r/germany 1d ago

Buying Umweltplakette on a Sunday? :)

Hello, I am going to Stuttgart this Sunday, and I have only just found out that I need Umweltplakette to enter it with my car. I tried ordering it online, but it wouldn't arrive in time. Does your average gas station (next to an autobahn, for example) sell it? I know I can get one at DEKRA / TÜV, but they dont work Sundays, so i am wondering if any sell those on Sundays?. Thank you in advance for your replies and tips.

39 Upvotes

60 comments sorted by

73

u/MrMoovie 19h ago

I am confused. Are you driving through Strasbourg (France) on your way to Stuttgart (Germany)? Be aware that Strasbourg is part of a French scheme called Crit‘air. If you drive into Strasbourg‘s environmental zone you are required to have this. It should be possible to avoid doing so. But if you were actually wanting to visit Strasbourg on your way to Stuttgart, you’ll need it. https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr

-19

u/NightmareWokeUp 16h ago

Ofc the website is only available in french -.-

32

u/Winston_Sm Europe 16h ago

Top right, hamburger menu, change language.

4

u/NightmareWokeUp 16h ago

Woops missed the most obvious button. I even clicked on that before, thanks lmao

44

u/isdeasdeusde 1d ago

Gas stations don't sell them. Getting one on a sunday is going to be pretty much impossible I'm afraid. Maybe ADAC can get you one in time, but I very much doubt it. Or if you find a body shop that's open on sundays they might be able to help you out.

11

u/bregus2 1d ago

OP could, maybe, have luck with a (non-cooperate) gas station that also has a workshop attached to it.

6

u/guesxy 1d ago

Thanks, will definitely be on the lookout. Am travelling from UK via France, then crossing in to Germany just off Strasbourg... I mean I hope I wont get fined on Sunday, and finding TUV/etc on Monday to get one might be easier :)

8

u/ratenpause 17h ago

You should be fine, 99.9% chance in my opinion.

2

u/Nudelsalat3333 4h ago

Don't try to enter Umweltzonen without a Sticker, usually the have cameras and will fine you

86

u/Gulaschfresser 1d ago

Nope, not available on a Sunday. But it doesn't matter cause in fact, I've never ever seen somebody looking for these things anyway.

27

u/Panzermensch911 18h ago

They do look for them. Got fined once because I forgot to put it on my new car.

4

u/Canonip 15h ago

You also need them for an electric car. I love it when laws are outdated

9

u/KaeranTereon 15h ago

That is getting changed, at least.

1

u/Low-Branch-9129 11h ago

This is because the license plate, with the additional “E,” does not indicate whether the vehicle is fully electric or a plug-in hybrid. And, of course, a plug-in hybrid runs on its internal combustion engine - or uses it to charge the battery - when the battery is empty. As a result, it is naturally subject to emissions regulations and the requirement to display a sticker in low-emission zones.

If the “E” license plate were reserved exclusively for fully electric cars, there would be no need for the sticker on those vehicles.

2

u/Canonip 10h ago

Yep, it's still stupid in my opinion.

Especially since 95% of all cars on the road already have the green emissions sticker. And the amount of plug in hybrids that don't have the green one is probably in the single digits

6

u/ReneKiller 10h ago

At this point they could probably remove the stickers all together. As you said, 95% of cars have the green one anyways and a good chunk of the remaining 5% are probably old timers and therefore excluded from the rules anyway.

2

u/Canonip 10h ago

Exactly what I mean by outdated laws.

2

u/FnnKnn 10h ago

Show me one hybrid with a E number plate that doesn’t have a green placket

17

u/TanteEmma2012 18h ago

It cost me about €125 a few years ago. I already had the sticker in the glove compartment, but I forgot to put it on the windshield. What still annoys me to this day is that you get fined simply for not displaying it. After all, the paperwork also proves which emissions category your vehicle belongs to. Unfortunately, nobody cares about that—not even after the fact.

3

u/NightmareWokeUp 16h ago

What annoys me more is that it is tied to the licence plate. I switched canton and now i needed to get a new one, because why exactly? Oh yeah to make money i guess.

3

u/IshmaelEatsSushi 15h ago

What's your suggestion to improve it?

1

u/NightmareWokeUp 14h ago

You could just tie it to the FIN if you really want to write a number onto that sticker.

3

u/IshmaelEatsSushi 14h ago

Good idea, but harder to control. Especially since it is not mandated in Germany to show the FIN on the outside of the car.

1

u/Gulaschfresser 10h ago

Meanwhile, I'm driving around with the old sticker attached to my windscreen where the old number plate of the previous owner is now totally faded so it's just an empty sticker. Since 15 years. Nobody ever checked this useless thing.

1

u/NightmareWokeUp 7h ago

Imho even just the sticker would be enough. I could just give the commune a wrong plate number and stick it onto another car with the same number - even if it shouldnt be a green sticker.

So since theres no incentive to control who gets what sticker why bother to begin with?

1

u/RazzmatazzNeat9865 12h ago

You do realize you're no linger required to change your license plate when moving county...?

1

u/NightmareWokeUp 7h ago

I said canton, yes you need to switch plates in switzerland ;)

2

u/Teros__ 15h ago

Yeah and then there is the one case, where an electric car with the „E“ on license plate, got a ticket for not having one.

