Safe electric driving: Does an electric car have to go to the TÜV?

Have you decided on an electric car? You're in good company! The trend towards electric and hybrid models does not stop. If you're living the dream of e-mobility, you're still missing the electric car TÜV for your luck. As with combustion models, an electric car needs a current general inspection (HU) for registration. There are differences in the TÜV for electric cars that are important for vehicle owners.

If you are looking for a new car, then we have the current top electric car offers for you here:

 

When does an electric car have to go to the TÜV?

A new car has to undergo a general inspection for the first time in three years. Here, the TÜV does not distinguish electric cars from combustion models. After the first registration, the e-car TÜV must be renewed every two years, which does not distinguish it from other cars. You can see when the next general inspection is necessary in the vehicle registration document (registration certificate I). The TÜV sticker on the license plate serves as an external distinguishing feature, from which you can read the year and month of the next due date.

Some TÜV test centers offer a reminder that you can use. An environmental sticker is also required for the e-car. Do you already have an e-car license plate? This gives you exclusive advantages on the road!

Here it is important that, although e-cars do not produce any exhaust fumes, an environmental sticker for electric cars is required. In order to be allowed to drive into one of the 65 environmental zones in Germany - or to be stuck in a traffic jam - you must be able to show a green sticker. Of course, this is only a formality for electric cars, which is manageable at five to ten euros. With a fine of 100 euros, it will be significantly more expensive if you are driving in an environmental zone without a particulate matter sticker.

 

How often does an e-car have to go to the TÜV?

Despite lower maintenance costs for purely electric cars, the registration length does not differ between electric, hybrid and combustion models. It is three years after the first registration and after that the main inspection must be carried out every two years. If the MOT expires, this is exempt from punishment for the first two months after the deadline expires. Between two and four months, a warning of 25 euros is due. If you overstay between four and eight months, you have to pay a fine of 60 euros and 75 euros from eight months. From four months, a point in Flensburg is also added.

Why are the penalties so high? Anyone who is on the road without a TÜV drives a vehicle without registration.

 

What does the TÜV check on the e-car?

The basic features of the electric car TÜV hardly differ from the general inspection of combustion models. For all cars, the safety-relevant aspects of your car are checked by the TÜV. After all, even in an electric car, the brakes and turn signals must also work. If you take a moment, you will surely realize that most of the functions of electric cars are similar to those of cars with combustion engines. Therefore, the electric car TÜV hardly differs from others. Only the emission test is omitted for purely electric models. Instead, a test of the high-voltage drive is carried out.

This also includes taking a closer look at everything that can lead to a short circuit. Here, the insulation, the battery box, the cables and the charging cable are examined for damage. To prevent a short circuit, missing covers and incorrectly fastened components are also looked for. Recuperation system brakes are installed in electric and hybrid models, which are also checked. Knowing about the electric car also includes how to heat it properly in winter so that there is no damage to the drive system and so that the range is not decimated.

The rest of the studies are very similar to the combustion models. Lighting, car tires, wheels, the chassis as well as the shock absorbers, the steering system and the immobilizer are examined for safety. If, for example, the tire tread is no longer deep enough, a tire must be changed. If the headlights are defective, you have to have them repaired. In general, however, it can be said that the mechanical components are less complex, which makes the maintenance of an electric car less complex.

Also, some parts are less susceptible to wear. Nevertheless, damage can occur in the mechanics and, of course, the electronics over time, which endangers driving safety. But if everything is in order during the main inspection, you will receive the TÜV sticker, in the event of one or more faults you have 4 weeks to have everything repaired and then present it to the TÜV for a follow-up inspection. Interior cleaning is not tested, but a tidy car is also better received by TÜV inspectors than a mobile landfill.

Lots of electronics, few mechanics – excessive demands on the TÜV?

The biggest difference between combustion engines and electric cars is probably the significantly higher proportion of electronics in the electric car. A TÜV inspector has a small window of time to inspect a car – that was already little when cars still had predominantly mechanical components. The digital age has also arrived in the car and poses major challenges for technical inspection inspectors.

In order to be able to check electronic systems such as lane change assistant, adaptive cruise control or emergency brake assist in a short time without having to take an exit onto the motorway, the OBD interface is necessary. There, a car can be connected to the HU adapter and find out via data query whether there are problems with the systems. However, the systems are developing rapidly and the adapter is usually not up to date.

Overall, vehicle manufacturers in particular make it difficult for TÜV inspectors because they neither provide sufficient vehicle data nor provide deeper insights into their systems. The common testing organisations are jointly developing the "Charter 2030", which is intended to become a guideline for the testing of modern vehicles.

 

How much does the TÜV cost for electric cars?

Since the emission test is no longer required, it is not surprising that electric cars perform better in terms of TÜV costs. On average, this means a cost saving of 40 euros. This means that the total costs are between 60 and 80 euros. However, this only applies to pure electric cars. Hybrid models still require an emissions test. In any case, a follow-up examination costs 15 to 20 euros.

You can compare prices between different inspection centers, but since the differences are often not that great, it is usually not worth the additional fuel costs for a more distant TÜV inspection center. Here, especially with new registrations, you have to make sure that you are allowed to drive to the TÜV without registration, but only in the direct route and only to your or an adjacent district.

In conclusion, it can be said that the electric car TÜV is not that different from that of combustion models. The same frequency of the general inspection applies. What is examined is also mainly the same. Only the high-voltage battery is examined more closely and the emissions test is omitted. That's why the general inspection for electric cars is on average 40 euros cheaper. If you want to save not only on the general inspection, but also on the purchase of a car, you can benefit from our electric car offers for less than 40,000 euros or less than 30,000 euros.