More and more classic cars pollute German environmental zones
The number of classic cars in Germany is on the rise. Old combustion engine cars are allowed to continue driving in environmental zones, generating criticism in the process.
The average age of cars registered in Germany has been rising for years. In 2012, the average age of German cars was still 8.5 years, but now it has reached double digits, reaching 10.1 years in 2022. With an age of almost 20 years, the scooters, mopeds and motorbikes used every day in German cities are even older. Consistently, this means that the number of classic cars marked with an "H" (for historic) in Germany is growing. Although not all of them are registered with a historic number plate, approximately 648,400 classic cars will be on the road in 2022. This represents an increase of 10.9 percent compared to the previous year. Since new cars are also being registered at the same time, the share of the total stock will remain constant. This was announced by the ADAC following an analysis of KBA figures, which illustrate the rapid ageing of vehicles on German roads. What is usually perceived as a good sign of excellent technical quality and longevity, however, also conceals some negative sides. For instance, many of the classic cars do not have filter systems and therefore contribute heavily to air pollution. Although it is clear that these examples of technical heritage cannot meet current air quality protection standards, classic cars are even allowed to enter environmental zones without an environmental badge. This was also determined after a recent amendment to the Road Traffic Act, which confirmed the exemption from the sticker requirement for historic cars. The fascinating but polluting cars are therefore allowed what most diesel or petrol combustion engines are not. This triggers criticism not only among owners of internal combustion cars, but also causes concern among residents of the environmental zones. In order to reduce the negative effects of internal combustion traffic in densely populated inner cities and to bear equal responsibility for it, a partial or at least temporary driving ban would therefore also have made sense for vintage cars.