In many cases, the left lane may not be used on German autobahns for cars more than 2 meters wide. This is the width including the outside mirrors. And soon a small middle class falls below that.
Fear the road running on the German Autobahnen. They are often long and regularly cause long traffic jams. Many people hate the narrow left lane. Normally you are not allowed to use it with a car more than 2 meters wide and it turns out that you will soon get stuck.
You can quickly think that your car is more than two meters narrower. If you look at the official dimensions of the cars, the list of passenger cars over two meters wide for current cars is very clear:
BMW X5 (2004 mm)
BMW X6 (2004 mm)
Lamborghini Aventador (2030 mm)
Lamborghini Urus (2016 mm)
Rolls-Royce Phantom (2018 mm)
You should also include large American SUVs, such as the Lincoln Navigator or Chevrolet Tahoe.
In the German Baustel, the car on the left lane can be a maximum of two meters with the outside mirrors on. Then the list becomes much longer. Because for outside mirrors, you need to add 10 centimeters to the left and right. Since cars have become wider over the years, the left lane is practically closed to most middle-class cars. Adac, the German roadside assistance service, has measured the cars with their side mirrors and they have arrived This overview with auto shows. Even if the outside mirror is replaced with a camera, you still have to count on the extra view.
Amazing deals with car side mirrors
Of the 200 cars measured, it seems that most of the types are not allowed to drive on the left lane, because they are wider than 2 meters including the side mirrors. Today, 70 percent of cars recognized are wider. With the following small cars and midsize cars directly below it is therefore permitted.
Audi A1 (from 2018)
Audi A3 (from May 2020)
Citroën C3 Aircross (from June 2021)
DS 3 E-Tense (As of February 2020)
Fiat 500 (from July 2015)
Fiat 500e (as of November 2020)
Ford Fiesta VIII (from June 2017)
Ford Focus IV (from September 2018)
Honda Jazz V (from October 2018)
Hyundai i10 (As of February 2020)
Kia Picanto (from July 2020)
Mercedes-Benz A-Class W177 (from May 2018), but the A-Class W177 limousine from March 2019 is 5 mm wider and, quite formally, exactly 2 meters wide.
Minnie (from March 2021)
Nissan Juke (as of December 2019)
Nissan Leaf (from January 2018)
Nissan Micra (from March 2017)
Opel Corsa F (from November 2019)
Opel Crossland (from January 2021)
Opel Mokka B and Opel Mokka-e B (from January 2021)
Peugeot 108 (from July 2014)
Peugeot 208 and Peugeot e-208 (as of December 2019)
Peugeot 2008 and Peugeot e-2008 (from February 2020)
Polestar 2 (from June 2020)
Renault Twingo (as of May 2019)
Renault Zoe (from October 2019)
Seat Leon (and Sportstourer) (from April 2020)
Skoda Kamiq (from September 2019)
Skoda Scala (from May 2019)
Suzuki Ignis III (from April 2020)
Suzuki Swift V (from June 2018)
Suzuki Swift 6 (from April 2017)
Toyota Aygo (as of June 2018)
Volkswagen T-Cross (from April 2019)
Volkswagen Up (from June 2016)
Do you have a sports car? Then you can use these two in the left lane:
Alpine A110 (from 2017)
Mazda MX-5 (from September 2015)
A reasonable number of cars were not measured. For example, the measurement results for Volkswagen Polo are not indicated. If your car is not on the list, it does not always mean that it is very extensive. The message will be clear: Watch out for the roadworks on German autobahns. And if you’re wider, you have to keep to the right. The fine for driving on the left with a wider vehicle is only €20. But maybe your nerves should be steady, too. And you don’t want to do damage in these activities to gain half a minute. As few discussions as possible with your insurance company.
Traffic information
The second most common cause of accidents on construction sites is collisions between vehicles traveling alongside. To reduce the risk of accidents, we recommend avoiding unnecessary overtaking maneuvers. You can of course also avoid roadworks by planning your trip in advance. And if you turn on your navigation along the way, it often also takes into account traffic information (and traffic jams), even if it appears after you leave.
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