On January 1, 2020, a total of more than 500,000 cars with H license plates were registered in Germany for the first time. Compared to January 1, 2019, the number of cars with H license plates rose from 474,516 to 525,968. This corresponds to an increase of 11 percent.
Overall, the number of all historic vehicles, i.e. including motorcycles and commercial vehicles, rose by 11 percent to 595,046 units. This was the result of a recent evaluation of the number of classic cars in Germany by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) and BBE Automotive GmbH based on figures from the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA).
Genuine historical cultural asset
VDA President Hildegard Müller emphasized: "Classic cars are an impressive testimony to the historical development of mobility. The fact that they continue to enjoy great popularity among young and old is proven not only by the many and - before Corona - well-attended classic car meetings in Germany and Europe, but also by the growth in the number of cars with H license plates. As classic cars also serve to 'maintain the cultural heritage of motor vehicles' in accordance with the Vehicle Registration Ordinance, we continue to campaign vigorously for classic cars to be allowed to drive on public roads without restriction.
Even if they can no longer meet the latest technical standards: They are genuine historical cultural assets that usually have a very low annual mileage."
Small share of the total fleet
A look at the past ten years shows that the number of classic cars with H license plates has grown significantly. However, they only make up around 1 percent of the total car population.
Still the Beetle, young newcomers catch up
The VW Beetle continues to lead the rankings. 39,758 Beetles with an H license plate were on German roads by the end of 2019.
The Mercedes-Benz W123 continues to occupy second place with 21,929 vehicles. The Mercedes-Benz R107 follows in third place. The Porsche 911 (fourth place), Mercedes-Benz W124 (fifth place) and the Mercedes-Benz dash 8 (sixth place) follow.
Volkswagen again took seventh place with the T3 and T4 (Transporter, "Bulli") models, followed by the BMW 3 Series in eighth place. The top 10 models already account for 30 percent of the H license plate stock in Germany.
Mercedes-Benz ahead of Volkswagen
Mercedes-Benz is in first place among the brands (127,112).
This is followed by Volkswagen with 101,197 cars with H license plates, Porsche (34,975), BMW (25,831) and Opel with 24,069 cars. The top 5 brands therefore account for 60 percent of the fleet.
German dominates
Overall, more than two out of three cars with an H license plate are made by a German manufacturer (353,369 units).
This is followed by classic cars from the USA (8.3 percent), England (8.1 percent) and Italy (just under seven percent share, 35,698 units).
Success story
The H license plate was introduced in 1997 to protect motor vehicle cultural assets in the Federal Republic of Germany. A minimum vehicle age of 30 years is a prerequisite for an H license plate. In addition, the vehicle must have remained largely unchanged since delivery and be in a good state of care and preservation.
The VDA regularly evaluates the KBA figures. Furthermore, the VDA is committed to ensuring the political conditions for the problem-free operation of classic cars as an automotive cultural asset on German roads.
