Germany

Deutschland · Capital Berlin · € EUR · +49

Drives on the
right

Last reviewed 2026-05-10 by AI-draft → Semir K review. Always verify with official sources before travelling — see references at the bottom of the page.

Rules of the road

Urban speed limit
50 km/h
Rural speed limit
100 km/h
Motorway speed limit
130 km/h
Alcohol limit (BAC)
0.05 g/L (novice 0.00)
Minimum driving age
18
Headlights by day
Tunnel
Mobile phone
Hands-free only. Touching the phone whilst engine is on (even at lights) = €100 fine + 1 point.
Dashcam legal
Yes
Radar detector legal
No
On-the-spot fines
Yes

Child seats: Children under 12 / under 150cm must use an approved seat or booster.

  • Autobahn motorway: 130 km/h is recommended (Richtgeschwindigkeit), no general legal limit on derestricted sections — but localised limits cover most of the network.
  • Novice drivers (<2 yrs licence) and under-21s have a 0.0 BAC limit.
  • Speed cameras frequent and well-marked; mobile speed traps common on motorways.
  • Touching a phone display in any way (mounted or not) is an offence if engine is on.

Mandatory equipment

Warning triangle
Required
Hi-vis vest
Required × 1
First-aid kit
Required
Fire extinguisher
Not required
Breathalyser
Not required
Spare bulbs
Not required
Headlamp converters (RHD)
Required

Snow chains / winter tyres: Situational law: winter tyres (M+S marked, or 3PMSF) mandatory whenever conditions require — snow, ice, slush. New tyres from 2018 must carry the Alpine 3PMSF symbol.

Hi-vis note: One vest per vehicle minimum (DIN EN 471 / ISO 20471).

  • First-aid kit must comply with DIN 13164 (German standard). Most EU-spec kits are accepted.
  • Umweltplakette (environmental sticker) required to enter low-emission zones.

Documents you must carry

Licences accepted
EU, UK, IDP, national
International Driving Permit
Not required
Insurance Green Card
Not required
Vehicle registration (V5C)
Required
MOT certificate
Not required
  • UK licences accepted without IDP.
  • Vehicles staying >12 months must be re-registered in Germany.

Emergency & breakdown

EU 112
Active
Police
110
Ambulance
112
Fire
112

Roadside assistance

Embassies & consulates: official directory.

Fuel & EV charging

Petrol 95 (avg)
€1.78/L
Diesel (avg)
€1.69/L
LPG (avg)
€0.99/L

EV plug standards: Type2, CCS, CHAdeMO, Tesla.

Major networks: Ionity, Tesla Supercharger, EnBW mobility+, Allego, Aral pulse, Shell Recharge.

  • Densest EV network in continental Europe; CCS dominant for rapid.
  • Roaming via Plugsurfing, EnBW, NewMotion — single card across networks.

Parking, congestion & low-emission zones

Parking disc: Required in some town centres — Many town centres use Parkscheibe (blue cardboard disc) — set arrival time, free parking for max signed duration.

Low-emission zones

  • BerlinFine ~€100
    Umweltzone covers most of the inner S-Bahn ring. Green sticker (Plakette) required for all vehicles.
  • MunichFine ~€100
    Diesel ban tightening: Euro 5 banned in 2026. Green sticker required city-wide inside Mittlerer Ring.
  • HamburgFine ~€25
    Older diesel banned on Stresemannstraße and Max-Brauer-Allee. Green sticker for general LEZ.
  • StuttgartFine ~€100
    Strictest LEZ in Germany — Euro 5 diesel banned city-wide.
  • CologneFine ~€100
    Green sticker required across the inner LEZ.
  • FrankfurtFine ~€100
    Green sticker required city-wide. No diesel ban currently.
  • Most parking enforced by Politesse; payment via app (EasyPark, ParkNow) increasingly common.
  • Bahnhof and inner-city short-stay limits often 30 min on Parkscheibe.

Ferries & major tunnels

Major ferry routes

Major tunnels

  • Warnow Tunnel (Rostock)~€4.5 · Cars €4.50 weekday, €3.50 weekend.
  • Herrentunnel (Lübeck)~€1.4 · Single-trip toll.
  • Most Autobahn rivers crossed by free bridges — toll tunnels are exceptions.
  • Fehmarnbelt fixed link (DE↔DK) under construction; opens late 2020s.

Tolls & vignettes

Toll system
None
Operator
Website

Cars and motorbikes do not pay any motorway tolls in Germany. The Autobahn is free at the point of use. Trucks over 7.5 t pay distance-based tolls via the Toll Collect / Mautsystem (LKW-Maut). Caravans towed by passenger cars are not tolled. The 2024 cancelled passenger-car toll (PKW-Maut) is not in force.

Pets & border crossings

Pet passport / AHC
Required

EU pet passport, microchip, rabies vaccination required. From UK: AHC instead of pet passport.

  • List of restricted breeds varies by Bundesland — check local laws (Baden-Württemberg, Bayern stricter).
  • Up to 5 pets per traveller for non-commercial movement.

References

Profile version 1. Last reviewed 2026-05-10 by AI-draft → Semir K review. Rules change frequently — verify with official sources before travelling.