Drivers: What will change in 2025 when it comes to driving licenses, fuel and the like

New year, new rules, changes and dates for drivers. In the coming year, they expect rising costs and a handful of safety-related issues.

As in previous years, holders of older driving licenses will once again have exchange dates. Anyone who was born in 1971 or later and still has a “rag”, i.e. the pink or even gray driving license, must exchange it by January 19, 2025. If you are caught with your old driver’s license after the deadline, the first step will be a warning fine of ten euros. If you then miss the appointment with the police to provide proof of the completed exchange, you will even be fined. New driving licenses are limited to 15 years and must then be renewed, of course without further driving tests.

Anyone wanting to travel to Great Britain after April 2, 2025 will need an Electronic Entry Authorization (ETA) for travelers from the EU. This costs 11.85 euros and can be applied for digitally. The new regulation applies to all private and business trips to England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Next year, all vehicles with an orange sticker on the license plate will have to undergo a general inspection. In 2025 there will be a yellow sticker that is valid until 2027. If you exceed the respective deadline, which is determined by the direction in which the sticker is attached, you face a fine of 15 euros after two months, up to eight months it costs 25 euros and anyone who waits even longer has to expect 60 euros and one point.

Campers whose motorhomes or caravans run on gas will have to have the system checked regularly from mid-2025. The new paragraph 60 of the Road Traffic Licensing Regulations (StVZO) states that this test must be carried out every two years in the future. This used to be part of the general inspection, but in the future it will run independently of it. Possible contact points are the usual testing institutes or automobile clubs. The “” gives prices between 40 and 80 euros; according to the club, the duration is between 20 and 45 minutes. The penalties for non-compliance are identical to those for exceeding the HU deadline.

It is not a complete ban, as many media outlets write. But: Anyone who has been driving with tires that only have the “M+S” symbol since October 1, 2024 must pay close attention to the weather. At the end of the month, the transition period for products with the “M+S” identifier that were produced before January 1, 2018 ended. At that time, these still met the so-called “situational winter tire requirement” and were therefore considered winter tires under traffic law. But that changed with the stricter winter tire requirement, which came into force in June 2017. Since 2018, new winter tires have been subject to the requirement that the 3PMSF pictogram, i.e. the snowflake symbol, must also be found.

The type class classifications for motor vehicle insurance will change next year. According to the trade press, over twelve million drivers are affected. Around 7.1 million have to expect additional costs, for 5.1 million it will be slightly cheaper. As a result of the changes, there are also new regional classes, which could lead to worse tariffs for the majority of those insured. The “” shows an overview of what exactly is changing where you live.

It could also become more expensive at the pump, because the next stage of the CO₂ tax comes into force on January 1, 2025. This increases the price per ton from 45 to 55 euros, which, if the gas stations add it up in full, could result in additional costs of 15.7 cents for gasoline and 17.3 cents for diesel.

A new Euro standard will apply to two-wheelers from January 1st. On the deadline, only new vehicles that meet at least the 5+ standard can be registered. Because of this change, now is a good time to ask dealers about daily registrations or even old stocks that urgently need to leave the farm before the end of the year.