Seasonal license plates: How car and motorcyclists save money and time
What are seasonal license plates?
Vehicles with seasonal license plates may only be on the road during a certain period of time. If the seasonal license plate has a 4 at the top and a 10 at the bottom, the license plate is valid from the beginning of April to the end of October.
Seasonal license plates are particularly suitable for vehicles that are not used all year round, such as convertibles, motorcycles, caravans or classic cars.
According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, more than 2.5 million vehicles with seasonal license plates were registered in 2021. Motorcycles accounted for the largest share with around 1.3 million units. 60 percent of passenger cars with seasonal license plates are convertibles or motorhomes. The seasonal license plate was introduced in 1997, and since then the number of cars and motorcycles on the road with it has been growing continuously.
What are the advantages of seasonal license plates?
If you are considering registration with seasonal license plates, you should be aware of the following advantages:
- The vehicle does not need to be registered and deregistered again and again at the registration office.
- The vehicle tax is only calculated for the months in which the vehicle may be driven. This means that less tax is incurred than with year-round registration.
- The same applies to insurance premiums: they are also lower than with year-round registration.
During what period of time can seasonal license plates be used?
The vehicle owner can determine the desired period of use himself. This is a minimum of two to a maximum of eleven full months and must always begin on the first of a month.
The period of use is noted in the vehicle registration document and on the license plate. The seasonal license plate can be used every year during the designated period, as long as the car is registered and insured. This makes it unnecessary to go to the vehicle registration office again.
Good to know: The validity of the license plates and the insurance cover do not expire, but only rest until the start of the next season.
According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, almost half of all seasonal license plates were issued for 7 months (as of 2021). Almost a third of all seasonal license plates are valid for eight months, a good one in ten for six months.
How are vehicles with seasonal license plates insured?
Of course, vehicles with seasonal license plates also need car insurance. During the season, the normal conditions of motor vehicle liability insurance and - if available - partial or fully comprehensive insurance apply.
What applies to insurance cover out of season?
What many people don't know: Outside the season, there is a non-contributory rest insurance. To do this, the vehicle must be parked in a garage or in a parking space that is separated from the public traffic area by a so-called enclosure – i.e. by a fence, hedge or wall, for example. Then the protection of motor vehicle liability and partial comprehensive insurance also applies during this time - although no premium is due.
So if the owner has taken out comprehensive insurance, his vehicle is also insured against theft, fire, marten bites and damage caused by lightning, storms and hail in winter.
How are insurance premiums calculated?
There is one crucial difference to cars that are registered all year round: the insurance premiums are only payable for the time in which the car or motorcycle is actually allowed to be driven. The premium is therefore calculated according to the number of months driven. In the other months, the insurance continues to run free of charge as so-called "rest insurance". Insurance cover then only exists in a "storage room", for example a garage or an enclosed parking space, such as a closed courtyard. The vehicle has no place on the road during the so-called rest phase, and it must not be parked in public traffic areas.
What is the difference between motor vehicle liability, partial and fully comprehensive insurance?
Motor vehicle liability insurance compensates accident victims, including passengers, up to the agreed sum insured, which usually amounts to several million euros. This policy is a legal obligation: Every motor vehicle that enters public roads needs such insurance.
If you want to protect yourself from the financial consequences of damage to your own car, you need comprehensive insurance. Partial comprehensive insurance covers, for example, costs for stolen radios or navigation devices, storm and hail damage or after car theft. Fully comprehensive insurance always includes all the benefits of partial comprehensive insurance – but it goes beyond that. In addition, fully comprehensive insurance insures damage to your own car, for example after an accident you have caused yourself and in the event of vandalism.
What applies to the no-claims discount?
If you insure the vehicle for at least six months, you will also benefit from a higher no-claims discount in the following year. For less than six months, on the other hand, the no-claims discount does not improve.
What do I have to consider out of season?
In the so-called rest phase, the vehicle has no place on the road. It is not allowed to move or park here. The owner must park the vehicle in a garage or in a parking space that is separated from public traffic space by a so-called enclosure - i.e. by a fence, hedge or wall, for example.
What is the difference to interchangeable license plates?
Two different vehicles can be registered with an interchangeable license plate (>>learn more). Seasonal license plates, on the other hand, are only valid for one car or motorcycle.
source article : Seasonal license plates: benefits, insurance, period (dieversicherer.de)