🚗 Wegweiser Vehicle keepers

Registration, insurance, vehicle tax, MOT-style inspection (HU), fines, driving licence, buying a used car and more: clear answers for private car keepers in Germany.

Legal position: September 2026, including the StVG amendments of 1 June 2026 (enforcement of driving bans) and 1 July 2026 (5th StVG Amendment Act). We checked the statutes (FZV, StVZO, StVG, OWiG, FeV, PflVG, VVG, KraftStG, BGB) as well as pages of the Federal Government, the Federal Ministry of Transport, the Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt) and ADAC. State law and local rules (fees, responsibilities, low-emission zones) were not researched. Several points are supported only by search hits and are marked as such in the text. Sources and open points: Sources and limits. Information, not legal advice.

Frequently searched

🛡️ Motor insurance: obligation, eVB and cancellation 🔍 Main inspection (TÜV), emissions test, low-emission zone and tolls 🚦 Fine catalogue, points and driver fitness register 🛑 Driving ban and objection to a fine notice 🪪 Driving licence: exchange, EU licence and renewal 🔑 Buying a used car: warranty and rescission

All topic areas

🧭StartOverview and orientation for private vehicle keepers.1 topic 📄Vehicle and documentsRegistration, insurance, vehicle tax, main inspection and low-emission zones.4 topics ⚠️Violations and finesFines, points, driving ban, objection, parking and towing.3 topics 🪪Driving licenceExchange, probationary period, withdrawal and medical-psychological assessment.2 topics 🔧Buying, garage, financingBuying a used car, repairs, recalls, financing and leasing.3 topics 🆘Emergency and helpTheft and loss, plus nationwide contact points.2 topics

🧭 Start

Overview and orientation for private vehicle keepers.

🚗Overview for vehicle keepersThe duties and rights private car keepers have in Germany, and where to find the details in this Wegweiser.

📄 Vehicle and documents

Registration, insurance, vehicle tax, main inspection and low-emission zones.

📝Registration, change of address, deregistration and i-KfzWhen you must register, re-register or deregister a vehicle and what online registration (i-Kfz) can do. 🛡️Motor insurance: obligation, eVB and cancellationNo liability insurance, no vehicle on the road. Here: the obligation, the eVB number and cancellation deadlines. 💶Vehicle tax and exemption for electric carsHow vehicle tax is calculated and paid, and how long purely electric cars are exempt. 🔍Main inspection (TÜV), emissions test, low-emission zone and tollsWhen your car must go for its main inspection, what the defect classes mean and where the environmental sticker and tolls apply.

⚠️ Violations and fines

Fines, points, driving ban, objection, parking and towing.

🚦Fine catalogue, points and driver fitness registerHow a warning fine, a fine and points relate to each other, when points are deleted and how limitation works. 🛑Driving ban and objection to a fine noticeHow long a driving ban lasts, when it starts and how to lodge an objection in time. 🅿️Parking, tickets, towing and keeper liabilityWhat counts as parking, when the keeper bears the costs of parking violations and how towing costs are limited.

🪪 Driving licence

Exchange, probationary period, withdrawal and medical-psychological assessment.

🪪Driving licence: exchange, EU licence and renewalWhich exchange deadlines apply, how long new driving licences are valid and what applies to EU and non-EU licences. 🧪Probationary period, withdrawal of the driving licence and MPUHow the probationary period works, when the driving licence is withdrawn and when an MPU can be required.

🔧 Buying, garage, financing

Buying a used car, repairs, recalls, financing and leasing.

🔑Buying a used car: warranty and rescissionWhat rights you have when buying a used car from a dealer or privately, and when withdrawal is possible. 🛠️Garage, repairs, guarantee and recallYour rights for defective repairs, how Kfz-Schiedsstellen help and what applies in a recall. 📑Car financing and leasing: revocationWhen you can revoke a car loan or lease and how the period starts.

🆘 Emergency and help

Theft and loss, plus nationwide contact points.

🚨Car theft and loss of vehicle documentsWhat you must do immediately after a theft: police, insurer, deregistration, and what applies if documents are lost. 🤝Advice and contact pointsNationally documented bodies for vehicle disputes, consumer questions, registers and legal advice.

For reference

📕Keyword indexAll terms from A to Z, with links to the matching topic pages. 📜Sources and methodWhere the information comes from and what is expressly uncertain. 🏠Other target groupsTo the overview of all Wegweiser portals.

A question about your situation that this page does not answer? Write to us or use the contact form – we will tell you which office is responsible and what to bring. Free of charge, without individual legal advice.