Driving bans for diesel: fines and consequences in Germany!

Driving bans for diesel: fines and consequences in Germany!

road users in Germany have to become increasingly on stricter regulations with regard to diesel driving bans. In cities such as Stuttgart and Munich, driving bans for diesel vehicles are already in force, while Hamburg and Berlin have abolished their corresponding regulations in 2018 and 2019. From October 1, 2025, in several Northern Italian regions, including Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia Romagna and Veneto, driving bans for older diesel vehicles of the Euro 5 standard will come into force. These developments raise new questions about air quality and the measures to improve them.

violations of the existing driving bans in Germany can lead to fines from 168 euros, while repeated violations can even result in a driving ban of up to one month. The need to introduce driving bans is related to a lawsuit by German environmental aid, which indicates non -compliance with air pollution limit values ​​in about 70 cities. Since February 2018, municipalities in Germany have been able to independently decide on driving bans for diesel vehicles, which has led to a fragmentation of the regulations reports Busseldkatalog.org .

regional differences in Germany

Currently there is a driving ban for Euro 5 diesel only in Hamburg, where only vehicles of the Euro 6 emissions standard are approved. Future driving bans are planned in Frankfurt am Main and Berlin. A corresponding ban is to work in Frankfurt from September 2019, while certain sections of the route have been affected in Berlin since mid -2019. In Stuttgart there are no driving bans for Euro 5 diesel for the time being.

The disregard for these regulations in Hamburg can result in fines of 20 euros for car drivers and 75 euros for truck drivers. Traffic monitoring is carried out randomly, whereby no blue badge is planned to identify clean diesel. Political measures to prevent driving bans include exchange premiums and retrofits for diesel vehicles, which, however, encounter resistance from the automotive manufacturers Fixed .

overview of European regulations

not only in Germany, but also in many other European cities, access restrictions and environmental zones now apply. Drivers are well advised to inform themselves about the respective provisions in order to avoid high fines. In Belgium, for example, an environmental zone regulation applies to Euro 0-4 diesel vehicles in cities such as Antwerp and Brussels, while in France environmental badges (crit’Air) are required in France reports .

• Belgium: environmental zones for diesel vehicles Euro 0-4, every day around the clock.
• France: zone à faibles Émissions for diesel vehicles Euro 0-3, environmental badges required.
• Italy: in Milan Diesel Vehicles Euro 0-5 are excluded between Monday and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• Great Britain: London raises a city toll for all cars except motorcycles and mopeds.

These regulations show that the trend towards strict environmental measures continues. Road users should prepare well, especially if they travel to adjacent European countries.