H mark is becoming less and less attractive

Recently updated on April 29, 2021 at 01:48 am

The enthusiastic owner of a classic car can apply for one H-plates actually enjoy numerous financial benefits. Nevertheless, the demand for and more and more people consciously decide against the historical license plate in their classic car. Now ask yourself why this is so and what are the motives? Very easily: In many situations, an H approval is far more expensive. There are no tax advantages for vehicles from the 1980s. Compared to 2015, the number of registrations rose by a full 10,7 percent. At the moment, almost 344.000 cars with a historic license plate are on the streets of Germany. Nevertheless, the formerly very popular license plate is becoming less and less attractive and the application for the H number is steadily declining.

The tax lump sum - 191 euros

This results in the following new scenario: The proud owner of the classic car dispenses with the H mark. The tax advantages are simply no longer there, so the recurring reason. It is reported again and again that numerous cars with normal taxation can be maintained at a much lower cost than with an H license plate. First and foremost, this relates to vehicles that were first registered in the 80s. The tax privilege given was one of the most important reasons for the popular H license plate. The vehicle tax due was a flat rate of 191 euros for each historic vehicle. The requirement for the H license plate: The car must be at least 30 years old. Recently, however, there has been a change in this regard.

Tip: By the way, the H-requirements are for a historic mobile home identical. Everything you need to know is available in our article H license plate for the motorhome? It is important to note that!

The number of cars over 30 years of age is steadily increasing. Many of these models have a catalytic converter or the cars have been retrofitted to this effect over time. And many old vehicles usually have a relatively small displacement. This means that the tax is usually less than the lump sum assessed 191 euros. So the classic car owner would now have to dig deeper into their pockets with the 191 euros due.

Popular and coveted historical vehicles

The undisputed winner of the long-running classic car is the good old one with a clear lead VW Beetle, Proud 32.750 beetles are registered on the German roads. The Mercedes W123 scores with second place and shows its popularity with 17.534 registered vehicles among German car lovers. Third place belongs to that with 11.325 vehicles Mercedes SL R107. The VW Golf is gaining an impressive 35 percent, which means a great 4519 vehicles in numbers. But the Opel Kadett can also be seen and is a popular old-timer. Nevertheless, numerous Kadett drivers and golf fans reject the H license plate. Only 28 percent of the Golf drivers opted for the historic license plate and 36 percent of the Opel Kadett friends agree with this result. After all, the "normal“License plate also has a certain freedom in terms of modifications / tuning, which is only possible with an H license plate under very specific conditions.

The H mark in the future

If you ask yourself whether the normal number plate predominates or whether the H number plate is used again, opinions differ. But the fact is, both models will continue to exist in the future, that much is clear. And in the future, strong motivation, especially for older vehicles, will be the environmental zone. With an H-approval the import into the respective cities is secured. However, countless vehicles have been retrofitted to enter the environmental zones. And whether the legislation will remain in the long term so that an H-license plate is a free ticket in this regard, should also be in the stars.

The most important properties for an H license plate:

• The car must be at least 30 years old
• the car must be in good condition
• everything has to fit under the car too
• Cars must be roadworthy
• Import cars have to prove the first registration abroad
• there is always a main inspection (HU)
• Import vehicles receive a full acceptance
• Vehicles with patina and / or celebrity previous owners (James Dean & Co.) can also be classified as automotive cultural assets
• contemporary tuning is allowed (old brochures or photos can be an advantage during the demonstration)
• Depending on the test organization, an expert opinion costs between 150 and 200 euros (plus approx. 30 euros for new license plates and 30 euros for the license plates)
• for large-volume engines and old diesels, the flat-rate classic car tax of 191,73 euros per year is often cheaper (rather not with a small car or motorcycle)
• Classic cars with G-Kat and Euro 2 classification are cheaper without H-plates
• Classic car registration does not necessarily increase the value

So if you intend to turn the old vehicle in the garage into a real oldtimer with H license plate, then you should first check the supposed classic for originality. The overall condition must be inspected immediately afterwards. I wish you success… (There is a lot of information on the subject of H license plates in our special)

Of course that had not been the case.

tuningblog.eu has a lot of other articles on the subject of auto & tuning in stock. Do you want to see them all? Just click HERE and look around. But also planned changes in the law, violations in road traffic, current regulations in the field of STVO or on the subject inspection we would like to inform you regularly. Everything you can find in the category "Test sites, laws, offenses, information". Following an excerpt of the last information:

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