Austria → Germany

Driving in Germany when you know Austria

Differences first, worst-to-get-wrong first. Rules that match are folded away at the bottom.

Driving to Germany from Austria: what to check before you go

These are the key destination rules to check first. The comparison below shows every verified difference. Follow local signs and instructions on the road.

Which side of the road do you drive on in Germany?: In Germany you drive on the right.
What is the speed limit in Germany?: No general limit on motorways, no general limit on dual carriageways, 100 km/h on country roads and 50 km/h in towns and cities. Those are the national default limits, which apply where no sign says otherwise.
What is the drink driving limit in Germany?: The legal limit in Germany is 0.5 g/l. 0.5 Promille. From 1.1 Promille driving is a criminal offence, and below 0.5 you can still be liable if driving is visibly affected. Drivers who passed their test recently are held to 0 g/l.
What do you have to carry in your car in Germany?: You must carry a warning triangle, a high-visibility vest and a first aid kit.

Read the full driving rules in Germany and the required car equipment in Germany .

Looking to rent a car? Rental agencies often have their own rules on driving ages and equipment, make sure you check with them before you travel.
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What's different (5)

Speed limit on the motorway

Critical

Austria · home130 km/hChecked 16 Aug 2026

Germany · destinationNo general limitNo general limit for cars. 130 km/h is the official recommendation, and going faster can mean sharing liability after an accident. Signed limits apply on many stretches.Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source

Alcohol limit for drivers who passed their test recently

ImportantStricter than at home

Austria · home0.1 g/lEvery new Austrian licence is probationary for three years. If your own licence is that new, drink nothing at all.Checked 16 Aug 2026

Germany · destination0 g/lZero alcohol for the two-year probationary period and for anyone under 21.Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source

Largest motorbike or scooter you may ride on a car licence

Important

Austria · home

Engine up to 50 cc
Top speed up to 45 km/h

A category B licence includes class AM, so it covers a moped with no extra step. The source defines a moped by both thresholds together: engine size and approved design speed. It gives no power figure. Riding up to 125 cc (11 kW) on a B licence needs "Code 111" entered on the licence first: B held for at least five years without a break, out of the probationary period, and a practical course. Code 111 is a national provision for Austrian-issued licences. The source does not say whether a foreign B licence gets the moped allowance.Checked 2 Sep 2026

Germany · destination

Engine up to 50 cc
Power up to 4 kW
Top speed up to 45 km/h

A German category B licence includes class AM. The speed limit applies to every AM machine; the engine limit is for petrol engines and the power limit for diesel or electric. The rule itself is in FeV §6, which names only the EU class L1e-B; the figures are from the federal motor transport authority's licence-class table. With a short training course and no exam, drivers aged 25 or over who have held B for five years can add code B196 for 125 cc, 11 kW motorbikes. B196 is valid only inside Germany.Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source

How you pay for motorways

Important

Austria · home

Vignette sticker

Buy the vignette before you join a motorway or expressway — there are no toll booths and no chance to pay at the entrance. Sold as a sticker at petrol stations near the border, or as a digital vignette online. Some tunnels and alpine passes charge separately on top.Checked 16 Aug 2026

Germany · destination

None

Motorways are free for cars and motorcycles — the toll applies to trucks. A few tunnels and private roads charge individually.Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source

Riding between lanes of slow traffic

Good to know

Austria · homeAllowed, with restrictionsYou may ride forward between vehicles that have stopped, at a red light or in a jam, but only if there is enough room. Do not cross solid lines, do not use the hard shoulder or the emergency corridor, and do not ride between vehicles that are still moving.Checked 2 Sep 2026

Germany · destinationNot allowedWeaving between queued vehicles counts as overtaking on the right, which is banned. Passing on the left is allowed in theory but needs a full safe side gap, which a traffic jam rarely leaves. Using the emergency corridor (Rettungsgasse) is banned.Checked 2 Sep 2026 · official source

