Weblog – Oldtimer tsunami in Germany

It’s like this: in Germany a car gets the so-called old-timer status after thirty years. At least, that’s what he qualifies for, if you apply for an H license plate through the official channels. Then you get an extra H (from Historical) on your license plate at the end of the letter-number combination, just like electric cars (and plug-in hybrids) can get an E and thus enjoy some privileges. In the case of the H, this is a fixed rate for road tax (KFZ Steuer) of €191.73 per year and a special insurance rate. So unlike in the Netherlands, old cars are never fully tax-free.

But what is the matter now? Nearly one million cars reached the age of 30 in 2021 alone. More than ever before and that has everything to do with the fact that the cars from that era last a long time and because quite a lot of them were built. However, the chance does not seem very great that the majority of owners will apply for an H registration number. Because for this, an inspector from, for example, TÜV or Dekra will have to determine that the vehicle in question qualifies, which means that everything must be original and in good condition.

Volkswagen Golf (1992)

Such an inspection costs money, as do the changes in the registration certificate and the purchase of a set of new plates. Totally uninteresting if you have a 1992 VW Golf 1.6 petrol, because it costs €117 per year in road tax. It will be different with a Mercedes-Benz W124 300 TD Turbo, for which an annual rate of €820 applies (€1,892 in the Netherlands!). After the obligatory round through the H-molen you can enjoy that blissful six-cylinder diesel for less than €200 per year. And you can suddenly drive into any environmental zone with it, because a green sticker on the windscreen is not necessary. Anyway, it seems that the old-timer soup isn’t eaten as hot when it’s served and that many of those old bins go to scrap, leaving only the really interesting cars.