Brussels 2026: 2010 Euro 4 Diesel Two Classes Short

A 2010 diesel Euro 4 is refused by the Brussels Low Emission Zone: the diesel floor rose to Euro 6 on 1 January 2026, leaving this car two classes short. A non-compliant vehicle is fined EUR 350, and the only paid way in is a EUR 35 day pass.

A gap that doubled this year

Brussels did not always exclude this car outright. Until the end of 2025 the diesel floor sat at Euro 5, which a 2010 Euro 4 missed by one class. The September 2025 Constitutional Court ruling pushed the floor to Euro 6 from 1 January 2026, and a one-class shortfall became a two-class one without anything changing about the vehicle. The same lever moves again on 1 January 2028, when diesel Euro 6b, 6c and 6d-TEMP are also refused.

What an entry costs

Driving in without qualifying risks a fine of EUR 350 — the published amount for a vehicle that fails the Euro standard, and distinct from the EUR 150 charged to a foreign car that is compliant but never registered. A first offence brings a warning letter, with the fine able to follow around three months later, and since 1 July 2026 it can be re-issued over twelve months while the car remains non-compliant.

Cameras watch the boundary at every hour, and a notice reaches a foreign address as readily as a Belgian one: Belgium uses commercial address-tracing for LEZ enforcement rather than the EU cross-border system, which covers only eight road-safety offences and does not extend to emission zones.

The day pass, and the two exemptions

A car below the standard can still enter on a day pass at EUR 35, capped at 24 passes per vehicle per year. That cap is what makes it a stopgap for an occasional trip rather than a way of living with a non-compliant car.

Beyond it, Brussels recognises exactly two categories that bypass the Euro standard: registered electric vehicles, and oldtimers of at least 30 years. A 2010 diesel is 16 years old in 2026 and obviously not electric, so neither applies — though the oldtimer threshold is worth filing away for an older car.

What to do instead

• Park outside the ring and use the STIB metro, tram and bus network; the LEZ boundary roughly tracks the inner ring, and most destinations are a short ride from just outside it.
• Rent a Euro 6 diesel, or any petrol car from Euro 3, for the Brussels leg — registration for a qualifying vehicle is free and takes minutes.
• If a single entry is unavoidable, the EUR 35 day pass is an order of magnitude cheaper than the EUR 350 fine.