Paris mayor proposes banning heavy SUVs from the city

The residents of Paris, France have previously voted for raising parking rates for overweight passenger cars, and now it looks like SUVs may not be welcome in the capital city at all.

To be specific, a public vote ruled in favor of increasing parking fees for all “light passenger vehicles” weighing over 1,600 kilograms (3,527 lbs). Electric cars were given a more lenient limit of 2,000 kilograms (4,409 lbs).

Now, Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo has announced the intention to ban all entry to the city for SUVs and crossovers over 1,700 kilos (3,748 lbs). She reiterated the idea of setting the limit to 2,000 kilos for EVs.

The restriction is going to be enforced on a per-model basis, meaning the law enforcement will look at the OEM-rated weight of the vehicle and not its actual load. Even so, it may render every fourth vehicle driven in Paris obsolete, the estimates say.

The vote on this initiative will take place next week.