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Official road and vehicle updates
Hyundai’s 2028 AI driving plan still needs a driver
Hyundai targets Level 2+ and 2++ production systems in 2028. Those are company goals for driver assistance, not a driverless-car launch.
Stellantis BOW points to a new delivery vehicle, but it is not on sale
BOW is a delivery concept developed with UQI Robotics, not a vehicle on sale. The 800,000 connected vehicles belong to the separate Pro One NEXT fleet-support system.
Sodium-ion battery passes a deep-cold starting test, but is it ready for your car?
Clarios, Altris and InoBat report cold-cranking validation down to −40°C. Small-series readiness is the next target, with no mass-market sale date announced.
Germany’s car industry under pressure from China: what could happen by 2030?
This is not yet a scenario in which German brands disappear, but it is clear pressure on margins, jobs and the mass-market segment. Germany produced 4.15 million cars in 2025, including a record 1.67 million electric cars, yet total output remained about 0.5 million below 2019. More than three quarters of domestic production is exported. At the same time, German manufacturers’ output in China fell 9% to 3.71 million cars, while exports from Germany to China dropped 45% to 98,000 units. The sector lost more than 50,000 jobs between June 2024 and June 2025. EU countervailing duties on Chinese EVs — from 17% for BYD to 35.3% for SAIC — slow price pressure but may accelerate Chinese factory investment in Europe. Our conditional outlook to 2030: German brands retain strong premium and export positions, while mass-market producers and combustion-focused suppliers face consolidation, job cuts and plant conversion. The outcome depends on affordable small EVs, batteries and software, shorter model cycles, and energy and production costs — not tariffs alone.
Volkswagen Mission Efficiency: what its two consumption figures really show
Volkswagen reports 6.48 and 7.51 kWh/100 km for its Mission Efficiency concept under different test conditions. The vehicle is not for sale, and neither result represents everyday consumption.
Why does a short drive through Slovakia feel expensive? The prices without myths
In 2026, Slovakia’s official vignette costs €8.10 for one day and €10.80 for ten days. That is less than comparable products in Austria (€9.60 and €12.80), Czechia (about €9.51 and €12.40) and Hungary (about €15.28 and €18.99); the koruna and forint conversions use the ECB reference rate of 4 September 2026. The issue is therefore not an unusually high headline price but the time-based model: a driver crossing only a few kilometres pays the same as someone using motorways all day, making the effective cost per kilometre look steep. Unofficial resellers can also inflate the bill — the Slovak operator reports average service charges of roughly €6 on a one-day vignette and €9 on a ten-day one. The safest purchase channels are eznamka.sk, the official app and authorised points of sale.
Can you book a driverless robotaxi in Zagreb? The new rides are tests
Pony.ai and Verne have begun passenger test rides without an onboard operator in Zagreb. The previously launched commercial service carried an operator, so the tests do not make unmanned rides generally available.
When will Croatia’s motorway toll gates disappear?
Drivers are due to stop queuing at toll gates on 1 March 2027, the current statutory launch date for Croatia’s nationwide free-flow system. This does not make motorways free or replace tolls with vignettes: the charge will still depend on distance travelled and vehicle category. Cameras will read number plates, while ENC devices will handle radio payment. Light-vehicle users must link their registration to a payment method in advance or use ENC; ENC will be mandatory for heavy vehicles. The system will cover the HAC, BINA Istra and Autocesta Zagreb–Macelj networks. Booths and islands may be removed in stages, so the precise answer is that the need to stop should disappear from that date. An earlier 2026 target was postponed.
Hydrogen or a more efficient combustion engine — which path has a future?
Hydrogen has a future, but not as the obvious replacement for petrol in every car. The IEA reports that the global fuel-cell vehicle fleet grew to almost 130,000 in 2025; it could triple by 2030, with trucks and buses accounting for most hydrogen use. Clean hydrogen prices, energy losses, vehicle costs and refuelling stations remain barriers. The EU requires hydrogen stations at intervals of no more than 200 km on the TEN-T core network by the end of 2030, while its 2035 target for new cars and vans requires zero tailpipe CO2 emissions. Combustion engines will keep improving through hybridisation, better combustion and synthetic fuels, but those gains are incremental and do not remove emissions. Our conclusion: batteries will dominate passenger cars; hydrogen can serve niches in heavy transport and operations needing fast refuelling, while advanced combustion will remain transitional or specialised rather than stage a broad comeback.
Where will transport accelerate, and where could it stall? An outlook to 2050
Under the OECD/ITF current-ambition scenario, passenger demand rises 79% by 2050 from 2019, while freight activity almost doubles. The strongest growth falls in South and Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, so we expect the largest expansion in countries including India, Viet Nam, Indonesia and Nigeria. Development depends not only on population and GDP, but also on rail, road and port quality, border clearance, reliable energy, digitalisation, finance and effective institutions. A bottleneck is most likely where demand outpaces capacity: major Indian and Nigerian cities, Viet Nam’s trade gateways, and South Africa’s railways and ports. Europe and Japan will grow more slowly but must fund ageing infrastructure. This is a conditional scenario: investment in public transport, rail and logistics can turn constraints into growth.
When will autonomous vehicles reach the road? Law and a global outlook
Autonomy will not arrive on one date. The EU has type-approval rules for automated driving systems in defined areas and routes, while road use also remains subject to national law. China is running market-access pilots, the United States has commercial robotaxis in selected cities, Japan has authorised a local Level 4 service, and Dubai scheduled an official launch for 2026. India allows new technology to be tested but lacks a complete route to mass driverless operation; Australia is still developing national safety rules for autonomous vehicles. Our forecast: Level 4 services on defined routes will grow quickly through 2030 in China, the United States, Japan, the UAE and parts of Europe. Privately owned Level 4 cars on many roads are more likely in 2030–2039; deployment in India, Oceania, Latin America and Africa will be later and limited to selected locations. Level 5 has no credible date today.
EU proposes digital documents and updated vehicle inspections
The European Commission proposal covers digital registration and test certificates, checks of driver-assistance systems, and better detection of excessive emissions and odometer fraud.
A new Euro NCAP safety testing standard
The 2026 ratings put more emphasis on driver assistance, crash avoidance, occupant protection and post-crash safety. The first cars have earned five stars under the new rules.
Fewer road deaths in the EU in 2025
Preliminary European Commission data show a 3% fall in road deaths. Progress is visible, but the pace is still insufficient to reach the 2030 target.
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