Driving in Neu-Ulm 2026: Zone Scrapped, Ulm's Spire Awaits
Neu-Ulm, Germany · Umweltzone
Neu-Ulm has scrapped its environmental zone — no emission sticker, permit or low-emission penalty applies today.
Can your car enter Neu-Ulm?
Neu-Ulm abolished its Umweltzone on 4 June 2024, so a green Umweltplakette is no longer needed and no low-emission fine applies. Park on the Bavarian bank and cross the Danube on foot into Ulm, where the Minster’s 161-metre spire is the tallest church steeple in the world, or wander the crooked lanes of the Fischerviertel just beyond it.
This page covers driving around Neu-Ulm. For the emission classes and zone boundary, see the Neu-Ulm emission zone details.
Is There an Environmental Zone in Neu-Ulm?
No. Neu-Ulm has scrapped its environmental zone, so no sticker, permit or low-emission fine applies to your car today. Neu-Ulm abolished its Umweltzone on 4 June 2024. No green Umweltplakette is required to drive here any more, and no low-emission fine applies. Source: Umweltbundesamt federal register.
Green sticker, then park and walk both cities
Get the Umweltplakette (around EUR 10-12, permanent — German rentals carry one); check the rules before driving in. Park in a garage and walk — Neu-Ulm’s riverfront, and across the bridge to Ulm’s Minster and the Fishermen’s Quarter. Germany’s limits: 50 km/h urban, 0.05% alcohol.
When the car helps
Keep it for the Swabian Alb and the Danube valley — driven from a central garage. The twin cities are on the high-speed rail line.
Speed limits, fines, equipment & license requirements
Full requirements, sticker info & exemptions
Renting a Car in Neu-Ulm?
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Winter tyres in Germany — 2026–27 season
Winter tyres are required in Germany whenever conditions are wintry — Situational (when conditions require: ice, snow, slush, black ice).
- Tread minimum: 1.6 mm — Germany sets no separate winter figure.
- Accepted marking: 3PMSF only — the M+S transitional rule no longer applies to cars (StVZO §36(4))
- Studded tyres: banned
- Penalty: EUR 60 + 1 point; EUR 80 if you obstruct traffic; EUR 75 for the vehicle owner
In German the rule is Winterreifenpflicht, and snow chains are Schneeketten — that is the wording on signs, in hire-car paperwork and on any penalty notice.
Verified against national legislation, August 2026 · Full Germany tyre law · Compare all countries
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Neu-Ulm has scrapped its environmental zone, so no sticker or permit applies. Neu-Ulm abolished its Umweltzone on 4 June 2024. No green Umweltplakette is required to drive here any more, and no low-emission fine applies. Source: Umweltbundesamt federal register.
Neu-Ulm and Ulm are twin cities facing each other across the Danube, which here marks the border between the German states of Bavaria (Neu-Ulm) and Baden-Württemberg (Ulm). Neu-Ulm grew on the Bavarian bank in the 19th century, and the two function as one urban area linked by bridges. Ulm is the larger and older, famous for its Gothic Minster (Ulmer Münster), whose 161-metre spire is the tallest church steeple in the world, just across the river from Neu-Ulm.
No. Neu-Ulm has scrapped its environmental zone, so no sticker or permit applies. Neu-Ulm abolished its Umweltzone on 4 June 2024. No green Umweltplakette is required to drive here any more, and no low-emission fine applies. Source: Umweltbundesamt federal register.
The main draw is Ulm's Minster with its record-breaking spire (which you can climb for views), the charming Fishermen's and Tanners' Quarter (Fischerviertel) with its crooked houses and canals, and the Danube riverfront. Neu-Ulm itself has the modern Edwin Scharff Museum and a pleasant riverside. The surrounding region offers the Swabian Alb and the Danube valley. A car helps for the wider area, parked centrally for the twin cities.
No. Neu-Ulm has scrapped its environmental zone, so no sticker or permit applies. Neu-Ulm abolished its Umweltzone on 4 June 2024. No green Umweltplakette is required to drive here any more, and no low-emission fine applies. Source: Umweltbundesamt federal register.
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