# Germany by motorhome: low-emission zones, no car toll, speed limits and where to sleep

> The green sticker, why motorhomes stay toll-free, the 3.5-tonne speed line, Stellplatz versus campsite, the night-in-the-vehicle question, gas and what to che

Source: https://camping-spirit.com/magazine/eu-germany-by-motorhome/

*By CampingSpirit Editors, 2026-10-09*

Germany is one of the easier countries to cross by motorhome: no car toll on the motorways, good roads, a dense network of motorhome pitches. The traps are small and mostly legal: low-emission zones, speed limits by weight, and the fact that sleeping in a vehicle is tolerated but camping is not. Below is what we could confirm from the sources listed; everything else is marked as something to check before you leave.

## Low-emission zones

Many German cities have an Umweltzone. Entry needs the green Umweltplakette (the sticker is also called Feinstaubplakette). According to the Austrian club ÖAMTC, red and yellow stickers are no longer accepted in any city, and entering without a valid green sticker can cost 100 euros plus procedural costs. Our sources do not say explicitly that foreign vehicles are included, but the rule is tied to the vehicle, not the nationality, and the ÖAMTC page is written for exactly this case: foreign drivers who need the sticker. Plan on needing it. Order it before the trip: ÖAMTC says it issues stickers for vehicles up to 3.5 t (6 euros for members, 12 for non-members) and sends heavier vehicles to DEKRA or TÜV; prices elsewhere differ. The blue E-sticker does not replace the green one. Which zones exist changes, so check the city before driving in; the simplest answer is to park outside and take public transport.

## Motorway toll: none for cars, a catch for trucks

Passenger cars and motorhomes pay no toll on German motorways. According to ADAC there is no general passenger-car toll; you only pay at individual tunnels such as the Warnow Tunnel (Rostock) and the Herren Tunnel (Lübeck), motorhomes included. The truck toll is the part that confuses people. According to the magazine Autozeitung, it applied before 1 July 2024 to vehicles over 7.5 t and since then applies from a permissible gross mass above 3.5 t, but only to vehicles intended or used for commercial freight. The same article says motorhomes remain toll-free if they are clearly recognisable as motorhomes (permanent living fittings such as bed, kitchen area, bathroom) and not used for freight.

A camper van that looks like a delivery van, or a converted vehicle over 3.5 t with unusual papers, can attract a check. Autozeitung suggests registering such a vehicle with Toll Collect as “Sonstiges Kfz Wohnmobil”. Whether that is needed in your case, we could not confirm; ask Toll Collect or the BMDV before the trip if your vehicle is over 3.5 t and does not look like a typical motorhome.

## Speed limits

On motorways without a sign Germany has an advisory speed of 130 km/h, not a legal limit. According to ÖAMTC it applies to cars and motorhomes up to 3.5 t; motorhomes over 3.5 t are limited to 100 km/h on motorways and expressways, 80 km/h outside built-up areas and 50 km/h inside them. For a car or motorhome towing a trailer, ÖAMTC gives 50 km/h in town and 80 km/h outside, including motorways. A 100 km/h exception exists for German-registered combinations up to 3.5 t with an approval and a sticker on the trailer; ÖAMTC describes how Austrian owners get it, and we do not know whether it works for other foreign plates. Plan with 80 and treat anything more as a bonus.

Local limits are signed and often lower than you expect, and road works on motorways are frequent. A motorhome is also heavy in braking: the rule of thumb is not to follow the advisory speed just because the car behind does.

## Where to sleep

Two kinds of place are built for motorhomes. A Wohnmobilstellplatz is a parking area for motorhomes, often run by a municipality or a farm, with a pay machine, perhaps electricity and a disposal point, and no pitches or camping life. A campsite (Campingplatz) offers pitches, sanitary buildings and usually a longer stay. Prices and opening dates vary widely, so check the operator’s page or an app, and phone small places in October.

Wild camping is not allowed in Germany in the sense of setting up camp: awning, chairs, table, levelling, grill. Local nature-conservation laws and forest laws add their own bans, and the rules differ by state. Spending a night in the vehicle on a public road is a different case. According to a web.de explainer (a secondary source), the road traffic rules allow a driver to take a rest to restore fitness to drive (“Ruhezeit zur Wiederherstellung der Fahrtüchtigkeit”), usually read as one night and without camp activity. We could not open the Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung or a court decision to quote it, so do not rely on this as a right: many towns ban overnight stays by sign or by-law, and car parks of shops, nature reserves and forests are often private or protected. Where a sign says no, the sign wins. Ask on site if unsure.

## Waste and gas

Grey water and toilet cassettes go only to a proper disposal point (Ver- und Entsorgungsstation), found on most motorhome pitches, many campsites and some petrol stations. Never empty them in a road drain, a car park or the woods. Fees are usually small, and some stations accept coins only.

Gas bottles from home often do not fit German exchange systems, and we have not verified how bottle swapping works for foreign cylinders. Check your set-up against our article on gas bottles abroad. For German-registered vehicles the G 607 inspection under the DVGW rule is, according to ERGO, mandatory before the first trip and after converting or replacing gas appliances; repeat checks are voluntary but recommended every 2 years, and many campsites ask for proof no older than 2 years. Whether and how this applies to foreign-registered motorhomes we could not confirm: check beforehand, and bring your own inspection record if you have one, and check that regulator and hose are in date.

## October, winter tyres and closures

In October many campsites and Stellplätze close for the season or cut services such as water and showers because of frost: confirm dates and phone ahead. Germany has a situational winter-tyre duty: according to ÖAMTC, winter or all-season tyres (since 1 October 2024 only with the Alpine symbol; M+S alone no longer suffices) are required in snow, slush, black ice or ice, and a breach costs from 60 euros plus 28.50 euros procedural costs and one point, or 80 euros if traffic is obstructed. It applies to the weather, not to the calendar, so check the forecast for Alpine foothills and the Harz, and carry what the law and your insurer expect. Drain or protect the water system if frost is forecast. Roads in autumn can be wet with leaves, which matters more for a tall, heavy vehicle than a car does.

## Sources

- [Umweltplakette Deutschland (ÖAMTC)](https://www.oeamtc.at/thema/reiseplanung/umweltzonen-in-deutschland-16186306)
- [Deutschland: Welche Verkehrsregeln sollte man unbedingt kennen? (ÖAMTC)](https://www.oeamtc.at/laenderinfo/deutschland/deutschland-welche-verkehrsregeln-sollte-man-unbedingt-kennen-81389795)
- [Neue Lkw-Maut ab 3,5 t: Auch Wohnmobile betroffen? (Autozeitung, secondary source)](https://www.autozeitung.de/lkw-maut-betrug-toll-collect-185767.html)
- [Maut in Deutschland (ADAC)](https://www.adac.de/reise-freizeit/maut-vignette/deutschland)
- [Gasprüfung G 607 (ERGO Ratgeber)](https://www.ergo.de/de/Ratgeber/reise_und_freizeit/gaspruefung-wohnwagen)
- [Mythos 10-Stunden-Regel: Übernachten im Wohnmobil (web.de, secondary source)](https://web.de/magazine/reise/mythos-10-stunden-regel-uebernachten-wildcampen-grenze-42093630)