Germany traffic rules and self driving car rental tips

The Complete Germany Driving and Rental Guide

Whether for leisure or daily use, driving is very popular in Germany, which is said to feature the most well-established and fast Autobahns. However, not all motorways in Germany have unlimited speed restrictions. You are allowed to drive as fast as the circumstances allows on 50% of the motorways, while for the other half are limited from 80 to 130 km/h, which are enforced.

Speed Limit and Traffic Signs

Driving in Germany is on the right side of the road. On Autobahns, one must take the right lane and overtake from the left.

Speed Limit

There is a speed limit of 50 km/h in rural areas and 100 km/h in built-up areas. Recommended maximum speed on motorways is 130 km/h.

Traffic Signs

German traffic signs can be classified into 4 types: regulatory, warning, information and direction signs.

Warning Signs

Warning signs are in red triangle shape with a few exceptions.

Bumpy Road

Level Crossing

Pedestrians

Children Crossing

Wild Animals Crossing

Regulatory Signs

German regulatory signs mostly feature circular shape with a red border, with some exceptions.

Give Way

Stop and Give Way

No U-Turn

No Overtaking

No Passenger Car

Information Signs

Information signs normally feature a square shape as well as blue background, with some other exceptions.

First Aid or Hospital

Car Park, Parking Garage

Toll Road

Stop-Customs

Direction Signs

German direction signs mostly feature a blue or yellow background and markings with location signs, route number information and distance.

Motorway Junction Sign to Service Area

Signpost at Junction Leading Onto a Minor Road

Diversion Sign

End of Diversion

Take a further step to read more useful information regarding Germany traffic signs here.

Seatbelt and Child Safety

Seatbelt Laws

The driver and all passengers are required by law to wear seatbelts if the car is underway. Failing to do so will incur an on-the-spot fine of €30.

Booster Seat Laws

Children over 150cm tall can sit in the front of the car. Younger ones will require appropriate restraints in the rear. Note that a baby must be seated in a baby seat facing backwards in the front passenger seat, and the front airbag must be disabled. If the child seat is not set properly, a fine of €60 will be imposed.

Parking, Fuel and Toll

Parking

· Permitted Parking

Drivers are allowed to park when a “Parkschein” can be found, and can pay the related parking fee to a parking machine. Insert coins to pay for the amount of time you wish to keep your parking spot. then place your ticket on the car’s dashboard in plain sight.

Germany Parking Machine Sign (Image from hiveminer.com)

· Permitted Parking

In Germany, you are considered "parked" if you leave your vehicle or if you stop/stand for longer than 3 minutes, unless you are actively boarding or discharging passengers or loading/unloading cargo.

You may not park in the following spots:

- Within 5 metres on either side of an intersection

- In front of driveway entrances or exits, or on the opposite side of the street

- If the roadway is too narrow to allow vehicles to enter or exit the driveway

- If parking will obstruct the use of marked parking places

- Within 15 metres on either side of a bus or streetcar stop marked with a green H-sign with yellow background

Germany_Traffic_Sign_Bus_or_Tram_Stop_15m_Parking_Prohibition_Prior_to_And_Behind_This_Sign_30m_Altogether

- Within 50 metres on either side of a white X-sign with red poles when outside of urban areas or within 5 metres when inside an urban area

Germany_Traffic_Sign_X_Sign_Give_Priority_to_Rail_Transport

- On a priority road outside of urban areas

- In front of a curb-cut or wheelchair ramp

- Adjacent to a traffic island or median

- On the street side of another parked vehicle ("double parked")

- On a marked bike lane - Anywhere there is a “No Parking” sign on the same side of the street

Germany_Traffic_Sign_No_Parking

Parking in forbidden areas will result in a parking fine that generally ranges from €5 to €25.

Fuel Prices

The average value for Germany gasoline price is €1.39 in January 2018 while diesel is €1.16.

Toll

Unlike trucks, passenger car can drive the Autobahn without toll fee.

