Your own car

If you want to buy your own car or other vehicle, you should always conclude a written purchase agreement. This should contain all the important information, such as the purchase price, the vehicle identification number (VIN), the condition of the vehicle and any warranties.

Pay particular attention to the condition, possible accident damage, mileage and maintenance history of used cars. You should inspect the car thoroughly or have it checked by a specialist. Take a test drive to make sure that the vehicle meets your expectations.

It is not usually possible to return the car after purchase and therefore cancel the purchase contract.

An alternative to buying a car is leasing. You can use the car for a certain period of time and return it at the end. You do not have a high purchase price, but pay a monthly leasing rate. A maintenance contract is often offered, which includes all maintenance and repair costs.

To be allowed to drive your car on public roads, it must be registered and have a license plate number.

You must register the car with the vehicle registration authority at your place of residence. You can find out which documents are required on the intranet page of your local vehicle registration authority.

You can also register, re-register or deregister the car online at Internet-based vehicle registration i-Kfz.

You are legally obliged to take out motor vehicle liability insurance. You are liable to prosecution if you drive a car on public roads without third-party liability insurance.

The insurance covers damage that you cause yourself with your car. It covers damage to other vehicles as well as personal injury.

You should compare different offers from insurance companies to find the best insurance for your needs.

You can voluntarily take out comprehensive insurance. This also covers damage to your car caused by damage, destruction or loss of your vehicle for which no one else is liable to pay compensation.

If you are the "owner" of a car and register ("register") it with the vehicle registration authority, you must pay vehicle tax. Purely electric vehicles are currently tax-exempt until 2030.

In order to register a car, you must issue a SEPA direct debit mandate to the vehicle registration authority or via its online portal to debit the vehicle tax from your bank account.

If you sell your car, you must inform the vehicle registration authority immediately so that the vehicle tax can be deregistered.

Read more about vehicle tax under Taxes in Germany.

During the main inspection (HU), the car is checked for road safety and environmental compatibility. It must be carried out every 2 years (3 years for new cars). You can tell when your car next needs an MOT by the inspection sticker on the rear license plate.

You must have the general inspection carried out and pay for it. The main inspection is carried out by one of the testing organizations - TÜV, DEKRA, GTÜ, KÜS, FSP. You can make an appointment directly with a testing organization or at a garage.

The main inspection (HU) is also known colloquially as "TÜV", as the TÜV testing organization used to have a monopoly on the inspection.

The environmental sticker, officially known as the fine dust sticker, is a sticker on the windshield. You only need it if you want to drive in an environmental zone. This also applies to vehicles registered abroad.

A distinction is made between 4 pollutant groups, depending on how high the car's pollutant emissions are. There are red, yellow and green stickers or you may not receive a sticker at all.

You can buy the stickers from the registration authorities, many garages and the testing organizations TÜV, Dekra, GTÜ, KÜS and FSP.

In Leipzig, the only environmental zone in Saxony, you are only allowed to drive with the green sticker. You can find an overview of all environmental zones in Germany on the website of the Federal Environment Agency.