Which German emissions sticker does my car get?
Independent, non-governmental site: not an authority’s service, no sticker sales.
Give the fuel, the Euro norm and, for older diesels, whether a particle filter was retrofitted: the check names the emission group and the colour.
Your vehicle gets
Green sticker
Emission group 4
| Into the 35 active zones | yes |
| Legal basis | Annex 2(1), Federal Environment Ministry simplified table |
| Fee at the issuing office | €5 – €10 |
Green is not enough everywhere: Stuttgart bans diesels up to Euro 4 (up to Euro 5 in the small zone), Munich diesels up to Euro 4.
35th BImSchV, Annex 2: assignment to emission groups · BMUV table
The Umweltplakette, Germany’s environmental sticker, shows a vehicle’s emission group under the Labelling Ordinance, the 35th BImSchV. There are four groups and three colours: group 2 gets the red sticker, group 3 the yellow and group 4 the green, while group 1 gets none. Which group a car falls into depends on its engine and its Euro norm. Petrol and gas cars with a regulated catalytic converter from Euro 1 are always group 4, so green. For diesels the norm decides: Euro 4 and later green, Euro 3 yellow, Euro 2 red, anything older no sticker; a retrofitted particle filter lifts an older vehicle by one group. Electric cars are group 4 as well. In practice only green matters today: in all 35 low-emission zones currently listed by the Federal Environment Agency, only vehicles with a green sticker have been allowed for years, and a sticker is valid in every zone across Germany, not just in the city where you bought it.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
The assignment at a glance
| Vehicle | Group | Sticker |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel below Euro 1 | 1 | none |
| Diesel Euro 1 with particle reduction system | 2 | red |
| Diesel Euro 2 | 2 | red |
| Diesel Euro 2 with particle reduction system | 3 | yellow |
| Diesel Euro 3 | 3 | yellow |
| Diesel Euro 3 with particle reduction system | 4 | green |
| Diesel Euro 4 or later | 4 | green |
| Petrol or gas with regulated catalyst, Euro 1 or later | 4 | green |
| Petrol without regulated catalyst | 1 | none |
| Electric, fuel cell | 4 | green |
The table sums up Annex 2 of the 35th BImSchV the way the Federal Environment Ministry does. The ordinance itself lists, for each group, the individual EU directives and particle reduction stages; for almost every car it leads to the same result as the table.
Why almost only green counts
Red and yellow stickers still exist, but no active zone lets them in any more. The Federal Environment Agency says more than 90 per cent of vehicles meet the green sticker requirements. Anyone who gets a red or yellow sticker today drives a vehicle that no zone admits, unless an Annex 3 exemption or an exemption permit applies. For an older diesel it is worth looking at retrofitting a particle filter.
Where and how the sticker is fitted
The issuing office writes the registration number into the box with a lightfast pen. The sticker goes on the inside of the windscreen where it can be seen clearly; peeling it off destroys it. That is what section 3 of the ordinance requires. A sticker lying loose behind the glass, or moved to another vehicle, does not count. Where to get one and what it costs is on the buying the sticker page.