However, cross a border into neighbouring countries such as Austria, Switzerland and Czech Republic will require purchasing a vignette that should be stuck on the car’s windshield. Make sure you let the car hire company know if you are planning to drive your vehicle outside Germany, and double-check at the counter whether the rented vehicle features the relevant vignette.

Traffic Violation

DUI Laws

Drivers with more than 2 years' experience are charged with a fine if found driving with 0.05% BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) or with 0.03% in conjunction with any other traffic offences or accidents.

Traffic Fines

There are traffic signs indicating a speed limit at many street sections. Drivers who are speeding in Germany may be caught by a speed trap and the fine ranges from €15 to €680 in town and €10 to €600 outside towns.

Germany Speed Trap （Image from ksta.de)

Travellers renting a car in Germany may receive billing details from their credit cards indicating that a certain amount has been debited, mainly because they have been found guilty of speed driving or prohibited parking. You can always contact QEEQ' 24/7 customer service team for clarifications on such cases.

Driving Licence and Age Requirements

Foreigners on short-term visit may rent a car and drive with a valid foreign driving licence for up to 6 months in Germany. All licences issued by the European Union are accepted. To drive in Germany, the driver must present a valid national driving licence that has been held for at least 1 or 2 years (according to different car hire companies).

You must be at least 18 years old to hire a car in Germany, and age may vary by car category.

Guest reviews

1 /

A.Holzmann

November 20, 2024

Destination: Hamburg

10always great

Great

Sabina Olex Pietrek

November 13, 2024

Destination: Berlin

10Muy bien

El coche superó las expectativas, prácticamente nuevo, con control de velocidad y de tracción. El personal amable y profesional. La entrega rápida.

E.Hettinger

October 22, 2024

9Excellent

Leider nichts

l.pereira

October 20, 2024

Destination: Dusseldorf

10Excellent

Tudo perfeito

A.B.

October 16, 2024

7Lange Wartezeit - Auto Auswahl nicht zufriedenstellend

Ich habe lange am Schalter gewartet Ich hatte VW Passat gewählt, leider war kein anderes VW Fahrzeug verfügbar. Ich bin mit dem angebotenen Fahrzeug nicht gut zurecht gekommen.

YUL

October 14, 2024

6Be careful with EUROP CAR, they are terrible.

보증금 반환과 관련되어 문제가 되었습니다. 문의를 했지만 답변이 오지 않고 있습니다. 일방적으로 보증금을 반환하지 않고 있습니다.

October 8, 2024

Destination: Cologne

Gute Mietfirma

September 30, 2024

Destination: Munich

9機会があればまた利用したい！

現地スタッフの対応を含めて、全般に良好でした。ワイパーブレードの件だけが残念。

September 25, 2024

10existential

best ever

10sehr gute App seit Jahren

ja war gut

105 Sterne service

bester Autoverleih

10existenziell

absolut beste App

10notwendige App

sehr gut

A.Pilgrim

Destination: Hannover

9Car good but need a smoking ban or surcharge

Good car. Have used Alamo before .

S.Jung

September 19, 2024

Destination: Frankfurt

9주차요금에대한 스트레스가 많았습니다. 실제 요금지불도 많았고 주차위반 벅금도 1회 받았습니다. 그외 여행은 아주 좋았습니다.

추가요금이 577.76EUR 처음 예약한 금액은 450,985. 추가요금이 완전 많이 나왔어요. TWR 8/27/2024-9/6/2024 €5.04 / Day €50.40 EXS 8/27/2024-9/6/2024 €21.01 / Day €210.10 8월27일 출발해서 29일-30-31일에 네델란드를 여행했고 그외 일정은 독일에 있었는데 위 요금이 정당한 것인지 궁급합니다.

10Great experience that I’ll use again!

Friendly helpful staff

F.Lapini

August 28, 2024

9El alquiler en sí muy bien Servicio postventa fatal En Álamo hay chorizos o no tratan Lost and foun

Dejado el coche fuera horario de oficina he dejado la cartera con tarjeta de crédito y carnet de conducir No fue posible recuperarla en el momento Álamo se niega a contestar al teléfono por lo visto también a qeeq y tampoco contestan a las mails Hay ido de persona mi hermano y también otro familiar pero dicen que no han encontrado nada, cuando yo tengo foto De la cartera en el coche Una vergüenza

K.Banach

August 25, 2024

6Rental was ok; but ripped off by the rental company not honoring the contract I had with you!!!!!!

