Low-emission zone in Stuttgart
Together with many other cities in Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart introduced a low-emission zone on 1 March 2008. Within this zone a German emissions sticker is compulsory. To further curb air pollution, Stuttgart introduced a diesel ban on 1 January 2019. On this page you will read everything you need to know about the situation in Stuttgart. Will you also visit other cities, then please look at this list of all low-emission zones in Germany. More about the emissions sticker itself and which vehicles are eligible is explained on the homepage.
Order the official German emissions sticker, now for only €13,95 including VAT and delivery costs.
Map of the low-emission zone of Stuttgart
The low-emission zone includes the entire city of Stuttgart and is shown on the map above with orange. Not shown on the map, but good to know is that to the north it borders the low-emission of Leonberg and Hemmingen as well as the low-emission zone of Ludwigsburg. Even though they are administered separately, for visitors it functions as one large, continuous low-emission zone within which you can receive a fine if you do not have an emissions sticker.
Exceptions
There are several streets within the low-emission zone of Stuttgart where you will not be fined, even if you do not have an emissions sticker. The most important exception is formed by the highways A8 and A81, because on the German highways an emissions sticker is never required. On paper you also do not need an emissions sticker on the A831, but in practice you do need one here because you can only leave this highway within the low-emission zone.
You also do not need an emissions sticker on the B10 and the Hafenbahnstraße if you want to reach station Stuttgart-Obertürkheim east of Stuttgart. Parking at this station is possible without a sticker. A third exception is formed by the Mittlere Filderlinie and the Neuhauser Straße. These streets connect the A8 to the Messe Stuttgart. On the map above all of these roads are indicated with blue lines. The diesel ban of Stuttgart is not enforced on these roads either.
Parking outside the low-emission zone
Because public transport in Stuttgart is excellent, it is fairly easy to park outside the low-emission zone and still reach the city center without much effort. Your best option is to park at one of the stations of the S-Bahn, such as station Stuttgart-Obertürkheim (A on the map) that we mentioned above which is on line S1. You will also find plenty of parking spaces close to station Stuttgart Flughafen/Messe (B) on lines S2 and S3. A bit closer to the city center is station Fellbach (C), also on lines S2 and S3.
Do keep in mind that all of these stations lie south or east of Stuttgart. You will find stations north of the city with plenty of possibilities to park as well, but these all lie within the low-emission zones of Leonberg and Hemmingen or Ludwigsburg. If you approach Stuttgart from the north or west and do not want to park inside a low-emission zone, it is better to drive around on the highway so that you end up south or east of the city. Of course, just buying an emissions sticker is probably an easier and cheaper solution.
Which emissions sticker do you need in Stuttgart?
In the low-emission zone of Stuttgart the green emissions sticker is required. If your vehicle is a diesel, be aware that in some cases you may still receive a fine even with a green sticker. Read more about the diesel ban at the end of this page.
Where to buy the emissions sticker?
The German emissions sticker is sold at vehicle inspection companies such as TÜV and DEKRA. Make sure you buy the sticker before you enter the low-emission zone of Stuttgart, otherwise you can still receive a fine. Ask for an Umweltplakette in German and take your vehicle registration certificate with you. While some larger car dealerships will also issue a sticker for you, it is not sold at gas stations or tourist information points.
If you want to buy your sticker before you travel to Germany, please use the order form on our website. Your sticker will be issued within one working day and then sent to your postal address by mail. The required copy of your vehicle registration form can be uploaded on the order page. You can also see examples of what registration certificates from different European countries look like. Please select your country from the menu to see these example photos.
The diesel ban of Stuttgart
Despite the introduction of the low-emission zone in 2008, air pollution in Stuttgart is still very severe. Together with Hamburg, Berlin and several other cities, the city government of Stuttgart has pressured the German federal government for years to introduce a blue emissions sticker with which cities can keep out vehicles with polluting diesel engines that still are eligible for the current green sticker. While this blue sticker was not introduced, Germany’s highest administrative court in Leipzig ruled that cities may ban older and polluting diesels in other ways. After this, Stuttgart introduced a diesel ban for the following vehicles and years:
- From 1 January 2019 vehicles with a diesel engine that do not meet the requirements of emission standard EURO 5 (most passenger cars from before 1 September 2009 and trucks and buses from before 1 October 2008).
- From 1 januari 2020 vehicles with a diesel engine that do not meet the requirements of emission standard EURO 6 (most passenger cars from before 1 September 2014 and trucks and buses from before 1 January 2013).
The dates mentioned above between parenthesis are guidelines. Some vehicles from before these dates already have a diesel engine that meets the required emission standard, while other vehicles from after these dates may not. You can check the emission standard of your vehicle on your vehicle registration certificate. Also be aware that vehicles with a diesel engine that meet emission standard EURO 4 are eligible for the green emission sticker. This means that you may receive a fine in Stuttgart, even if you have the green emission sticker. If your vehicle does not have a diesel engine or meets emission standard EURO 5 (from 2019) or EURO 6 (from 2020), then you will not receive a fine.
The diesel ban is enforced by the police of Stuttgart. Because emission standards are not written on the back of vehicles, police will do random checks and ask for the vehicle registration certificate. Most of the time, vehicles that are commonly equipped with a diesel engine such as older trucks and delivery vans will be checked. The fine for driving with an older diesel vehicle in Stuttgart is €100, which is the same amount you pay for not having an emissions sticker.
What is there to see and do in Stuttgart?
Stuttgart is the capital of the German state of Baden-Württemberg and it offers countless tourist attractions. You can think of the Altes Schloss and the Neues Schloss in the center of Stuttgart, two former castles that belonged to the Dukes of Schwabia. Around the Schillerplatz you can find attractions such as the Stiftskirche from the 13th century and the Fruchtkasten, a winery from 1596. Car lovers can visit the Porsche Museum or the Mercedes-Benz Musuem. If it’s art and culture you are interested in, visit the Württembergisches Landesmuseum or the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart.
Order the official German emissions sticker, now for only €13,95 including VAT and delivery costs.