Routebook
Guides / Germany
DE

Driving in Germany

Cars pay nothing on German roads, Autobahn included — the toll only applies to trucks. The catch is the Umweltzone: 36 cities require a green Umweltplakette sticker just to enter, vignette or not.

Rules current as of September 2026 — verify before you go.
Tolls
No toll or vignette for passenger cars, campers under 7.5t, or motorcycles, on any road including the Autobahn.

Germany's Lkw-Maut toll system applies only to trucks over 7.5t — nothing to buy for a normal trip car.

Low-emission zones
36 cities — including Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne, Stuttgart, Frankfurt — require the green Umweltplakette sticker to enter, regardless of what you drove to get there.
Fine if ignored

Red and yellow stickers stopped being valid anywhere; only green (Schadstoffgruppe 4) is accepted now.

Driving in an Umweltzone without the sticker: €100 fine.
Fine if ignored

Enforcement is by camera and roadside checks, not just spot stops.

Equipment
Winter tires (3PMSF-marked) required whenever conditions are wintry — ice, snow, or slush — not on fixed dates.

Since October 2024 the old M+S-only marking no longer satisfies the law by itself; the mountain-snowflake symbol is what's checked.

Speed limits
About 70% of the Autobahn has no general limit — 130 km/h is the recommended (not enforced) speed there. Signed stretches run 100–130 km/h.

Unrestricted sections are still governed by a duty to drive at a speed you can safely stop within — not a free-for-all.

Rural roads 100 km/h · built-up areas 50 km/h.
Emergency
112 — EU-wide emergency number, works from any phone.
110 — police direct line.

Use if you already know it's a police matter, not medical or fire.

Crossing into Germany on a trip?
Routebook flags this automatically on any day your route crosses the border.
Plan a trip
Also on file: Austria · Switzerland · Slovenia · France · Italy · Croatia · Czechia · Slovakia · Hungary