Check the low-emission zones on your route

Independent, non-governmental site: not an authority’s service, no sticker sales.

The preset is a trip from Cologne via the Ruhr and Hanover to Berlin. Enter your own places and vehicle.

Low-emission zones on the route

All 3 zones open to you

  • Cologne · Yes, you may enterCologne zone: a green sticker is enough.
  • Essen · Yes, you may enterRuhr area zone: a green sticker is enough.
  • Hanover · Yes, zone liftedHanover zone lifted on 22 February 2024.
  • Berlin · Yes, you may enterBerlin zone: a green sticker is enough.

A zone usually covers only part of the city. Motorways mostly run past it; sign 270.1 at the edge of the zone is what counts.

How the check works and its sources

Driving across Germany you often cross several low-emission zones without noticing. Motorways usually lie outside the zones; the boundary generally starts at the exit into town, and the 270.1 sign stands at every entry point. What matters is therefore not the route but the places you actually drive into: to stay overnight, refuel, park or visit. The check above takes up to five places, finds the zone each belongs to and shows whether your vehicle may enter it on your travel date. If several places lie in the same zone, it counts only once; this mainly concerns the Ruhr area, where 13 cities from Duisburg to Dortmund form one joint zone of around 850 square kilometres. The diesel bans in Stuttgart and Munich are included too: a Euro 5 diesel with a green sticker gets through almost every zone, but not into Stuttgart’s small zone. Places without a zone show as free, lifted zones with the date they were lifted. The same check works for foreign vehicles once the emission group is known.

Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources

Examples of typical journeys

Based on the German Environment Agency list
RouteZones on the way (selection)
Cologne – Ruhr – Hanover – BerlinCologne, Ruhr, Berlin; Hanover lifted
Frankfurt – Würzburg – Nuremberg – MunichFrankfurt am Main, Munich; Würzburg and Nuremberg without a zone
Karlsruhe – Stuttgart – Ulm – AugsburgStuttgart, Augsburg; Karlsruhe and Ulm lifted
Hamburg – Bremen – Osnabrück – MünsterBremen, Osnabrück, Münster; Hamburg without a zone
Leipzig – Halle – Magdeburgall three with a zone

How the check counts

Each place is assigned to the zone it belongs to in the list. The Ruhr area counts as one zone, as does Ludwigsburg with its neighbouring towns. For foreign vehicles without proof of the norm, section 6 presumes the group from the first registration; enter that group.

Travelling by motorhome or motorcycle

Motorhomes have the same sticker obligation as cars, while motorcycles are exempt. What an offence costs is on the fines page.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a sticker on the motorway?

Usually not. Zones generally cover urban areas without the motorways running through them; the signs stand at the exits. There are exceptions where federal roads or ring roads belong to the zone, such as the Mittlerer Ring in Munich. The signs and the zone plan decide. If you only pass through without taking an exit, you will usually manage without a sticker.

How do I find out whether my hotel is inside the zone?

The check works with places, not addresses. For cities where the zone covers only part of the area, such as Berlin inside the S-Bahn ring or Leipzig with around 62 percent of its area, it shows the zone rule. Whether a given address lies inside or outside is shown on the city maps linked from the city pages.

Can I save or share the route?

Yes, through the page address. As soon as you change places or vehicle, the page writes your entries into the address bar; you can bookmark that address or pass it on. Nothing is stored on a server, and nothing you enter leaves your browser. On your next visit the page reads the entries back from the address.

Related pages and checks

All zones

Every active low-emission zone by state, with the date of the green stage and its source.

Ruhr area

13 cities from Duisburg to Dortmund, about 850 km², one joint zone: green only since 2014.

Foreign vehicles

With no proof of the norm, the first registration date decides: the section 6 presumption.

Motorhomes

Many older motorhomes are Euro 2 or 3 diesels: which sticker, and which ways in.

Motorcycles and scooters

Motorcycles, scooters and trikes need no sticker: two reasons in the ordinance.

Fines

100 euros, no penalty point: what driving without the right sticker costs and who pays.

Sources

Written by

Publisher of an independent reference on German low-emission zones that traces every zone back to the Federal Environment Agency register and the clean-air plan behind it

Updated on · Editorial policy · Contact

Zone list as of 2026, read on