That will change for drivers in the new year

Whether black boxes, alcohol measuring devices or mandatory assistants: the new year has some innovations in store for road traffic. We therefore present you with an overview of the five most important changes for drivers in 2024.

From 2024: These things will change for drivers

Drivers will have to take note of some changes in the coming year. The Auto Club Europa (ACE) has therefore created an overview of all the new regulations that will come into force in 2024.

These include, among other things, new mandatory assistance systems for new cars. In addition, the grandfathering protection for M+S tires is expiring. We have an overview of the five most important changes for drivers in 2024.

1. New cars have a black box requirement

From July 7, 2024, so-called black boxes will be part of the basic equipment of every newly registered car. The Event Data Recorders (EDR), also known as accident data recorders in German, are intended to continuously record, among other things, information about speed, braking or airbag deployment.

In the event of an accident, the data is saved a few seconds before and after the collision in order to better reconstruct the course of the accident. For this purpose, they are stored locally in the vehicle in a closed and anonymized system.

2. New vehicles are only available with speed limits

Next year, all new vehicles must also be equipped with an intelligent speed system. Intelligent Speed ​​Assistance (ISA) is intended to alert drivers to exceeding the speed limit using acoustic, visual or haptic signals.

3. These assistants become mandatory

In addition, new cars will need the following mandatory assistants from 2024: an emergency braking assistant, a drowsiness warning system, an automatic emergency brake light, a reversing assistant and an emergency lane departure warning system.

4. Cars check alcohol content

From 2024, a new interface will be mandatory in order to be able to retrofit an alcohol-sensitive immobilizer – also called Alcolocks. From next year, vehicles will be able to check whether drivers are complying with the legal alcohol limit.

To do this, you have to blow into the measuring device before driving. If you drink too much alcohol the car won't start. Alcolocks are particularly conceivable in the car sharing sector or if drivers have already been noticed for drunk driving.

5. M+S tires are not permitted

From October 2024, people in Germany will only be allowed to use winter and all-season tires with the Alpine symbol in winter road conditions.

The pure M+S label for mud and snow is no longer on sale, but it is no longer allowed to be driven. However, car tires that bear both the Alpine and M+S symbols are still permitted.

These things also need to be taken into account

In 2024 there will also be some innovations that will not directly affect drivers, but are certainly important in certain cases. Driving license tests are expected to be eleven percent more expensive from next year.

This means that new drivers have to pay almost 25 euros more for the theory test. For the Class B practical test, you have to pay around 130 euros instead of around 117 euros.

In the area of ​​electric mobility, the funding conditions for electric cars are changing. From January 2024, only vehicles with a basic model net list price of no more than 45,000 euros will be subsidized by the state. At the same time, the total funding drops from 6,750 euros to 4,500 euros.

Of this, the federal government grants an environmental bonus of up to 3,000 euros, while car buyers can receive a manufacturer's share of up to 1,500 euros. The state funding pot is expected to be significantly smaller in 2024. So the rule is: “First come, first served”. As soon as the funds are exhausted, no further funding can be expected.

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