Illegal parking in Berlin: Only one in 30 is towed away!

Illegal parking in Berlin: Only one in 30 is towed away!

If we take a look at the parking situation in the heart of Berlin, one thing remains clear: illegal parking remains a hot topic. Despite the enormous number of abandoned vehicles in the capital, which stood at around 3.7 million in 2024, only a few of them are actually towed away. Loud rbb24 Between January 2023 and May 2025, only 29,725 vehicles were towed in the Mitte district. In contrast, the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district recorded over 1 million illegally parked vehicles, of which only 26,154 were actually towed away. If you add up the numbers, you quickly realize that towing illegal parkers is often neglected in Berlin.

Antje Kapek, the Green Party's transport policy spokeswoman, is critical of this situation. She points out that the low number of towings is not only a problem for neat freaks, but also for emergency services and city cleaning. The Green politician is therefore calling for more resources and staff for the fines office in order to combat everyday traffic gridlock.

Illegal parking in Germany

If you look at the situation in other major German cities, it becomes clear that Berlin is in the lead with a number of 68,421 towings in 2024 (that's around 187 per day). In comparison, Cologne recorded 20,449 towings, which takes 56 illegal parkers out of traffic every day. What is particularly impressive is that Cologne has a higher towing rate than Munich, even though the city has fewer inhabitants. Finn reports that the highest towing costs are in cities like Hamburg (€450) and Karlsruhe (€319), while in Cologne the fees are a maximum of €225 for vehicles up to 3.5 tons, making the city a comparatively cheap place for illegal parking.

But what happens if the worst comes to the worst? If the car “goes on the road” in the wrong zone, the implementation, i.e. towing, will be ordered by the police, the public order offices or the BVG. Private companies are usually responsible for implementation. If you want to know where the vehicle is after it has been towed, you should contact the Berlin police information and investigation center. This can be reached at (030) 4664-709800. If you want to pick up your car again, you just need proof of identity and possibly a message from the fines office.

Conclusion and outlook

The issue of illegal parking has become a real issue in Berlin and other large cities in recent years. While the numbers of illegal parking go through the roof, the measures to implement them often fall by the wayside. A rethink seems necessary to get the system moving and make the streets safer. As Kapek emphasizes, the dangers posed by incorrectly parked cars should not be underestimated.

A visit to Berlin reveals the challenges and opportunities that come with the issue of illegal parking. As long as authorities are forced to think about solutions, the need for intelligent transport strategies remains high. It remains exciting to see whether those responsible can finally pull the right levers to support all road users equally, from the streets to the sidewalks.