Depending on what kind of car you drive, there are various options for registration. In addition to the standard license plates, there are special license plates such as the H license plate or the E license plate, each of which offers different advantages and disadvantages.
With an H registration, there is an „H“ on the license plate after the regular license plate, and an „E“ for an E registration. The „H“ stands for historic, so an H license plate is a classic car license plate. The „E“ stands for electronic, it identifies electric cars.
Classic car fans can also register their car with a red 07 license plate. However, this license plate does not allow the car to be driven on regular roads. It may only be used for driving to classic car meetings and rallies as well as trips for repair and maintenance purposes.
What are the requirements for a special license plate?
The requirements for an e-license plate are quite obvious. It must be either an electric car, a plug-in hybrid or a fuel cell car. If this can be seen from the documents required for registration, you can register your vehicle as an electric vehicle and receive an e-license plate.
For classic cars, the process at the registration office is somewhat more complicated. The introduction of H license plates in Germany serves the purpose of preserving motor vehicle cultural assets. In order to have your classic car recognized as a historic vehicle, it must meet various requirements. Firstly, the vehicle must have been put into operation for the first time at least 30 years ago in order to receive an H license plate. Secondly, it must be in a condition that is true to the original. Of course, the components do not all have to be original parts; they may also be spare parts. Any modifications made must be contemporary. This means that they were carried out in the first 10 years after the classic car was first registered, or at least that this was technically possible.
In addition, the classic car should generally be in good condition. To prove that these requirements have been met, the vehicle owner must submit an expert opinion. This certificate costs around 80 to 200 euros. Of course, as with a normal registration, you will need the vehicle registration document and the vehicle registration certificate.
What are the advantages of H license plates and E license plates?
Many cities and municipalities offer free parking spaces for electric cars or allow them to drive in bus lanes. There are also different tax benefits for electric cars, depending on the date of registration, to encourage citizens to buy an electric vehicle.
For H license plates, the tax advantage is the most important argument. All classic cars registered with an H license plate are taxed at a flat rate of 191.73 euros per year. For most classic cars, this tax rate is significantly lower than the regular vehicle tax of 25.36 euros per 100 cubic centimeters of cubic capacity or part thereof. But beware: in recent years, more and more smaller cars with catalytic converters have become old enough to be eligible for H registration. For smaller vehicles in particular, the regular tax rate is often cheaper than the flat-rate taxation of classic cars with an H license plate. Therefore, classic car owners should think carefully about whether it is worthwhile for their vehicle to exchange their current license plate for a classic car license plate before going to the registration office.
Another advantage for classic cars with a special license plate is the insurance premiums. Insurance companies are aware that classic cars are driven differently and less frequently than other vehicles. This is why insurance premiums are significantly lower than for ordinary cars, which tend to be driven more frequently and less carefully.
Where can you get spare parts to repair your classic car?
Now that you have all the information you need, it’s up to you to decide whether you would rather have a classic car registration or a regular road registration. If you want to carry out a few repairs to your classic car before your visit to the registration office, our online store is the right place for spare parts for all classic car brands.
Our classic car spare parts store, in which we offer car parts for Mercedes classic cars as well as youngtimers and classic cars from many other manufacturers, will help you with the professional repair and maintenance of your classic car.