Speeding is the most common reason for a German fine notice (Bußgeldbescheid). Many drivers simply pay – often rightly, sometimes too quickly. A speed measurement is a technical process with strict rules, and if those rules are not followed, the result can be challenged.
Below you will find how speed is measured, which tolerance applies, the fines, points and bans you face and why the driver photo matters. For the general procedure, see traffic fines in Germany. Aleksander Sigal, Fachanwalt für Verkehrsrecht in Berlin, advises in English.
How speed is measured in Germany
Only devices of an officially tested type that are validly calibrated may be used. There are four main methods:
- Fixed cameras: permanent posts or boxes at the roadside. Depending on the type, they use sensors in the road surface, laser or radar and take a photo when the limit is exceeded.
- Mobile checks: devices in vehicles, on tripods or in trailers that are moved between locations, where correct set-up is crucial.
- Hand-held laser: an officer measures a single vehicle and the driver is usually stopped straight away. Often there is no photo, so the log and the officer's statement are decisive.
- Following: the police follow your car, either with a calibrated video system or using only their own speedometer. Without a calibrated system, courts require a constant distance, a sufficiently long stretch and much larger safety margins.
German courts treat many common methods as a "standardised measuring procedure": the result is assumed to be correct unless there are concrete indications of an error, which the defence has to find in the file and data.
Tolerance: what is deducted from the reading
No device is perfectly accurate, so a tolerance is deducted before the excess speed is calculated:
- readings up to 100 km/h: 3 km/h,
- readings above 100 km/h: 3 per cent, rounded in your favour to whole km/h.
An example: the limit in town is 50 km/h and the camera records 84 km/h. After deducting 3 km/h, 81 km/h remain – 31 km/h over the limit, which is exactly the band with a driving ban.
The deduction is already included in the fine notice. When the police measure by following, larger margins apply depending on the method.
German speeding fines for cars
The following standard rates apply to cars without a trailer (as of October 2026). Fees and expenses of usually at least €28.50 are added.
| Over the limit | Fine | Points | Driving ban |
|---|---|---|---|
| up to 10 km/h | €30 | – | – |
| 11–15 km/h | €50 | – | – |
| 16–20 km/h | €70 | – | – |
| 21–25 km/h | €115 | 1 | – |
| 26–30 km/h | €180 | 1 | only for repeat offences |
| 31–40 km/h | €260 | 2 | 1 month |
| 41–50 km/h | €400 | 2 | 1 month |
| 51–60 km/h | €560 | 2 | 2 months |
| 61–70 km/h | €700 | 2 | 3 months |
| over 70 km/h | €800 | 2 | 3 months |
| Over the limit | Fine | Points | Driving ban |
|---|---|---|---|
| up to 10 km/h | €20 | – | – |
| 11–15 km/h | €40 | – | – |
| 16–20 km/h | €60 | – | – |
| 21–25 km/h | €100 | 1 | – |
| 26–30 km/h | €150 | 1 | only for repeat offences |
| 31–40 km/h | €200 | 1 | only for repeat offences |
| 41–50 km/h | €320 | 2 | 1 month |
| 51–60 km/h | €480 | 2 | 1 month |
| 61–70 km/h | €600 | 2 | 2 months |
| over 70 km/h | €700 | 2 | 3 months |
When do you face a driving ban?
The catalogue provides for a standard driving ban (Fahrverbot) from 31 km/h over the limit in town and from 41 km/h outside town, in each case after the tolerance deduction. Below those thresholds a ban can follow for repeat offences: if you exceed the limit by 26 km/h or more again within one year of an earlier fine becoming final, a one-month ban is the rule (§ 4(2) BKatV).
If you had no driving ban in the two years before the offence, you can largely choose when the ban starts within four months of the decision becoming final. In exceptional cases, the authority or court waives the ban in return for a higher fine – for example where it would cause disproportionate hardship at work, or where a sign was easy to miss. More on driving bans.
The driver photo: who was at the wheel?
In Germany the driver is liable for speeding, not the registered keeper. That is why German cameras photograph the car from the front. Unlike in the UK, the keeper is not obliged to name the driver, and as a witness you may protect close relatives. See Anhörungsbogen – what to do.
If the photo is blurred, or a sun visor, hand or reflection hides the face, there is room for doubt. The authority can request your passport or ID photo for comparison, and the court can compare the photo with you at the hearing or commission an anthropological expert report.
If the driver cannot be identified, the keeper may be ordered to keep a logbook (Fahrtenbuch). Caution: deceiving the authority about who was driving, or offering such a service, is an offence under § 4c StVG. Since July 2026, fines of up to €30,000 are possible.
What we check in an objection
From the file we check, among other things:
- calibration of the device at the time and any repairs since,
- the operator's training on that specific device,
- the measurement log: set-up, required tests, start and end of the session,
- the photo and digital file: is your car clearly identified?
- signs: was the limit lawfully ordered, visible and clear – and was the spot inside or outside a built-up area?
- tolerance and the correct fine band,
- driver identification, limitation period and proper service.
Even if the measurement stands, an objection limited to the driving ban may make sense. Whether it pays off also depends on the costs – see fees and legal expenses insurance. Other common offences are running a red light and tailgating.
This article gives a general overview of German law (as of October 2026) and does not replace advice on your individual case.