{"id":1184,"date":"2024-03-18T09:32:14","date_gmt":"2024-03-18T09:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cristianavram.blog\/?p=1184"},"modified":"2024-05-07T07:59:08","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T07:59:08","slug":"vehicle-ownership-in-austria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cristianavram.blog\/index.php\/2024\/03\/18\/vehicle-ownership-in-austria\/","title":{"rendered":"Car ownership in Austria"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Hello everyone! In this blog post I’m excited to introduce a new series called \u201cHowTo – Austria,\u201d aiming to provide insights to help you better navigate life here and hopefully simplify things a bit.<\/p>

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.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

1. Finding a car<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

For the Austrian market, I recommend checking out platforms like Willhaben, AutoScout24 and AutoUncle. If you’re interested in buying a car from Germany and then registering it in Austria, consider using mobile.de<\/span><\/a>. To estimate your NoVA (Normverbrauchsabgabe) costs, you can visit novora.at<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

2. Avoiding overpayment or scams<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

I signed up for an annual \u00d6AMTC subscription, which offers a service called \u2018Kauf\u00fcberpr\u00fcfung\u2019 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.<\/p>

Apart from the 110 EUR for the \u2018Kauf\u00fcberpr\u00fcfung\u2019 service, you’ll also need to pay the annual \u00d6AMTC 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.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

3. Advantages of \u00d6AMTC standard membership<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

If you opt for the standard \u00d6AMTC membership, in addition to towing services and roadside assistance, you can take advantage of the benefit called the \u2018Kfz-Pr\u00fcfdienst Leistung,\u2019 which includes the annual service check (Pickerl-\u00dcberpr\u00fcfung \u00a757a). 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 \u00d6AMTC 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 \u2018Schutzbrief\u2019 package.<\/p>

Personally, since my car insurance\u00a0 <\/span>already covers towing services and roadside assistance I am considering keeping my \u00d6AMTC standard membership primarily for the annual service check (Pickerl-\u00dcberpr\u00fcfung \u00a757a). For instances where I need to repair or replace car parts, opting for workshops outside Austria where costs are likely to be more affordable.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

4. Car insurance<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\u00a0is 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.<\/p>

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.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

5. Registration office and required documents<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

You can’t get the car registration plates from the registration office (Zulassungsstelle) without having a car insurance. I recommend checking durchblicker.at<\/span><\/a> 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\u2019t want preferential registration plates, you’ll receive standard plates on the same day and the entire process takes about half an hour.<\/p>

Vienna has numerous registration offices, which you can easily locate using the following link: https:\/\/vvonet.vvo.at\/vvonet_kfzzulassungsstellenauskunft<\/span><\/a>. 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.<\/p>

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). <\/b><\/p>

Required documents include:<\/p>