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Roundabout rules in Germany (Kreisverkehr)

Germany has roundabouts everywhere – in towns, on country roads and at motorway exits. The rules are short, but two of them surprise many drivers who learned to drive elsewhere: you do not signal when you enter, and you always signal when you leave. Both come up in the theory exam.

How to recognise a real roundabout

A roundabout in the legal sense has two signs at every entrance: the blue round sign with three white arrows going in a circle (sign 215, Kreisverkehr) placed under the red-and-white upside-down triangle (sign 205, Vorfahrt gewähren – give way). This combination is what the StVO (§ 8 para. 1a) links the special rules to. In Germany you drive around the circle anticlockwise, with the central island on your left.

Who has priority?

When both signs are there, the traffic already on the circular roadway (Kreisfahrbahn) has right of way. If you want to enter, you give way to every vehicle coming from your left inside the circle – cars, lorries, buses and cyclists riding on the circle. Once you are in, you have priority over the vehicles waiting at the next entrances.

Exam trap: right before left does not apply at the entrances of such a roundabout. The car waiting at the entrance to your right does not get to go first – you are already in the circle.

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Signalling: not in, but out

• Entering: using your indicator is not allowed. The StVO states this directly for roundabouts with signs 215 and 205. Signalling right on entry would wrongly suggest that you are taking the next exit.
• Leaving: you must signal right in good time before your exit. Leaving the circle counts as turning, and anyone who turns must announce it clearly with the indicator (§ 9 StVO).
• Driving past an exit: no signal. Only the exit you actually take gets the right indicator.

Both mistakes – signalling on the way in and forgetting it on the way out – can be fined, and in the practical exam they are typical points the examiner notices.

Other rules inside the roundabout

• No stopping on the circular roadway. If the circle is full, wait at the entrance.
• Do not drive over the central island. Only vehicles that could not get round otherwise because of their size – for example long lorries or buses – may use it, and only if nobody is put in danger.
• Watch pedestrians when you leave. Because leaving is turning, you must take special care of people on foot and wait if necessary. Many exits have a zebra crossing, where pedestrians who want to cross always go first.
• Watch cyclists. Cyclists on the circle have the same priority as cars. If there is a cycle path around the roundabout, look out for cyclists before you leave and follow the markings and signs at the crossing.

What if there is no give-way sign?

Not every circular junction is a roundabout in the legal sense. If the entrances do not have sign 215 under sign 205, the circle has no special priority and the normal right-of-way rules apply – often right before left, or whatever the signs at that junction say. Such junctions are rare, so look at the signs before you enter. If you are unsure about a specific junction near you, ask your driving instructor.

→ Rechts vor links: the right-before-left rule

Quick checklist

• Slow down and check for sign 215 under the give-way sign.
• Give way to traffic from the left on the circle.
• Enter without signalling.
• Signal right before the exit you take.
• Let pedestrians and cyclists cross at the exit.

German terms to know

• Kreisverkehr – roundabout
• Kreisfahrbahn – circular roadway
• Mittelinsel – central island
• Vorfahrt gewähren – give way
• Blinker / Fahrtrichtungsanzeiger – indicator
• ausfahren / einfahren – to leave / to enter
• Zebrastreifen – zebra crossing

Roundabout questions often come with a picture or a short video. In Fahrlingua you can practise them in 22 languages with the German original side by side, so you learn the rule and the exam wording at the same time.

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