Where does the Berlin Umweltzone start?

Berlin's zone covers the inner city within the S-Bahn ring, the "Großer Hundekopf", an area of about 88 km2, according to the Senate environment department. Signs (sign 270.1 with a green-sticker plate) stand at the entry roads, mostly where streets pass under or over the S-Bahn tracks.

The rule applies around the clock, whatever the air quality that day. Under the national road sign rules, sign 270.1 bans driving a motor vehicle inside the zone unless an additional sign exempts cars with the sticker colour shown. Two exceptions help drivers without a sticker: the southern part of the city autobahn with its slip roads, and the Elsenbrücke with its approach streets, are outside the zone. Kanzowstraße in Prenzlauer Berg, just outside the ring, is inside it.

Does your rental car have the green sticker?

Where the car is registered decides the answer, and that usually follows from where you pick it up.

Where you rent Sticker to expect What to do
Any German branch of Sixt or Hertz Green sticker on the windscreen Check it is there and shows the car's plate
Other German branch Not confirmed in the terms reviewed Ask at the counter before you drive into the centre
Branch in Poland, Czechia or elsewhere abroad None at Hertz; ask other companies Park outside the ring and continue by train
Electric car with a German E-plate Exempt in Berlin by a 2019 city order No sticker needed

Sixt states that all its rental cars in Germany have the green sticker and may enter every German low emission zone. Hertz's Berlin terms say the same for German-registered cars, and add that Hertz cars rented in other countries do not have one.

Why a foreign rental car cannot get one on arrival

Foreign-registered cars need the sticker too. It is issued by the vehicle registration office (LABO) or by testing stations such as TÜV and DEKRA after checking the car's papers, Berlin explains, in line with the federal rule on issuing offices. Online orders cost EUR 6 and take 7 to 14 days to arrive, and visitors are advised to apply about three weeks before the trip.

For a rental car that is not realistic. Under the federal labelling ordinance the issuing office writes the car's plate number on the sticker, which is fixed inside the windscreen and destroys itself if removed, and the application needs the vehicle documents, which you only see at pickup. For foreign cars the emission class comes from the papers or, failing that, from the date of first registration.

Can you drive in Germany on a foreign licence?

German law lets someone without a residence in Germany drive on a foreign licence, within the classes it covers. The Driving Licence Ordinance (FeV § 29) adds one condition: a licence that is not in German, not issued in the EU, EEA or Switzerland, and not in the standard format of the 1968 Vienna Convention must be carried with a translation, unless Germany has waived this. An International Driving Permit together with the licence also satisfies the rule.

Rental companies set their own conditions on top:

Requirement Hertz Germany Avis Germany
Time holding the licence At least 1 year; 3 years for some car groups A minimum applies (the figure is missing from the German terms); 3 years for some car groups
Licence from outside Europe, in Latin script Accepted; IDP still recommended IDP or certified German translation required
Licence in another script IDP or translation by an embassy or automobile club IDP or certified German translation required
Digital licence on a phone Not stated in the terms reviewed Not accepted

The Hertz column comes from its Berlin licence terms, the Avis column from its German location terms.

What is the minimum age to rent a car in Germany?

Avis Germany rents from age 21 and charges drivers under 25 roughly EUR 11.90 to EUR 14.95 per day, depending on the branch, capped at 10 days' worth for rentals up to 28 days. There is no upper age limit.

Hertz Germany sets 25 as its standard minimum. For small and compact groups, drivers from 19 can rent by paying EUR 31.18 per day, EUR 155.89 per week or EUR 280.60 per month.

Worked example: a 23-year-old renting for five days

Company Young driver charge for 5 days Note
Avis EUR 59.50 to EUR 74.75 Daily rate varies by branch
Hertz, small car group EUR 155.89 The weekly rate is one cent below five daily charges

At Hertz, the weekly charge already applies from the fifth day, so a six- or seven-day rental costs the same young driver fee as five days. For drivers aged 21 to 24, the Avis surcharge is the smaller cost in this comparison; compare the full rental price, not only the fee.

Insurance and deposits

Every car registered in Germany must carry third-party liability insurance under the Compulsory Insurance Act, so a car rented in Germany is always insured for liability. Avis says its liability cover pays for injury and damage to others, including your passengers, but not injury to the driver. Collision damage waiver (CDW), usually included, limits what you pay for damage to the car to the excess (Selbstbehalt) printed on the contract, plus a EUR 30 handling charge or the excess if lower. You can buy a product that lowers the excess further.

Avis accepts Maestro, V-Pay and Visa Electron cards only for certain car groups, with extra checks, a deposit of at least EUR 200 and proof of address. A credit card avoids these hurdles.

Can you take a German rental car to Poland or Czechia?

Both companies allow trips to Czechia and Poland with conditions. Avis charges a cross-border fee of at least EUR 7.50 per day, capped at EUR 43.92 per rental, and bars its group F cars from those countries. Hertz charges EUR 41.65 and excludes all Mercedes and BMW models, convertibles and premium SUVs from Czechia, Poland and several other neighbours. Declare the trip at pickup: Avis says it needs prior consent and may end the contract if the conditions are broken.

If a car factory is part of the plan, see seeing the car industry for real.