Is there a speed limit on the autobahn around Munich?
A single drive out of Munich can take you past open sections, fixed signs and electronic gantries. The rule that binds you depends on which of these you are looking at.
| What you see | What applies | If you go faster |
|---|---|---|
| No limit sign, end-of-limit sign | Advisory 130 km/h for cars up to 3.5 t | No fine; partial liability risk after an accident |
| Round sign with a number | That number is the maximum | Fine from the BKatV table below |
| Number lit up on an overhead gantry | Same legal effect as a fixed sign | Fine from the same table |
| Green arrow over the hard shoulder | Hard shoulder open as a normal lane | Using it to get ahead when closed: EUR 75 |
The 130 km/h figure comes from the Autobahn advisory speed ordinance, which recommends it for cars on autobahns and dual carriageways. It stops applying wherever a posted limit exists. The ADAC explains that exceeding it is not an offence, but courts have assigned at least 20% shared liability when keeping to 130 would have avoided the crash. In a rental car, a liability share can leave you paying part of the damage.
Electronic gantries can show a lower limit than the fixed signs you passed a few minutes earlier. Under the road traffic regulations (StVO § 39), a lit-up variable sign is a traffic sign like any other, with white and black simply reversed. The same regulations let a green-arrow sign (sign 223.1) open the hard shoulder as the right-hand lane; using a closed hard shoulder to get ahead is item 88 of the catalogue.
Three rules that cost visitors money
Overtake on the left only
StVO § 5 says overtaking is done on the left. Passing a slower car on its right outside built-up areas costs EUR 100 under item 17 of the fine catalogue. There are two narrow exceptions in § 7: when queues have formed in every lane, the right lane may move faster than the left, and when the left lane is stationary or crawling you may pass it on the right only slightly faster and with great care.
On an open autobahn, a slow car in the middle lane is not one of those exceptions. Wait for it, or move left.
Form the emergency corridor early
As soon as traffic on an autobahn moves at walking pace or stops, StVO § 11 requires every driver to leave a free lane for police and ambulances between the far-left lane and the lane next to it. On a three-lane road, the left lane moves left and the other two move right.
| Offence (BKatV item 50 and 50a) | Fine | Driving ban |
|---|---|---|
| No corridor formed | EUR 200 | 1 month |
| No corridor, and an emergency vehicle is obstructed | EUR 240 | 1 month |
| No corridor, with danger to others | EUR 280 | 1 month |
| Driving through the corridor yourself | EUR 240 | 1 month |
Keep the gap
Tailgating is measured against half the speedometer reading in metres. Above 100 km/h, a gap under three tenths of that half-value costs EUR 160 and a one-month ban (item 12.6.3). At 120 km/h, half the speed is 60 m, so the threshold is 18 m. Holding a phone while driving costs EUR 100 (item 246.1), and more with a ban if it leads to danger.
How much are speeding fines in Germany?
These amounts come from table 1c of the BKatV, as last amended on 12 August 2026. They apply to ordinary cars; the catalogue has higher amounts for vehicles with trailers, buses and trucks.
| Over the limit | Inside built-up areas | Outside built-up areas | Driving ban (in / out) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 10 km/h | EUR 30 | EUR 20 | none |
| 11-15 km/h | EUR 50 | EUR 40 | none |
| 16-20 km/h | EUR 70 | EUR 60 | none |
| 21-25 km/h | EUR 115 | EUR 100 | none |
| 26-30 km/h | EUR 180 | EUR 150 | none |
| 31-40 km/h | EUR 260 | EUR 200 | 1 month / none |
| 41-50 km/h | EUR 400 | EUR 320 | 1 month / 1 month |
| 51-60 km/h | EUR 560 | EUR 480 | 2 months / 1 month |
| 61-70 km/h | EUR 700 | EUR 600 | 3 months / 2 months |
| Over 70 km/h | EUR 800 | EUR 700 | 3 months / 3 months |
A second offence of 26 km/h or more within a year of an earlier one becoming final normally adds a one-month ban, under § 4 of the same ordinance.
Before the band is chosen, a margin is deducted from the measured speed. The ADAC lists 3 km/h up to 100 km/h and 3% above that for fixed cameras, and 5 km/h or 5% for police cars that measure while following you.
Worked example: a gantry limit on the way to the Alps
A gantry on a motorway outside the city shows 100 km/h because of heavy traffic. A fixed camera measures a rental car at 137 km/h.
- Deduction: 3% of 137 is just over 4 km/h, leaving about 133 km/h.
- Excess: about 33 km/h, which falls in the 31-40 band.
- Fine outside built-up areas: EUR 200. No ban for a first offence.
- Official costs: a fine above EUR 55 comes as a formal decision. OWiG § 107 adds a fee of 5% with a minimum of EUR 25, plus EUR 3.50 for formal delivery.
- Rental handling: EUR 29.75 at Hertz Munich or Avis Germany.
The trip costs about EUR 258. The same reading on an open section with no sign costs nothing in fines, which is exactly why the gantry display is the number to watch.
How does a German speeding ticket reach you after a rental?
A camera notice for a rental car goes first to the company that owns it, because it is the registered keeper. The company then deals with the authority about who was driving, and it charges you for that work. Hertz Munich's terms set EUR 29.75 per traffic or parking fine, waived if you prove the ticket was unfounded. Avis Germany charges the same EUR 29.75, plus the fine itself if Avis has to pay it.
Can you drive a rental car into Munich's low emission zone?
Munich's low emission zone covers the Mittlerer Ring and everything inside it, according to the city. Cars need the green sticker, and older diesels (Euro 4 and below) are barred until further notice. Sixt says all its German rental cars carry the green sticker, so this is mainly a concern for cars picked up abroad. The Berlin guide on renting a car and the Umweltzone sticker covers what to do if yours has none.