Let’s assume you already have a driving license (driving license in Germany costs on an average 1500–2000€) and have ready purchased a car. Buying a car in Germany depends on your budget. As per my experience, the cost of owning a car in Germany is as follows:
Hint: If you are planning to buy a used car that is already registered, you can think of keeping the existing license plate number (Discuss it with the current owner, to be polite!). This will save you the additional cost of buying a new license plate.
SEE ALSO: How to convert an existing driving license to a German driving license?
Apart from these, you will incur some regular costs:
For newer cars, the tax is calculated on basis of vehicle engine type, capacity, and CO2 value. For older cars, it is calculated on basis of emission class. The tax has to be paid on yearly basis.
You can calculate the tax amount here: Kfz-Steuer-Rechner – Bundesfinanzministerium – Service
The insurance amount depends on the type and power of the car. It also depends on which accident-free class (Schadenfreiheitsklassen – SF Klasse) you are in. The insurance amount goes lower every year you have an car insurance and remain accident-free (as a result of own fault). The insurance amount goes up every time you use the insurance. It is higher for persons with a new license and/or if they are below a certain age (usually 18–24 years). You can check the SF-classes here (in German): Schadenfreiheitsklassen im Überblick (SF-Klassen)
This type of car insurance is a minimum legal requirement to be able to register your car. It covers all the damages
This type of insurance may cover:
This type of insurance covers any damage to your own car (in addition to (a) and (b)) as a result of an accident, even if it is your fault.
Teilkasko is only a little more expensive than Haftpflichtversicherung. But getting Vollkasko drives up the insurance amount quite a lot. I would recommend getting at least Teilkasko. One way of having a lower insurance amount for Teilkasko and Vollkasko is to provide a higher excess to be paid by yourself (Selbstbeteiligung) in case if you need to use the insurance.
General inspection (Hauptuntersuchung – HU) and exhaust emission test ( Abgasuntersuchung – AU)
It has to be performed every 24 months for all cars. It is relaxed to 36 months for some types of vehicles (for example, Pkw category) if it is the very first inspection (Erste Untersuchung). This will cost around 90-100€(This doesn’t include any repairs if required!)
Changing tires every summer and winter (if you don’t do it on your own)
If you don’t change tires/wheels on your own, every year you will end up paying twice (summer and winter) for changing tires.
Source: Preisradar Reifen wechseln
Inspection, Maintenance, and Repairs
To keep your car running smoothly you will need to perform regular inspection and maintenance (Inspektion und wartung) as per manufacturer’s specifications (For example changing OIL, air filter, pollen filter, etc) every 1–2 years. This can cost you around 200–400 Euros every time; and once in a while around 400–800€ when some major maintenance/replacement of parts has to take place.
Once in a while, doesn’t matter how much care you take of your car, something is going to go wrong. You will also end you paying for the repairs. In Germany, minor repairs can also cost a lot (esp. due to expensive labor costs). For example, I had a stone hit on my cars condenser (insurance only covers stone hit to exterior car body), which caused it to become leaky (and no cool air from the A/C as a result). I had to pay 170€ for the replacement parts (new condenser + A/C gas) and more than 400€ in labor charges!
Parking
This is something that should not be taken lightly, esp. if you live towards the center of a big city. Parking space or a garage can cost up to 100€ or more a month.
Car wash
This is one of the smaller cost that accumulates over time if you wash your car regularly. In Germany, you are not allowed to wash cars in the street or in your own garage if it doesn’t have a special drainage system. If you take the car to an auto wash (Autowaschanlage), it can cost between 8–20€ every time.
Hint: Some shops provided you a place, water, and soap to hand wash your car. If you are not afraid to get your hands dirty, you can save a lot of money (It cost 2–5€ to wash this way every time).
My estimate for regular costs that are incurred on my Hyundai i30 are:
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