Car rental in Germany

• Violation of traffic regulations during the transportation of one child – 40 Euro, more than one child – 50 Euro;
• Failure to use safety belts – 30 Euro;
• Illegal parking – from 15 to 40 Euro;
• Failure to keep a safe distance – from 25 to 400 Euro;
• Dangerous or incorrect overtaking – from 70 to 150 Euro;
• Driving through a red traffic light – 200 Euro;
• Racing on public roads – 400 Euro.

It is important to know that when using a hired car in Germany, you can refuse to pay the penalty. However, if the case is forwarded to court, the penalty amount will be significantly increased.

Passenger cars (without trailer):

• Within built-up areas – 50 km/h;
• Outside the city (or any other built-up area) – 100 km/h;
• Motorway – 130 km/h (recommended).

Cars with trailers:

• Within built-up areas – 50 km/h;
• Outside any built-up area – 80 km/h;
• Autobahn – 80 km/h.

The lowest speed allowed on motorways is 60 km/h, but for cars equipped with snow chains the speed limit is reduced to 50 km/h.

Most German cities have prohibited parking areas. It is strictly forbidden to park your car in such places. It is also prohibited to park your car against the direction of traffic. The signs "Anwohnerparken" and "Anliegerfrei" indicate that parking here is allowed only for people who live on this street.

Some parking zones require a special parking disc. It is available at any filling station and should be fixed to the inside of the windscreen, showing the exact time the car was parked (on arrival in the parking zone).

Parking areas marked with a "Parkschein" sign require tickets or plastic tokens, which are available at the entrance. These tokens are used to pay for the entire parking time before leaving the car park. A nearby automatic machine will help you to complete this task.

• Up to 30 minutes – 10 Euro;
• Up to 60 minutes – 25 Euro;
• Up to 120 minutes – 20 Euro;
• Up to 180 minutes – 25 Euro;
• Over 3 hours – 30 Euro.

If you need to park for longer, please look for free parking areas. They are marked with white lines. You are allowed to park your car there for up to 48 hours.

The maximum permissible level is 0.3%.

If the blood alcohol level ranges from 0.3% to 0.5%, but the driver has not violated any other traffic rules, there will be no punishment. A level exceeding 0.5% results in a 500 Euro penalty; a repeated violation results in a 1000 Euro penalty and deprivation of the driving licence for 90 days. The same amount of alcohol along with a third repeated violation means a 1500 Euro penalty and deprivation of the driving licence for 90 days.

Blood alcohol content of 1.1% and higher: penalty, deprivation of the driving licence for up to 5 years and possible arrest.

For those drivers whose driving experience is less than 24 months and whose age is under 21 years, the blood alcohol content must not exceed 0.00%; otherwise, a penalty of 250 Euro will be imposed.

When choosing a car hire office in Germany, please study the most important traffic rules so as not to spoil your holiday.

1. Dipped headlights are recommended at all times. They are compulsory in precipitation and poor visibility. Driving using only sidelights is prohibited.
2. Children under the age of 12 may travel by car only in special child restraint systems, selected strictly in accordance with their weight. If there are no safety belts in the car, it is unsuitable for transporting children under the age of 3 years.
3. The use of safety belts is compulsory for all passengers, whether they are in the front or rear seats.
4. Using a mobile phone while driving is forbidden, unless it is operated via a hands-free system.

Before hiring a car in Germany, make sure that it is suitable for the use of E10 petrol, which is widely available in this country. Apart from this type of fuel, filling stations sell 95 and 98 petrol, as well as diesel fuel. You will hardly be offered anything else. However, you are allowed to have a reserve canister of petrol in your car.

Approximate prices:

• 95 petrol – 2.06 Euro;
• 98 petrol – 2.14 Euro;
• Diesel fuel – 1.93 Euro.

The country does not have toll motorways; a charge is applied only for entering the centres of several cities (marked by the "Umweltzone" sign) and also for entering 2 tunnels. There are also so-called ecological zones, marked by relevant signs. Only cars fitted with special stickers are allowed to enter such zones. The sticker price ranges from 5 to 15 Euro. It can be purchased at technical inspection centres or in certified garages.

Sectors with special charges:

The Warnow Tunnel – the access price is:

If there is no automatic payment device, you may use only 2 or 3 lanes for driving.

The Herrentunnel – the access price is:

To pay for passage, please use the two right-hand lanes; the next two lanes are intended for payment by coins in an automatic machine. The last lane is for the use of automatic payment devices.

The Rossfeldpanoramastrasse panoramic road is open all year round. The entrance cost is as follows:

• a family ticket by passenger car – 7 Euro;
• one driver – 5 Euro;
• one adult passenger – 2 Euro;
• children from 4 to 12 years old – 1.30 Euro;
• a motorcycle (with a driver and a passenger) – 4 Euro.