Hello everyone! In this blog post I’m excited to introduce a new series called “HowTo – Austria,” aiming to provide insights to help you better navigate life here and hopefully simplify things a bit.
Recently, I became the proud owner of a new car, and I believe I can share some current information on this topic in a straightforward and thoughtful manner.
1. Finding a car
2. Avoiding overpayment or scams
I signed up for an annual ÖAMTC subscription, which offers a service called ‘Kaufüberprüfung’ for 110 EUR. This service includes a thoroughly check of the car chassis to electronics, motor, brakes, and more and it is a good option if you’re not familiar with car technicalities and it provides peace of mind regarding the purchase. After the nearly 2-hour test, you receive a report detailing any issues or necessary repairs, along with an estimated valuation of the vehicle based on the current market conditions. This information aids in negotiating a fair price with the seller. Of course, in order to be able to do this check the seller must agree to it.
Apart from the 110 EUR for the ‘Kaufüberprüfung’ service, you’ll also need to pay the annual ÖAMTC membership fee of 97.70 EUR. So the total cost comes to 207.70 EUR, but I believe it is worth it in order to avoid potentially costly repair expenditures, especially in Austria where the services can be expensive.
3. Advantages of ÖAMTC standard membership
If you opt for the standard ÖAMTC membership, in addition to towing services and roadside assistance, you can take advantage of the benefit called the ‘Kfz-Prüfdienst Leistung,’ which includes the annual service check (Pickerl-Überprüfung §57a). While you can get this check done at other service centers in Austria, it usually cost around 120 euros, slightly higher than the 97.7 euros you pay annually for the standard ÖAMTC membership. Essentially, with the standard membership, you have your annual service check covered, along with other roadside assistance services in Austria. If you require Europe-wide coverage and extra services, you would need to add the ‘Schutzbrief’ package.
Personally, since my car insurance already covers towing services and roadside assistance I am considering keeping my ÖAMTC standard membership primarily for the annual service check (Pickerl-Überprüfung §57a). For instances where I need to repair or replace car parts, opting for workshops outside Austria where costs are likely to be more affordable.
4. Car insurance
It is legally necessary to have third-party coverage (Haftpflicht) in order to register your vehicle. Full casco (Vollkasko) or partial casco (Teilkasko) car insurance is optional and provides coverage for your vehicle in the event of an accident, a natural disaster, vandalism, and other situations. The choice depends on your preference and budget.
In my case, when closing the mandatory car insurance (Haftpflicht), I chose to stick with the same company for towing service and roadside assistance. This simplified managing everything from one place and ensured a quick resolution of any issues.
5. Registration office and required documents
You can’t get the car registration plates from the registration office (Zulassungsstelle) without having a car insurance. I recommend checking durchblicker.at for a price overview and then contacting insurance companies directly and see if you can receive better conditions and get more informations. If you don’t want preferential registration plates, you’ll receive standard plates on the same day and the entire process takes about half an hour.
Vienna has numerous registration offices, which you can easily locate using the following link: https://vvonet.vvo.at/vvonet_kfzzulassungsstellenauskunft. As a general rule, once you’ve chosen a car insurance provider, you should then find out which registration office (Zulassungsstelle) represents that particular insurance company and proceed to that office for registration.
The total amount I paid at the registration office was 235.10 EUR, including a 207 EUR fee for registration plates plus processing fees, and an optional 28.10 EUR for the vehicle card (Scheckkartenzulassungsschein) instead of the usual yellow paper car certification (Papierzulassungsbescheinigung).
Required documents include:
- Typenschein
- Zulassungsschein
- selling contract
- identity document
The Typenschein and Zulassungsschein must first be received from the previous owner before you can proceed to register the car in your name.
6. Vignette Austria
Purchase the Austrian vignette from Tabak Trafik shops for immediate validity. For the yearly vignette through the Asfinag App, there’s a 18-day wait for it to become valid due to withdrawal rights when purchasing online. The price for a yearly vignette is 96.40 EUR.
7. Parkpickerl Vienna
For parking in the Vienna area, the initial charge for the Parkpickerl is 159.30 EUR, which also includes the processing fees. Starting with the second year, the yearly fee for Vienna residents is 120 EUR. This allows parking within your district (or specified areas) without additional costs.
Note that it may take a couple of days for the yearly parking ticket to be processed. If you park in your district before it’s processed, you might receive a parking fine. To avoid this, check the validity of your application constantly on the StadtWien website until it becomes available. What I did, and what I recommend you doing is the following:
- Check constantly the validity of your application online on the StadtWien website: https://www.wien.gv.at/amtshelfer/verkehr/parken/kurzparkzone/parkpickerl.html . You can find “Gültigkeit abfragen” button. Press on it and then give your registration plates.
- Until your parking ticket is valid, consider using P+R (Park&Ride spaces) like the one from Hütteldorf, Erdberg, Ottakring, etc., which cost around 4.10 EUR per day.
8. Saving money and other Tips
If you need to park in Vienna during the week in a different district, I recommend using the Handyparken App. It requires a TopUp in advance and from my research it offers the lowest rates. It’s also recommended by StadtWien.
Spritpreise AT is another helpful App for checking fuel prices, with daily updates and price history.
If you have an ÖAMTC or AustroCard membership, you can save a few cents per liter at partner gas stations.
Recently, I also discovered the ryd App, which offers a coupon for a price reduction of 4 cents/liter up to 70 liters per month through the Corporate Benefits AT App (there’s another coupon with 2 cents/liter up to 120 liters per month). The service is free, and you only need to create an account. Choosing the fuel amount and paying process is done through their app. Note that for some gas stations, the GPS coordinates may be incorrect. If you encounter the ‘Drive to station’ message, simply move around the gas station, and it will redirect you to choose the pump number and complete the filling process. Even if you don’t have a Corporate Benefits account, I still recommend creating a ryd account because you will occasionally receive one-time-use coupons for 4 cents/liter that are valid for one filling.
That was it guys. I hope this post simplifies the process of buying and owning a car. If you find this post useful, and you live in Austria, don’t forget to share it on your media channels. Thank you for taking the time to read it!
PS: All the prices mentioned in this section are valid as of March 2024. The recommendations are based on my personal experience. This post was not sponsored in any way shape or form.