Saxony's drivers are attached to their home country license plates

The trend towards home registration plates continues in Saxony more than ten years after their release. Since 2012, drivers have been able to choose between the license plates of the ten districts and old license plates for individual cities such as WUR, OZ or ZI. Previously, district license plates were mandatory. An inquiry to the district authorities revealed that the number of home district license plates is still increasing.

District license plates used with varying frequency

There are differences between the districts as to whether drivers tend to use the home district license plate or are also satisfied with the district license plate.

According to the registration authority, there are currently just under 39,000 vehicles with the district license plate TDO in North Saxony, but a total of 139,000 with the license plates DZ (Delitzsch), EB (Eilenburg), TO or TG (Torgau) and OZ (Oschatz).

In the district of Görlitz, the home registration plates NY (Niesky), NOL (Niederschlesische Oberlausitz), ZI (Zittau), LÖB (Löbau) and WSW (Weißwasser) together are also more strongly represented than GR for the district. A good 117,000 vehicles drive with home registration plates, just under 92,000 with GR.

In other districts, the ratio is reversed or more balanced. In the district of Meißen, for example, the abbreviation MEI is currently used a good 136,000 times, while the old license plates GRH (Großenhain), RIE (Riesa) and RG (Riesa-Großenhain) together are only used around 65,500 times.

Nationwide transfer ensures a colorful license plate landscape

Since 2015, it has also been possible in Germany to keep the previous license plate when moving to another district without having to apply for a new one. The nationwide transfer of license plates makes the license plate population even more colourful.

In the district of Central Saxony, not only vehicles from neighboring regions such as the Erzgebirge (ERZ), Leipzig (L), Chemnitz (C) or Zwickau (Z) are on the road, said André Kaiser, spokesman for the district office. The vehicle fleet now also includes 101 vehicles from Berlin (B), 57 from Munich (M) and 17 vehicles with the Hanover license plate H.