Europcar warns travellers to be aware of ‘Green Zones’ when driving in Germany

Europcar is warning travellers planning to drive in some of Germany’s cosmopolitan and buzzing cities that new ‘Green Zones’ have recently been introduced. These require all vehicles to display an ‘environmental badge’ and any vehicle without a badge will be subject to a fine of €40. Importantly this includes vehicles driven cross-border by foreign travellers.

“The Europcar fleet has the appropriate badges, ensuring our customers can travel freely within German cities,” explains David McNeill, Corporate Sales Director, Europcar. “However, the law applies to vehicles driven into Germany from other countries, as well as German registered vehicles. Travellers should, therefore, ensure that any vehicle crossing the border into Germany complies by displaying an environmental badge.”

The badges can be bought online from umwelt-plakette.de for €18.90 plus postage for a printed version. Alternatively, stickers can be bought in Germany at its vehicle registration offices, exhaust emission testing centres and authorised garages in the cities for around €5.

David McNeill concludes, “Whether travelling in Germany on a business trip or a weekend city break, it’s essential that travellers are aware of the new laws. It’s wrong to assume that foreigners will be exempt from the laws. Anyone entering the green zones in a vehicle without a badge will incur a fine, even if it is registered outside Germany.

“Europcar customers will be able to travel safe in the knowledge that all our vehicles have the necessary badge. But with more cities due to follow suit later in the year, we’re advising holidaymakers and business travellers to check their destination before they make the trip.”

Germany Environmental Zones

01.01.2008 Berlin, Hannover, Köln
12.01.2008 Dortmund (Brackeler Straße)
01.03.2008 Ilsfeld, Leonberg, Ludwigsburg, Mannheim, Reutlingen, Schwäbisch-Gmünd, Stuttgart, Tübingen
33 planned environmental zones
01.08.2008 Bremen, Pleidelsheim,
01.09.2008 Regensburg
01.10.2008 Bochum, Bottrop, Dortmund, Duisburg, Essen, Frankfurt am Main, Gelsenkirchen, München, Oberhausen, Recklinghausen
2008, (Date not yet set) Augsburg
01.01.2009 Herrenberg, Karlsruhe, Nürnberg, Pforzheim
01.01.2010 Dresden, Freiburg (Breisgau), Heidelberg, Mühlacker
Year not yet set - Braunschweig, Darmstadt, Düsseldorf, Gera, Jena, Leipzig, Magdeburg, Neu-Ulm, Pfinztal, Ruhrgebiet-Großumweltzone, Ulm

For more information, visit Europcar.com.