirmed that neither the M-40, nor the M-50, nor the M-45 are included in the Madrid ZBE, precisely because they are not urban roads under municipal jurisdiction.
As a result, a vehicle without a sticker can drive on the M-40 without being fined, regardless of whether it is registered in Madrid or not, and both in 2024 and in 2025 and 2026. These ring roads will always be freely accessible for any vehicle, regardless of the environmental label it has or does not have.
But don’t get too excited: the trick is in the exits
Here comes the part that many people overlook, and that could cost you €200 if you don't take it into account.
Driving on the M-40 is allowed. Exiting the M-40 towards Madrid is not.
From January 1, 2025, only vehicles without stickers can circulate within the municipal area of Madrid in these situations: historic vehicles, those adapted for transporting people with reduced mobility who also have the corresponding parking card, and emergency or Armed Forces vehicles.
So if your car does not have an environmental label and you take the M-40 to cross Madrid from one side to the other without taking any exit towards the city, you are fine. The problem arises when you take any exit that leads you into the streets of the Madrid municipality. Vicálvaro, Carabanchel, Vallecas, Hortaleza… it doesn’t matter which district. If the car enters an urban road in Madrid, the fine is served.
What about the M-30 (which is not the same)
It is worth clarifying because they are constantly confused. Unlike the M-40, the M-30 is under the jurisdiction of the Madrid City Council, and since January 2023, vehicles without stickers that were not registered in Madrid could no longer circulate on it.
From 2025, this restriction was extended to any vehicle without a label, including those registered in the capital. The M-30 is off-limits for cars without stickers. The M-40 is not.
Fines: how much can a mistake cost you
If you take an improper exit from the M-40 towards Madrid with a car without a sticker, the financial penalty is clear. Fines can reach €200, although they are reduced to €100 if paid within the first 20 days from the notification. Additionally, this type of infraction does not involve losing points from your driving licence.
The detection system works with automatic number plate recognition cameras installed at the entrances to Madrid. The car is registered as soon as it crosses the threshold of the ZBE, so there is no need for anyone to stop you. The notification arrives at your home automatically.
Which cars can circulate without restrictions throughout the road network of Madrid
For those who have doubts about which label they need to move around without problems, here is the summary:
- ZERO Label: electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles with an electric range of over 40 km. Free circulation throughout Madrid.
- ECO Label: conventional hybrids, gas vehicles, and similar. Free access to the general ZBE.
- C Label: petrol from 2006, diesel from 2014. Circulation allowed except in areas of special protection like the Central District, where they can only enter if they park in an authorised parking facility.
- B Label: petrol between 2001 and 2005, diesel between 2006 and 2013. Same conditions as C for accessing the Central District.
- No label: only the M-40, M-45, and M-50 as a transit route, without taking urban exits.
However, even though a car without a label can use the M-40 as a ring road, exiting it to enter Madrid constitutes an infraction, even for brief stops or refuelling within the restricted area.
What no one tells you about 2026
The regulations do not stop here. Madrid 360 anticipates a gradual intensification of restrictions: vehicles without stickers will be completely banned starting January 2026, after a moratorium in the low emission zone until the end of 2025.
What is allowed today on the M-40 could be revised in the coming years, as the capital's sustainable mobility strategy clearly aims to reserve free access for ECO and ZERO emission vehicles throughout the main network. Anyone with a car without a label who frequently uses it to travel around the metropolitan area has reasons to start considering alternatives: from renewing the vehicle to using public transport combined with park-and-ride facilities connected to the metro and commuter trains.
How do I know if my car has a label or not?
The quickest way is to visit the official DGT website (dgt.es), go to the environmental label query section, and enter the registration number. In less than a minute, you will know exactly what sticker corresponds to your vehicle or if it has none at all. No surprises, no calls to the insurance company, no asking the brother-in-law who always knows everything but never gets it right.
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