71 km/h over the limit in Germany: the top of the fine table
At 71 km/h over, you reach the last line of the German speeding table; beyond it, the catalogue adds nothing more.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
More than 70 km/h over
Total including fees
€843.50
| Excess after tolerance | 71 km/h |
| Points | 2 |
| Driving ban | 3 months |
| Probation | A offence |
Driving a car more than 70 km/h too fast in Germany reaches the highest band of table 1 c in the fine catalogue. It costs €800 in a built-up area and €700 outside towns, with two Flensburg points and a three-month Fahrverbot (driving ban) in both places. With the fee and delivery costs, the notice comes to €843.50 or €738.50. The band has no upper end: 71, 90 or 120 km/h over all carry the same standard fine. It only rises if intent is found, which doubles it under Section 3(4a) BKatV to €1,600 in town and €1,400 outside. Three months is the longest ban Section 25 of the Road Traffic Act allows. No particular speed turns a drive into a crime by itself. Section 315d(1) no. 3 of the Criminal Code punishes driving at an inappropriate speed, grossly against traffic rules and recklessly, in order to reach the highest possible speed. Prosecutors and courts decide whether that applies.
The band without a ceiling
Table 1 c of the fine catalogue ends with the line "more than 70 km/h". Reach it and you pay the table's highest amount, which stays the same however far above 70 you were. The ban, too, has reached its maximum of three months, the most that Section 25 StVG allows. In town the three months already applied from 61 km/h over, so only the fine rises; outside towns, 71 km/h adds the third month. Anything beyond this is governed elsewhere: by the intent rule, by departures in individual cases and, for certain kinds of driving, by the Criminal Code.
| Over the limit | In town | Ban | Outside towns | Ban |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61 km/h | €700 | 3 months | €600 | 2 months |
| 71 km/h | €800 | 3 months | €700 | 3 months |
| 90 km/h | €800 | 3 months | €700 | 3 months |
| 120 km/h | €800 | 3 months | €700 | 3 months |
Intent: the only fixed increase
The catalogue figures assume negligence (Section 1(2) BKatV). At these speeds, fine offices often consider whether the speeding was deliberate. If they find intent, the fine doubles to €1,600 in town, €1,683.50 with costs, or €1,400 outside towns, €1,473.50 with costs. The ban and points stay as they are. The ordinance gives no speed at which intent is presumed.
The line to criminal law
Many expats arrive with the idea that German law has a fixed speed above which speeding becomes a crime, as some other countries do. It does not. Section 315d of the Criminal Code, deals with prohibited motor races. Its paragraph 1 no. 3 also covers a single driver racing against nobody: it punishes anyone who drives "at an inappropriate speed and grossly against traffic rules and recklessly, in order to reach the highest possible speed". The Federal Constitutional Court upheld this provision in 2022. The offence turns on those elements together, not on a reading. A camera showing 71 km/h over is not enough by itself, and a drive at a lower excess can still meet the test if the elements are present.
The penalty is imprisonment of up to two years or a criminal fine, rising to five years if another person's life or limb, or property of significant value, is endangered (paragraph 2). Where death or serious injury results, paragraph 5 provides for one to ten years. Such cases go to the public prosecutor and the criminal courts, not the fine office, and the catalogue sets no figures for them.
Endangering others or causing damage
A second fixed increase exists besides intent. Under Section 3(3) BKatV, standard fines above €55 rise according to table 4 when someone was put in danger or property was damaged. Outside towns, €700 becomes €840 with danger and €1,000 with damage. Table 4 has no line for the in-town amount of €800, as its highest starting values are lower, so any increase there is left to the individual decision. When intent is also found, the increased amount is then doubled: danger plus intent outside towns would give €1,680. Damage to a third party's car, of course, also leads to a civil claim through your liability insurance, which the fine notice does not cover.
Heavy vehicles reach the top sooner
For lorries, trailers and buses, the last line of the table starts at more than 60 km/h over:
| Vehicle | In town | Outside towns | Ban |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car, motorcycle (table 1 c) | €800 | €700 | 3 months |
| Lorry over 3.5 t, with trailer (table 1 a) | €800 | €700 | 3 months |
| Bus with passengers, hazardous goods (table 1 b) | €950 | €900 | 3 months |
For lorries and towing combinations, the maximum fine is the same as for cars; it is simply reached at a lower excess.
Three months in practice
The offence adds two points under annex 13 of the Driving Licence Ordinance, which stay until 60 months after the decision is final. If it is your first ban in two years, you may start the three months at any point within 4 months of the decision becoming final. Three months without a car is long enough to affect a job that needs one, so many people plan the period around leave. A licence from outside the EU is marked rather than held. See the driving ban guide, the Flensburg points guide and the fine calculator; the band below is on the page on 51 km/h over.