They ripped me off and charged me three times the amount that was mentioned on your receipt!!!! I will do everything to get my money back. Really concerned about my upcoming booking with you.

Dhulfiqar Sami

August 10, 2024

10Great experience

Everything was great

Edgar Dewey

August 1, 2024

Destination: Nuremberg

Extremely satisfied! Highly recommend!

Lilith Cissie

July 31, 2024

Very satisfied

Mick Flower

Destination: Bonn

Satisfactory

Roberta Walton

8Very good

Satisfied

Sabina Sinclair

Very satisfied, the staff were attentive and thorough, with a great attitude!

Alberta Job

July 30, 2024

Destination: Mannheim

A very good car rental experience

Claude Peter

This is my second time renting from this company, the experience was excellent.

Eunice Hodge

July 29, 2024

2Poor

I booked a Volkswagen Touareg four months in advance, but they gave me an Audi A6 instead. This is hard for me to accept, but I had no choice because there were no other cars available, and the rental company didn't provide any explanation. We are a family of five with a lot of luggage, so we booked a large car. How are we supposed to fit our luggage in a sedan? The trunk couldn't fit everything, so we had to carry two pieces of luggage inside the car, which defeats the point of booking a specific model. The website stated 'similar models', but giving us a sedan instead of another similar large car is unreasonable. Secondly, I paid 30% more for the Touareg compared to the A6. Why did they give me a cheaper car despite my higher payment? This lack of honesty affected our comfort throughout the 16-day trip. A better car with a higher price is acceptable, but a lack of basic integrity makes future bookings questionable, as paying a premium didn't mean getting the reserved car. This shows a complete lack of contract spirit.

Rodney Elsie

Very satisfied.

Deirdre Bartlett

We had booked a Mercedes E-Class, but were informed at pickup that only an Audi A5 was available. With five of us, it felt a bit small. We wanted to exchange it for another model but were told no other cars were available. On the bright side, the car was new and very clean.

Sally Austin

July 28, 2024

Harley Marcellus

Destination: Wiesbaden

Very good.

Hayden Johnson

Jocelyn Wild

Very satisfied and exceeded expectations.

Elsa Camp

Diana Coverdale

They provided a large SUV, diesel, very fuel-efficient. The car was brand new, quite satisfied.

Andy Carmen

Destination: Neu-Ulm

Maxwell Daniell

July 27, 2024

6Average

Zuzuche is ok.

Beacher Eve

Pretty good

Clara Bernal

The service attitude is good, and the explanations are very detailed.

Lisa Betty

July 26, 2024

Pretty good. The staff is very professional and the process is quick. They don't push unnecessary sales. The car is a Volkswagen T-Cross, a very nice family SUV with CarPlay, making it very convenient to drive.

Ken Raman

Very satisfied. The rental location and parking lot were very easy to find. However, an additional 19% tax was charged at pickup. The car had only 9 kilometers and still had the slight new car smell, reminding me of when I bought my own car. Returning the car was also easy to find, and the staff member was very friendly and even personally took us to the drop-off point.

Barlow Pigou

July 25, 2024

Excellent service, I will definitely rent from this company again next time.

Don Emmie

Satisfied, good service.

Roxanne Bacon

The process was quite simple and the staff was very attentive.

Eden Dutt

Destination: Stuttgart

July 24, 2024

Selena Katharine

Belle Lynch

July 23, 2024

Quick service, short waiting times

Jack Yeates

Scam company. I rented a car for two days, and the bill shows I exceeded the mileage by 17,769 kilometers. They even sent me a bill asking for 8000 euros. They directly deducted my 300-euro deposit. I'm currently disputing this. Hopefully, the platform will support me.

Lawrence Christie

There was no manual inspection when picking up the car, but they claimed there was a scratch on the wheel rim when returning it. Thankfully, I had purchased full insurance.

Germany Car Rentals