VehicleTax (Kraftfahrzeugsteuer)

Vehicle tax (Kraftfahrzeugsteuer) is compulsory. It is payable for a year in advance at the request of the local tax office (Finanzamt), but larger sums may be paid in instalments subject to a surcharge. The registered keeper of a vehicle is liable for the tax in Germany which is based on engine size and CO2 emissions.

There are two components to the calculation of road tax on new cars registered after the 1st January 2012 .

  • Engine size – the tax is € 2 per 100ccm for gasoline engines and € 9 per 100ccm for diesel engines.
  • CO2 emissions – engines emitting less than 110 gms/km are exempt and the tax above that level is € 20 per 10 gms/km.

Compared to many other EU countries Germany's car tax system favours "greener" vehicles which produce lower emissions.

Germany does not have a road tax but it's covered instead by a tax on fuel.

 

Environmental Green Zones

All cars,buses and trucks are obliged to carry a sticker on the front windscreen. To reduce air pollution, many cities in Germany have established Environmental Green Zones (Umweltzonen). To drive in such a zone, a vehicle must meet certain exhaust emission standards. A coloured windscreen sticker - the environmental badge - identifies the pollution class a vehicle belongs to: green (class 4), yellow (class 3) and red (class 2).

There are three different colored emission stickers. A green one certifies that a vehicle meets the highest environmental standards. A yellow sticker is for less compliant vehicles (usually diesel or older gasoline-powered). A red one is for the lowest level. The yellow and red stickers are only temporary and will eventually be phased out. After that, all vehicles will have to have a green sticker in order to enter a city’s Umweltzone. 

When you drive in an environmental zone without a green sticker or emission certificate, you will have to pay a penality upto 80 Euros.

Where can one get the sticker ?

Stickers (valid in all of Germany) can be obtained by presenting the vehicle registration documents at the vehicle registration authority (Landesamt für Bürger und Ordnungsangelegenheithen, LABO),emissions inspection centres such as TÜV, DEKRA, GTÜ, FSP and KÜS, and workshops of the motor vehicle maintenance association or buy online.

Does the validity of the sticker expire ?

The Validity does not expire but when you re-register the car or when the vehicle number is changed you will need a new one. The registered number of the vehicle must match the number in the sticker.

A key number in the car registration documents specify which vehicle obtains which badge depending on which emission norm.

The environmental badge scheme also applies to all foreign-registered vehicles. The badge must be bought before arriving in Germany.