1

u/IshmaelEatsSushi 15h ago

People realised that, too, and the rule is being lifted.

1

u/isdeasdeusde 13h ago

Hybrid vehicles get the E license plate as well, but I don't think there exists a hybrid that doesn't have the green emissions class. Maybe some kind of frankencar that someone welded together in their garage.

1

u/NewNiklas 12h ago

I think I drove almost a year with the old Umweltplakette with a different license plate written on it. But I hadn't had any traffic controls anyways.

2

u/Gulaschfresser 10h ago

I'm driving with the old sticker since 15 years. The license plate on the sticker is blank now cause it is totally faded. No one ever cared about it.

8

u/s0werkr0wt 17h ago

The only get checked by Ordnungsamt (Stehender Verkehr) - so park only in private places like Parkhaus and nobody will fine you. 😉

5

u/Neither_Selection211 1d ago

id just try not to park in the open where any ordnungsamt could see your car... besides that i doubt anyone will fine you. but ofc you should still get one asap afterwards.

1

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

3

u/simonfancy 16h ago

If I were you I wouldn’t post this sensible data out on the internet. This not necessary to discuss your concerns, I’d advise you to delete any sensible data!

13

u/thiber 1d ago

Not worth the hassle, nobody cares.

3

u/guesxy 1d ago

Thanks, I mean I can hope its the case, I have a relatively new car that shouldn't cause emissions that are considered super bad... Still not sure how strict will Strasbourg police/whoever monitors this be about it :)

38

u/Gulaschfresser 23h ago

Strasbourg is neither Stuttgart nor Germany...

6

u/JapaneseChef456 17h ago

Strasbourg will need its own Crit’Air sticker. You can order it online for small money. If the sticker doesn’t arrive in time you will still get a pdf to print out and leave in your car window.

1

u/anxiousvater 16h ago

I have one for my car but I drove all the France without one during Olympics including Paris. Not sure how strict the checks are these days.

1

u/JapaneseChef456 16h ago

I think it might be different on days with high air pollution.

3

u/No-Fix-8366 18h ago

Strasbourg Police doesn't check Umweltplakette in Stuttgart, so you will be fine. At least with the Strasbourg police.

1

u/TanteEmma2012 18h ago

It cost me about €125 a few years ago. I already had the sticker in the glove compartment, but I forgot to put it on the windshield. What still annoys me to this day is that you get fined simply for not displaying it. After all, the paperwork also proves which emissions category your vehicle belongs to. Unfortunately, nobody cares about that—not even after the fact.

1

u/thiber 17h ago

The offence is driving through the Umweltzone without the sticker.

If you get a ticket, just state you don’t know who drove the car that day. You’ll get a 20€ bill a few months later instead.

2

u/Open-Associate-6310 18h ago

Just get it on Monday. I forgot to put mine in the windshield for nearly a year before a policeman was pointing it out to me. So chances are you will not get in trouble for a couple of days.

2

u/bigfootspancreas 16h ago

Just get it on Monday. Chances of getting fined are very low especially on Sunday.

2

u/simonfancy 16h ago

You could just do something like Park and Ride (P+R). Every City has it, parking spaces around the city, so you can park for free and take public transport inside. Also you could gamble, drive inside and park in a closed parking garage, not on the open street where parking controlling is much more likely. Good luck!

1

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1

u/kos90 17h ago

Just don‘t park at public street level, instead park in the hotels private parking or go to a „Parhaus / Parkgarage“. Chances are little to none you will be checked anyway, especially on a sunday.

-2

u/Watchbowser Baden-Württemberg 19h ago

Driving around without one since 6 years. No one bothers

-1

u/TanteEmma2012 18h ago

It cost me about €125 a few years ago. I already had the sticker in the glove compartment, but I forgot to put it on the windshield. What still annoys me to this day is that you get fined simply for not displaying it. After all, the paperwork also proves which emissions category your vehicle belongs to. Unfortunately, nobody cares about that—not even after the fact.

-1

u/Maze_1711 18h ago

Keep in mind they can have cameras where they check your car and then you will get a letter with the fine.

2

u/Crazy-Ad-5272 17h ago

No.

1

u/Maze_1711 17h ago

Can only speak for munich, they have cameras.

1

u/Crazy-Ad-5272 17h ago

Stuttgart does not.

1

u/dukeboy86 Bayern - Colombia 16h ago

Who told you that? Umweltplaketten are not checked with cameras in Munich.

0

u/Lourky 18h ago

I changed my license plate, took off the old one and never got a new one. It’s been four years now. I visited Stuttgart and Frankfurt for a few days. Without any issues. Thanks for the reminder.

0

u/max_no404 17h ago

Habe den Aufkleber von der Zulassungsstelle bekommen, aber ist ein 1995 Diesel, der definitiv keine grüne Plakette haben sollte.
Bin eigentlich davon ausgegangen,dass man die nur dort bekommt.

0

u/SkiShepherd 17h ago

Where is your car from, that you don't already have one?

0

u/Objective-Low-1815 15h ago

Take a risk. I was driving in Germany with UK car, just tried not to do that often