Overview
- From 2026 Germany shifts to auctioned CO2 certificates with a 55–65 €/t corridor, which ADAC estimates will lift the CO2 share of pump prices to 15.7–18.6 cents/litre for petrol and 17.3–20.5 cents for diesel, up to 2.9–3.2 cents more than 2025.
- Verivox projects car insurance premiums to rise again in 2026, with the cheapest tariffs up about 7%, full comprehensive up to 8%, partial comprehensive around 6% and liability roughly 5%.
- Insurers cite sharply higher repair economics as a key driver, with the German Insurance Association reporting replacement-part prices have climbed by more than 80% over the past decade.
- Large reclassifications will shift premiums for many policyholders, as about 6 million drivers move to higher typclasses, 4.5 million to lower classes and roughly 32 million see no change.
- Vehicle tax must be paid in a single annual lump sum from 2026, while newly registered EVs remain Kfz‑tax‑exempt through end‑2030 for up to ten years (no later than 31 December 2035), and the EU’s ETS2 for transport and buildings is postponed to 2028 with Germany continuing its national pricing in 2027.