Car Hire Munich Airport: Pick-up, Umweltzone & Alps Tips

Picking up at Munich Airport: the rental centre in the MAC

According to Munich Airport, the rental companies are in the Munich Airport Center (MAC) on level 03, Terminalstraße Mitte, 85356 Munich. The MAC is the central building between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, so you can walk there from either terminal. The airport lists five companies, and their hours matter if you land late or fly home early:

Not every company on a comparison site has a desk in the MAC. Some smaller firms are based outside the airport and collect you by shuttle bus, so check your booking confirmation for the meeting point and allow extra time.

Returning your hire car at the airport

When you drive back to the airport, follow the signs for “Rental Car Return”. Munich Airport says you hand the car over to your rental company in the rental car return area, take all your personal belongings with you and leave the keys in the car. From the city, the airport is reached via the A92 motorway, exit “Flughafen”.

• Allow time for the inspection on top of the usual check-in time.
• On a full-to-full fuel policy, fill up before the airport; Ireland's consumer agency CCPC warns you may be charged if the tank is not full.
• Take photos and videos of the car, mileage and fuel gauge at pick-up and return, and make sure existing damage is on the rental agreement.
• Shuttle-based companies take cars back at their own site, not in the MAC.

Driving licence rules for UK, Irish, US, Canadian and Australian drivers

Your own government's travel advice is the most practical guide:

The six-month limit matters most if you move to Germany: according to the German motoring club ADAC, a non-EU licence stops being valid six months after you become resident and must then be exchanged. ADAC says tourists do not need a translation of their licence, but the German licensing regulation (§ 29 FeV) requires licences not written in German to be accompanied by a translation unless an exemption applies, so carrying an IDP is the safe choice with a US, Canadian or Australian licence.

• Get any IDP in your home country before you travel; GOV.UK notes you cannot get one in Germany. Always carry it with your national licence.
• UK drivers may need to share a licence check code with the hire company; Northern Ireland licence holders show their paper counterpart instead.
• The minimum age to drive in Germany is 18, according to the Government of Canada; rental companies often set a higher age or charge a young driver fee.
• Smartraveller warns that a digital licence may not be accepted, so bring the physical card.

Credit card, deposit and excess

Sixt, for example, generally requires a credit card in the main driver's name and does not accept prepaid cards or cash; debit cards are only accepted in some countries for certain car classes. Ireland's consumer agency CCPC notes that most companies need a credit card for the security deposit.

• Deposit: the European Consumer Centre Ireland explains that it is usually blocked on your card at pick-up and can cover damage, parking tickets, unfilled fuel tanks or extensive cleaning. It reduces your available credit, so check your limit.
• Excess: this is what you pay towards any damage. The CCPC says excess insurance can be worthwhile and that you do not have to buy extra cover at the desk.
• The rental company's own excess-reduction cover can remove the need for a deposit; third-party excess insurance does not stop the deposit being blocked.
• If your flight is delayed, contact the company early: the European Consumer Centre Ireland warns it may give your car away.

Driving in Germany: the Autobahn and the basics

Germany drives on the right, and GOV.UK warns British drivers that a moment's lapse in concentration is enough for a near miss, so take extra care at junctions and when pulling out. Key rules:

• Many Autobahn stretches have no general speed limit, but there is a recommended speed of 130 km/h (about 80 mph). Exceeding it is not an offence in itself, but German courts have held faster drivers partly liable after accidents.
• Posted limits apply, including on long Autobahn stretches, and the US State Department says they are strictly enforced.
• Cars pay no motorway toll in Germany and need no vignette, according to ADAC. Only a few tunnels, such as the Herrentunnel in Lübeck and the Warnowtunnel in Rostock, charge a toll.
• Overtaking on the right is illegal, and traffic from the right has priority except on priority roads.
• The drink-drive limit is 0.05 percent blood alcohol; hand-held phone use while driving is illegal.
• Check for cyclists before turning into side streets, even on a green light.
• After any accident, the State Department says you must stay with the car and wait for the police. The emergency number is 112.
• Cars must carry a first-aid kit, reflective vest and warning triangle, according to the State Department; check they are in your hire car.

Munich's Umweltzone and the green sticker

Munich still has a low emission zone. According to the City of Munich, since 1 February 2023 it has covered the Mittlerer Ring ring road and everything inside it. Only vehicles with a green emission sticker (Umweltplakette) may enter; cars with a yellow or red sticker, or none at all, are banned. The city states explicitly that guests and tourists need a sticker too.

• Diesel cars with emission standard Euro 4 or worse are also banned from the zone, even with a green sticker. The city says this applies until further notice and has announced no change for 2026.
• A violation costs 100 euros, or 128.50 euros including fees, according to the city. The airport lies well outside the zone.

A hire car registered in Germany will normally be a recent model with the green sticker on the windscreen. Check it at pick-up and ask for another car if it is missing.

Winter tyres: Germany's situational rule

Germany has no fixed winter tyre period. Instead, the rule applies to the conditions: on black ice, packed snow, slush, ice or frost you may only drive with suitable tyres. Since 1 October 2024 only tyres with the Alpine symbol (a mountain with a snowflake) count. Tyres marked only “M+S” are no longer enough, even though some foreign government pages still mention M+S.

The driver is responsible, not the rental company, and Smartraveller warns that with the wrong tyres your insurer may reject a claim. It says you will usually need winter tyres between October and Easter. Whether winter tyres are included or cost extra depends on the rental terms, so check before heading for the Alps, and look at the tyre sidewall at pick-up.

Parking in Munich: use Park & Ride

If you want to visit the city centre, Park & Ride is a cheap option: the city-owned P+R Park & Ride GmbH runs 38 sites with more than 14,000 spaces in and around Munich, according to muenchen.de. A day costs about 1 to 2 euros, depending on the site.

The P+R rate only applies if you continue by public transport, so keep a valid ticket (a Deutschlandticket counts) until you leave; otherwise the higher standard rate applies.

Driving a hire car to Austria or Switzerland

Salzburg, Tyrol and Lake Constance are within easy reach of Munich. First check that your rental company allows the trip. Sixt, for example, says luxury and sports cars typically cannot be taken across borders and lists cross-border charges among possible extra fees. Name every country on your route when you book and read what the rental terms say about insurance cover abroad.

Both 2026 annual vignettes run from 1 December 2025 to 31 January 2027. Do not assume your German hire car has either vignette. A digital vignette is tied to the number plate, so buy it once you know the car's registration, from the official sources: ASFINAG for Austria and the Swiss Via portal (e-vignette.ch). Swiss stickers are also sold at filling stations, post offices and border customs posts.

Some Austrian motorway sections near the German border are vignette-free: the A12 from the Kufstein border crossing to the Kufstein-Süd junction, the A1 from the Walserberg border crossing to Salzburg-Nord, and the A14 from Hörbranz to Hohenems. Drive beyond them and you need a vignette.

In Austria, from 1 November to 15 April, cars need winter tyres on all four wheels with at least 4 mm of tread when there is snow, slush or ice on the road. Chains on at least two drive wheels are only an alternative on roads continuously or almost always covered in snow or ice; ask whether your rental company offers them.

Checklist before you leave the airport

1. Have your licence, IDP if needed, passport and a credit card in the main driver's name ready.
2. Check the green emission sticker on the windscreen.
3. In winter, look for the Alpine symbol on the tyres.
4. Get any trip to Austria or Switzerland recorded in the rental agreement.
5. Buy a vignette before you join an Austrian or Swiss motorway.
6. Photograph the car, note the fuel policy and save the rental company's phone number.

Frequently asked questions