Guide
The TÜV: Germany's vehicle inspection clock, straight from the StVZO
By Covered Abroad Research Desk · Last verified July 2026
The intervals for cars
Anlage VIII to StVZO § 29 carries the passenger-car rows: for newly registered cars, the first Hauptuntersuchung falls due at 36 months (row 2.1.2.1.1 — which also preserves the 36-month clock for the second HU when the car changes keeper within the first seven months), and für die weiteren Hauptuntersuchungen — all further inspections — every 24 months (row 2.1.2.1.2). Heavier and passenger-carrying categories inspect more often under their own rows.
Source: StVZO Anlage VIII — gesetze-im-internet.de, read 11 September 2026.
The Plakette on your plate
StVZO § 29 states that the keeper must evidence the month of the next required HU with a Prüfplakette on the number plate, and that the sticker certifies the vehicle was found compliant at inspection — minor defects (geringe Mängel) can still earn the sticker, per the same section. Any approved inspection organisation (TÜV, DEKRA, GTÜ and peers) performs the HU; "TÜV" survives as the generic name the way Hoover means vacuum.
Source: StVZO § 29 — gesetze-im-internet.de, read 11 September 2026.
60-second check
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Check my policyArriving with a car, and the matrix abroad
An imported car joins the German clock at registration, and the HU pairs with the emissions-zone paperwork — the Umweltplakette — as the two stickers German motoring runs on. The same EU framework produces different national rhythms: Spain's ITV waits four years then goes biennial, France's contrôle technique starts at four, Italy's revisione and Portugal's IPO each keep their own tables.
Source: StVZO § 29 — gesetze-im-internet.de, read 11 September 2026.
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