An E-license plate is a special license plate in Germany with an E at the end. Only vehicles that meet certain requirements in accordance with the Electric Mobility Act (EmoG) receive an e-license plate. An e-license plate can be applied for at the local registration office, provided that the requirements are met.
This is what an example e-license plate looks like:
Requirements for an e-license plate
In general, you might think that an E-license plate is electric vehicles reserved. But that is not entirely the case. The vehicle, which is to receive an e-license plate, must meet the requirements of Section 2 of the Electric Mobility Act. In addition to pure battery electric vehicles, this also includes fuel cell cars and vehicles that can be charged externally, such as Plug-in hybrids.
Plug-in hybrids must be able to travel at least 40 km purely electrically and must not emit more than 50 g/km CO2.
Benefits for cars with e-plates
The e-license plate can have a number of advantages. However, it usually depends on how the relevant municipality makes use of the options offered by the special regulations. To the possible Special regulations may include the following:
- discounted or free parking in public parking lots
- Free charging of the e-car battery at local public utilities
- Use of separate lanes (e.g. bus lanes)
- Removal of access restrictions or driving bans
Important: Please inform yourself beforehand about the special regulations for vehicles with e-license plates in your municipality or the municipality you are visiting, otherwise there could be an administrative fine if you take advantage of benefits that do not apply in this municipality.
Registration of a car with an E license plate
Registering your car with an e-license plate is in principle no different from registering a normal vehicle. In addition to registration certificates 1 and 2, the registration office also requires proof of insurance for your vehicle (EVB number). You will receive the EVB number from your car insurance company after you have taken out it and is a seven-digit code consisting of numbers and letters.
To register your car, you also need proof of the successful general inspection (HU) of your vehicle (e.g. TÜV, DEKRA), your identity card and the license plates for your vehicle. You can usually reserve a desired number plate at your registration office for a fee before registration and then have the number plates produced.
There is a fee for reserving the desired number plate in addition to the normal registration fee.
Green environmental sticker - do I still need it?
As strange as it may sound: Even if you drive an electric car or have an e-license plate, you still need the green environmental sticker. This must be clearly visible behind your windshield, otherwise there is also a risk of fines if you drive into an environmental zone without a sticker. You can get the green environmental sticker at your registration office.
If you have registered your car abroad, you can get a blue environmental sticker from your registration office. Instead of a number, the blue environmental sticker shows an “E”.