What You Must Carry in Your Car in Germany
Germany requires three things in every car: a first aid kit, a warning triangle and a high-vis vest. Here is exactly what the law says, what each item must meet, and what missing one costs.
Every car in Germany must carry a first aid kit (StVZO § 35h, DIN 13164), a warning triangle and a high-vis vest (both StVZO § 53a). Fines are small, 10 to 15 euros per missing item, but checks do happen, and the rule applies to visiting cars too.
Applies to Germany. Road-legality and inspection tests differ by country, so confirm the rules where you drive.
German law is unusually specific about what rides along. Whether you live there or are just passing through on holiday, the same three items are required in the car, and each has a standard it must meet.
The first aid kit
StVZO § 35h requires first aid material meeting the DIN 13164 standard, and the statute accepts the January 1998 and January 2014 editions as the minimum. A newer 2022 edition adds two medical masks and is accepted too, but existing compliant kits stay valid, there is no forced upgrade. What matters in practice is completeness and the expiry date printed on the kit: sterile contents age out, and an expired kit counts against you at a check. Motorcycles are exempt.
Triangle and vest
StVZO § 53a requires one warning triangle and one high-vis vest in every car. The triangle must be an approved (ECE R27) type; the vest must meet EN 471 or EN ISO 20471, the CE-marked standard. Legally one vest per car is enough, but one per occupant is the sensible version, since everyone leaving the car on a motorway shoulder should be visible. Keep vests in the cabin within reach, not in the boot you would have to walk around to open.
What it costs and who checks
The fines are modest: around 10 euros for a missing or expired first aid kit and 15 euros each for a missing triangle or vest, per ADAC. The realistic encounters are a routine police check, the aftermath of a breakdown, and the HU inspection, where a missing kit is a minor defect. For foreign-registered cars the carry requirements apply while driving in Germany, so the kit belongs in the holiday packing list.
Worth adding beyond the law
German practice adds a few unofficial staples: spare bulbs (some neighbouring countries require them), a torch, and jump leads. If you drive on to Austria or Switzerland the mandatory lists differ again, so a kit that covers first aid, triangle, vests for all seats and bulbs travels legally across most of the continent.
The conditions that matter
- ✓First aid kit to DIN 13164, in date, is required (StVZO § 35h).
- ✓One approved warning triangle and one EN-standard vest are required (StVZO § 53a).
- !Missing items cost 10 to 15 euros each at a check; expired kits count as missing.
Sources
- StVZO § 35h - Erste-Hilfe-Material (gesetze-im-internet.de)
- StVZO § 53a - Warndreieck und Warnweste (gesetze-im-internet.de)
- Verbandkasten im Auto: Pflicht und Inhalt (ADAC)
General guidance, not legal advice. Standards and fine amounts change; check official sources before travelling.