As of: February 13, 2024, 3:23 p.m
By: Pauline Wyderka
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Well, is it time for the TÜV again?
Luckily the TÜV sticker tells you that.
How to read them correctly and what tricks there are:
If you have a set of wheels at home, you have to take it to the TÜV.
This affects a large proportion of Germans.
As an evaluation by the Federal Statistical Office showed in 2023, around 80 percent of households own at least one car.
It's worth taking a look at your local fleet every now and then.
SÜDWEST24 explains when the car has to go to the TÜV and how you can tell:
What does the TÜV sticker say?
The TÜV sticker tells you when the car has to go to the TÜV.
Every registered vehicle wears this like a badge.
And that's how it has to be.
The sticker tells you and others that a vehicle has been classified as roadworthy during an inspection.
The experts check important things such as brakes, lights, tires and much more.
In short: the TÜV badge is like a safety certificate on wheels!
But the plaque tells you even more.
In addition to the fact that a car has completed the main inspection (HU), you can also tell from it whether such an inspection is due again soon in order to continue to ensure its roadworthiness.
All information for such an appointment can be found on the plaque itself.
How do I know when I have to have an MOT?
This is how you read TÜV stickers
The TÜV sticker can be found on the rear license plate of the car.
After the HU, the new plaque was placed here.
You can read both the year and the month in which the next HU is due.
The year is indicated in two numbers in the center of the plaque.
The months are indicated in numbers in a circle around the outside.
Depending on the date, how this “wheel” of months is aligned differs.
The number at the top, where 12 would be found on a clock, represents the month in which it is time to go to HU.
But there are even more ways to recognize this appointment at a glance.
With a trick that police officers also like to use.
What does the color of the TÜV badge stand for?
The color of the plaque is like a secret code.
Each color has its own meaning.
Green, yellow, orange, red – depending on the color, it shows in which year the vehicle needs to be checked.
There are a total of six colors - one for each year, which repeat every six years.
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However, this enables not only you, but also traffic police officers, to see at a glance whether your car still has a valid TÜV sticker.
Anyone who is currently driving around with a pink sticker needs to be careful: Was the HU already on the road in 2023?
However, you have to pay attention to this for stickers that have to be renewed in 2024.
Then it continues with the following colors:
2025: Orange
2026: Blue
2027: Yellow
2028: Red
2029: Pink
2030: Green
What do the two black bars on the TÜV badge mean?
But another trick allows police officers to see at a glance whether you have missed your HU deadline.
But you can use this yourself: Every TÜV badge has a thick black bar on the edge.
This is always between the numbers 1, 12 and 11. This means that it changes position depending on the month at the top.
This means: If you look at the sticker like a clock, the position of the black bar allows you to draw conclusions about when the HU is due.
Imagine a pointer pointing to 12, the middle of the black bar.
Is it at nine o'clock?
Then you have until September.
Is it four o'clock?
Then it's time for the HU in April.
An example of a TÜV sticker: This is valid until July 2026 and can be recognized by the inscription and orientation as well as the color.
© Rainer Droese/localpic/Imago
How often do I have to go for an MOT?
The general rule is: you have to have your car inspected every two years.
With a new car at least after three years.
By the way, anyone who just realizes that they have just sweated the HU so much should – for now – be given the all-clear.
There is no fine from day one after the date on which it would have been due.
You still have up to four weeks afterwards to make an appointment.
After that it can cost 15 euros.
From four to eight months onwards, another 10 euros are added.
And it gets really expensive after that: If the HU deadline is exceeded by 8 months, there will be a fine of 60 euros.
Besides, there's a point.
However, the HU could soon become more expensive overall, because certain changes to the TÜV are currently being discussed - which could mean additional costs for car owners.
(paw)