Driving in Neu-Ulm 2026: Zone Scrapped, Ulm's Spire Awaits
Neu-Ulm, Germany · Umweltzone
No zone: Neu-Ulm's Umweltzone ended on 4 June 2024, the same day as Ulm's across the Danube. No green sticker is needed on either bank and no low-emission fine applies.
Can your car enter Neu-Ulm?
Neu-Ulm withdrew its Umweltzone on 4 June 2024, and Ulm across the Danube did the same that day. A car without a green Umweltplakette can now drive anywhere in the twin cities. Park on the Bavarian bank and walk over the bridge to Ulm Minster, whose spire is the tallest church tower in the world, or into the crooked lanes of the Fischerviertel beyond it.
This page covers driving around Neu-Ulm. For the history of the zone, see the Neu-Ulm emission zone details.
Is There an Environmental Zone in Neu-Ulm?
No. Neu-Ulm’s Umweltzone ran from November 2009 until 4 June 2024, when it was withdrawn. No sticker, permit or low-emission fine applies today, and the same is true in Ulm, whose zone ended on the same date. The nearest German city still requiring the green sticker on this route is Augsburg.
Parking and the twin cities
Leave the car in a garage and walk: Neu-Ulm’s riverfront, the Danube bridges, then the Minster and the Fischerviertel in Ulm. Germany’s general limits apply: 50 km/h in built-up areas and a 0.5 per mille blood-alcohol limit.
When the car helps
Keep it for the Swabian Alb and the Danube valley, driven out from a central garage. The twin cities are also on the high-speed rail line.
Sources
- Umweltbundesamt, register of German low-emission zones (Neu-Ulm and Ulm lifted 4 June 2024): gis.uba.de
- Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung (StVO), § 3 (50 km/h in built-up areas): gesetze-im-internet.de
- Straßenverkehrsgesetz (StVG), § 24a (0.5 per mille): gesetze-im-internet.de
- Ulm tourist office, Ulm Minster: tourismus.ulm.de
Speed limits, fines, equipment & license requirements
Full requirements, sticker info & exemptions
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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.
Checked against national legislation, 1 Oct 2026 · Full Germany tyre law · Compare all countries
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Neu-Ulm's Umweltzone, in force since November 2009, was withdrawn on 4 June 2024. No green Umweltplakette is needed and no low-emission fine applies. The Umweltbundesamt register lists it as lifted.
No. Ulm, on the Baden-Württemberg bank, withdrew its own Umweltzone on the same day, 4 June 2024, so a car without a sticker can drive between the twin cities freely.
They are twin cities facing each other across the Danube, which here forms the border between Bavaria (Neu-Ulm) and Baden-Württemberg (Ulm). Neu-Ulm grew on the Bavarian bank in the 19th century, and bridges join the two into one urban area.
Ulm Minster, whose spire is the tallest church tower in the world and can be climbed, the Fischerviertel with its crooked houses and canals, and the Danube riverfront. Neu-Ulm has the Edwin Scharff Museum. The Swabian Alb and the Danube valley are within easy driving distance.
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