Driving a UK-registered car in Germany: how long you can keep UK plates, what registering it costs, and what to do instead

How long can I keep it on UK plates?

A car registered abroad may be used in Germany temporarily, for up to one year, but only if it has no regular base (regelmäßiger Standort) in Germany (§46 FZV). That works for visitors who live elsewhere. Once you live in Germany, your car's regular base is here, so the one-year allowance does not apply and the car must be registered in Germany. Germans coming back from the UK are in the same position from the day they move home. Keeping the UK MOT and insurance up to date does not change this.

Can a right-hand-drive car be registered?

Right-hand-drive cars can be registered in Germany. The headlights must be converted or replaced for driving on the right, and depending on the car the appraiser may ask for other changes. Expect a harder sale later: German car sites list right-hand-drive cars in a separate "Rechtslenker" category, and buyers pay less for them.

What registering it involves

1. A full individual appraisal (Vollgutachten under §21 StVZO) by an official testing body such as TÜV. As a general guide, this is the usual route for a UK car; the appraiser checks it against German rules and lists any changes needed.
2. Headlight conversion for driving on the right, plus any other changes the appraiser asks for.
3. German motor insurance. The insurer gives you an eVB number, which the registration office needs.
4. Registration at your local registration office (Zulassungsstelle): German plates and registration papers. German vehicle tax (Kfz-Steuer) is due from then on.

What it costs

• The §21 appraisal: the fee depends on the testing body and the car, so ask for a price first.
• Headlight conversion: modest where the existing lamps can be adjusted, much more where LED or matrix units have to be replaced.
• Registration fees, plates, German insurance and vehicle tax.

The alternative: sell it back to the UK

The usual alternative is to drive the car back to the UK and sell it there, but it costs more than it looks. From Berlin or Munich it is a full day's drive or more to the Channel, plus fuel, the crossing and a flight back, and the car needs a valid MOT, UK road tax and UK insurance for the trip, which rules it out for many cars that have been in Germany a while. Then you still have to sell it. We buy UK-registered cars in Germany as they stand, collect free from your address, handle the export paperwork and pay in pounds sterling (£) on collection day, so the car makes the journey without you.

Common questions

Rules, rates and thresholds change. This guide is a general summary as of October 2026, not legal or tax advice — check the current position with the registration authority before relying on it.

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