Up to 37.50 euros per hour: Parking in Paris is becoming more expensive for tourists with these cars

• The people of Paris have voted for higher parking fees for large and heavy cars in a public survey.
• In the future, they will pay up to 37.50 euros per hour in the center. However, the regulation only applies to non-residents.
• German Environmental Aid demands that German cities follow suit.

The traffic in Paris is notorious. From September onwards, there will be another reason why you shouldn’t drive your own car to the French capital. Because parking for tourists with an SUV is becoming more expensive.

In the center you will pay 18 euros for an hour from September, instead of the previous 6 euros. Anyone who parks their SUV near the city center for six hours has to pay 225 euros or 37.50 euros per hour in parking fees. In the outskirts, parking costs between 12 and 25 euros for an hour. Parisians with SUVs are not affected by the regulation. Taxi drivers at special stations, craftsmen and health professionals are also exempt from the rule. In addition, the fee schedule does not apply to private parking garages.

The measures not only affect SUVs, but also other heavy vehicles. According to the city administration, the higher fees apply to the following vehicles:

• Visitors who own an SUV that exceeds the legal weight limit.
• Owner of a thermal or plug-in hybrid vehicle from 1.6 tonnes.
• Owner of an electric vehicle weighing 2 tons or more.

Higher parking fees for SUVs: A role model for Germany?

The new parking fees were welcomed by a majority in a citizen survey on Sunday, February 4th. 54.55 percent voted for a corresponding tariff. The problem, however, is that of the 1,374,532 people registered on the Paris electoral lists, just 78,121 took part in the vote. This corresponds to a voter turnout of around 6 percent.

Nevertheless, voices are already being raised that the Paris example should set a precedent in Germany. “This is a wake-up call for German cities to follow the Paris model and introduce higher parking fees in their city centers for city tanks, pickups and other oversized vehicles,” says the Federal Managing Director of German Environmental Aid Jürgen Resch in a press release.

It’s not just SUVs that are a thorn in the side of Parisians. In April 2023, the city voted on a ban on renting e-scooters. On this issue too, a majority voted for a ban. However, here too, voter turnout was extremely low at just under 7.5 percent.

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