<p>In order to identify and quantify key-species associated with non-exhaust emissions and exhaust vehicular emissions a large comprehensive dataset of particulate species has been obtained thanks to simultaneous near-road and urban background measurements coupled with detailed traffic counts and chassis dynamometer measurements of exhaust emissions of a few in-use vehicles well-represented in the French fleet. Elemental Carbon, brake-wear metals (Cu, Fe, Sb, Sn, Mn), n-alkanes (C19–C26), light molecular weight PAHs (Pyrene, Fluoranthene, Anthracene) and two hopanes (17α21βNorhopane and 17α21βhopane) are strongly associated with the road traffic. Traffic-fleet emission factors have been determined for all of them and are consistent with most recent published equivalent data. When possible, light-duty and heavy-duty duty traffic emission factors are also determined. Most of the first ones are in good agreement with emissions from chassis dynamometer measurements in absence of significant non-combustion emissions. This study has shown that ratios involving copper (mainly Cu/Fe and Cu/Sn) could be used to trace brake-wear emissions as they seem to be roughly constant in Europe and as longer as Cu-free brake are not largely spread. In France where the traffic was largely dominated by diesel vehicles in 2011 (70 %), the OC/EC ratio typical of traffic emissions was around 0.44. On the contrary, the use of quantitative data for source apportionment studies is not straightforward for the identified organic molecular markers; while, their presence seems to well-characterized fresh traffic emissions.</p>