The interchangeable plate system (Wechselkennzeichen) used in Germany, Austria and Switzerland allows a person to use multiple vehicles alternately with the same license plate. The plate consists of a section shared by the vehicles and a fixed section specific to each vehicle; the shared section is attached to the vehicle that is to be driven on public roads. This means that the two vehicles cannot be used at the same time.
In Germany, the system can be used for two vehicles in the M1, L or O1 categories that are in the same group, provided that the license plate size and layout requirements are met. A car and a motorcycle cannot use the same license plate. The vehicle that is not being used cannot be parked in a public area; it must be kept in a garage or on private property. Taxes and insurance payments continue for both vehicles; some insurance companies may offer premium advantages because of the alternating use.
In Austria, the same license plate can be used on up to three vehicles in the same main group. In addition, a single digital motorway vignette is sufficient for up to three vehicles, as it is linked to the license plate.
In Switzerland, the vehicles must belong to the same category, be registered to the same person and be located in the same canton. The system can provide savings here, particularly on insurance and road-tax costs. The fixed sections specific to the vehicles show which vehicle is identified.
Why it matters
This regulation shows that ease of use and the financial burden are not the same thing for people who own multiple vehicles: tax and insurance payments continue even when one of the vehicles is not being driven. The benefit provided therefore varies depending on the country, the category to which the vehicles belong and the terms offered by insurance companies; the vignette system in Austria represents another dimension of this difference. The fact that an unused vehicle cannot be left in a public space also means that the system affects not only the use of license plates but also where the vehicles are kept. From the reader’s perspective, the key unresolved issue is whether their own vehicles meet the category, registration and license-plate requirements, because the similarly named system operates within different limits in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.