Known on one side only (15)

Which side you overtake on

Austria · homeNot yet verified

Germany · destinationLeftPassing on the right is only for vehicles turning left, and for trams.Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source

Speed limit on a dual carriageway

Austria · homeNot yet verified

Germany · destinationNo general limitRoads with structurally separated carriageways have no general car limit, like motorways. The 130 km/h recommendation applies. Signed limits are common.Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source

Turning at a red light

Austria · homeNot yet verified

Germany · destinationOnly where a sign allows itOnly where a green arrow plate (Grünpfeil) is mounted beside the red light, only turning right, and only after a complete stop.Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source

Priority to traffic coming from the right

Austria · homeNot yet verified

Germany · destinationYes — traffic from the right goes first at unmarked junctionsRight before left at any unsigned junction, including small residential ones.Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source

Age below which a child needs a child seat

Austria · homeNot yet verified

Germany · destination12 yearsA child needs a seat until age 12, unless already 150 cm tall.Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source

Height below which a child needs a child seat

Austria · homeNot yet verified

Germany · destination150 cmA child shorter than 150 cm needs a seat until age 12.Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source

Alcohol limit for professional drivers

Austria · home0.1 g/lLorry and bus drivers, and anyone carrying schoolchildren.Checked 16 Aug 2026

Germany · destinationNot yet verified

Who has priority at a roundabout

Austria · homeNot yet verified

Germany · destinationTraffic already on the roundabout goes firstWhere the roundabout sign is posted, traffic on the circle has priority and you must not indicate on entry — only on exit. An unsigned circle falls back to right-before-left.Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source

Parking on the pavement

Austria · homeNot yet verified

Germany · destinationOnly where signs or markings allow itOnly where a sign or marking explicitly allows it.Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source

Parking facing against the traffic

Austria · homeNot yet verified

Germany · destinationOnly on one-way streetsPark on the right edge in the direction of travel; one-way streets allow the left.Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source

How far you must park from a junction or crossing

Austria · homeNot yet verified

Germany · destination

A junction — 5 m

8 m where a marked cycle path crosses.Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source

When winter tyre rules apply

Austria · home1 November to 15 AprilChecked 16 Aug 2026

Germany · destinationNot yet verified

Low-emission zones

Austria · homeNot yet verified

Germany · destinationIn many citiesAround 39 Umweltzonen, including Berlin, Munich, Cologne and Stuttgart. A green windscreen sticker is required, including on foreign cars — order it before travelling.Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source

Emergency number

Austria · homeNot yet verified

Germany · destination112112 for fire and ambulance. 110 reaches the police.Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source

Whether police can fine you on the spot

Austria · homeNot yet verified

Germany · destinationYesMinor offences up to 55 euros can be settled on the spot as a warning fine. Larger fines are billed — but drivers without a German address can be required to pay a security deposit immediately.Checked 3 Aug 2026 · official source

Same in both (17)

Which side of the road you drive on — Right official source
Speed limit on country roads — 100 km/h official source
Speed limit in towns and cities — 50 km/h official source
How much alcohol you may have in your blood — 0.5 g/l official source
Whether you need an International Driving Permit — Depends on where your licence is from official source
What you must carry in the car — First aid kit · Warning triangle · High-visibility vest official source
Youngest age you may drive — 18 years official source
Holding a phone while driving — Not allowed official source
Who must wear a seatbelt — Everyone, in every seat official source
Winter tyres — Required whenever the road is icy or snowy official source
Helmets on a motorbike or scooter — Required for rider and passenger official source
What a rider must wear or carry — Nothing beyond a helmet official source
When you must switch your headlights on — Not required official source
Hands-free phone calls — Allowed official source
Youngest age you may ride the smallest class of scooter — 15 years official source
Smallest motorbike allowed on the motorway — Top speed at least 60 km/h official source
Headlights on a motorbike in daytime — Required at all times official source