H-Kennzeichen

An H-Kennzeichen is the German historic-vehicle licence plate, marked with a trailing "H", granted to vehicles at least 30 years old in German vehicle registration. It replaces the normal tax calculation with a flat annual rate. To qualify, the car must be largely in its original condition, well preserved, and pass a separate historic-vehicle assessment under § 23 StVZO carried out by TÜV, DEKRA or a comparable body. Age alone is not sufficient: heavy modification, non-period parts or poor condition can all cause a refusal. The benefits are concrete. KFZ-Steuer is a flat €191.73 a year for cars and €46.02 for motorcycles regardless of engine size or emissions, classic-car insurance is usually far cheaper than a standard policy, and an H-Kennzeichen vehicle may enter environmental zones (Umweltzonen) without a green Umweltplakette. The trade-off is that a historic plate is intended for hobby use and collectors' purposes rather than daily commuting, and insurers price their classic policies on limited annual mileage plus a second everyday car in the household.