Germany
Drives on the right · EUR · Emergency 112Speed limits
Urban
50 km/h
Rural / outside built-up areas
100 km/h
Motorway
No general limit
Alcohol limits
General limit
0.5‰
Novice drivers
0.0‰
Mandatory equipment
- •Warning triangle
- •Hi-vis vest
- •First aid kit
Winter tires & snow chains
Winter tires (marked with the Alpine/3PMSF symbol) are required whenever roads have snow, ice, slush, or frost — there's no fixed calendar season, the requirement is condition-based ("situative Winterreifenpflicht"). Driving on summer tires in wintry conditions can bring a fine and points.
Tolls
System
No general toll
No general toll or vignette for passenger cars; tolls (Maut) apply to trucks/HGVs only.
More things to know before you drive
Seatbelts
Mandatory for all occupants, front and rear.
Mobile phone use
Holding a phone while driving is prohibited; hands-free use is permitted.
Child seats
Children under 12 and shorter than 150 cm must use an approved child restraint system.
Headlights
Not generally mandatory for cars in daylight, but recommended in poor visibility and required in tunnels; motorcycles must run headlights at all times.
Low-emission & restricted zones
Many cities have an "Umweltzone" (environmental zone) requiring a green Umweltplakette sticker; some cities add separate diesel restrictions.
Right of way & roundabouts
"Rechts vor links" (right before left) applies at unmarked intersections; roundabouts give way to circulating traffic unless signed otherwise.
Parking
Time-limited zones commonly require a parking disc ("Parkscheibe") showing arrival time.
Speed cameras
Common fixed and mobile speed cameras; average-speed sections exist but are less common than in some neighboring countries.
Good to know
Motorways (Autobahn) have no general speed limit except where signed; advisory speed is 130 km/h. Novice/probationary drivers (under 21, or first 2 years licensed) have a 0.0 alcohol limit.