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TÜV Due Date Calculator for Germany

Enter the month of your last HU or your car's first registration, and the calculator shows when your vehicle is due for its next general inspection (Hauptuntersuchung). It also tells you the sticker colour for that year and what you risk if the date has already passed. Free to use, no account, and nothing is stored.

The calculation runs in your browser. We store nothing you enter.

Your vehicle

What do you know?

It is on your last HU inspection report. Your registration certificate (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I) already shows the next due month. For that, pick "What my sticker shows".

Your result

Pick a month and year to see your HU due date here.

Not legal advice. What counts is the month on your sticker and in your registration certificate (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I).

How the calculator works

  • New cars, motorhomes up to 3.5 t and trailers up to 0.75 t or without their own brakes are first due after 36 months, then every 24 months. Motorbikes and trailers over 0.75 t up to 3.5 t are always due every 24 months.
  • The period counts from the month of the last HU. For a new vehicle it counts from the month the number plate was issued. A short-term plate (Kurzzeitkennzeichen) does not count.
  • The sticker is valid until the last day of the month shown at the top. If the inspector finds defects that have to be fixed before a new sticker, the old one stays valid for one more month.
  • With seasonal plates (Saisonkennzeichen), an HU that falls due outside the season is done in the first month of the next season.
  • For fines, the calculator counts from the first day after the month on the sticker. From the third month after it, you are more than 2 months late.

Sources: § 29 Abs. 7 StVZO, StVZO Annex VIII no. 2.1, 2.3 and 2.6, StVZO Annex IX, BKatV Annex no. 186.2, FeV Annex 13 no. 3.5.1, read on 2 November 2026 on gesetze-im-internet.de.

Frequently asked questions

When does a new car need its first TÜV?

A new private car is first due 36 months after it was registered, then every 24 months. The period starts in the month the number plate was issued.

Source: StVZO Annex VIII no. 2.1.2.1 and 2.3

How do I read the HU sticker?

The number in the middle is the year and the number at the top is the month. The colour also shows the year: 2026 blue, 2027 yellow, 2028 brown, 2029 pink, 2030 green, 2031 orange. Then the cycle repeats.

Source: StVZO Annex IX

Until when is my sticker valid?

Until the last day of the month shown at the top. From the first day of the next month, the HU is overdue.

Source: StVZO Annex VIII no. 2.3

What is the fine for an overdue TÜV?

For every vehicle that does not need a safety check (Sicherheitsprüfung), including cars, motorbikes, motorhomes and trailers up to 3.5 t, the fine catalogue (Bußgeldkatalog) sets these fines for the keeper (Halter): €15 when more than 2 and up to 4 months late, €25 when more than 4 and up to 8 months late, and €60 plus 1 point in Flensburg when more than 8 months late. Up to 2 months late, it sets no amount. Vehicles that need a safety check, such as trucks and buses, pay higher rates under no. 186.1.

Source: BKatV no. 186.2, FeV Annex 13 no. 3.5.1

Does going late or early change my next date?

Yes. The next period always counts from the month of the inspection you actually had. Going late buys no time, and going early shortens the gap.

Source: StVZO Annex VIII no. 2.3

Are motorbikes, motorhomes and trailers different?

Motorbikes are due every 24 months. Motorhomes up to 3.5 t and trailers up to 0.75 t (or without their own brakes) get 36 months first, then 24. Trailers over 0.75 t up to 3.5 t are due every 24 months.

Source: StVZO Annex VIII no. 2.1

More on the TÜV and your car

Don't let your sticker run out unnoticed.

With Guardian, our paid plan, Notenz emails you a reminder before your HU is due, for example 1 month or 1 week before. You can also pick 1 day, 3 months or 6 months. See pricing

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