Fleet insurance
Motor liability is compulsory; a fleet policy with comprehensive cover that includes self drive hire insures all vehicles on the same terms.
Insurance broker / Business types / Transport and logistics
Insurance for car hire, van hire and motorhome rental in Germany
Every day you hand your car to another stranger. Some drive more carefully than you, some do not, and some never bring it back. This page shows which insurance is required for hire vehicles, what it costs and how to cushion downtime and fraud.
The question almost everyone asks first
Can I insure my hire cars on ordinary motor tariffs?
No. Vehicles hired out without a driver are a separate risk, known in Germany as Selbstfahrervermietung, with their own tariffs. If you insure a car as a private vehicle and then hire it out commercially, after an accident you risk the insurer claiming back up to several thousand euros and, at worst, losing the comprehensive payout. Small hire firms often do best with a fleet policy from three vehicles.
What goes wrong in this trade
- 01
Hirers' accidents
An unfamiliar vehicle, a strange city, a rush to the airport: hire cars have considerably more accidents than private cars.
- 02
Misappropriation
Hired with false papers and never returned: misappropriated vehicles often end up abroad.
- 03
Minor damage
Scratches, dents, stone chips, kerbed wheels: lots of small damage that nobody admits to causing.
- 04
Vehicle off the road
After an accident the car sits in the workshop for weeks earning nothing, while the finance keeps running.
- 05
Vans and motorhomes
Height barriers, petrol station canopies, misjudged widths: hirers underestimate the size of large vehicles.
- 06
Data and bookings
ID copies, driving licences and payment data in the booking software are an attractive target for attackers.
Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.
The insurance you need
Essential
Strongly advised
Business liability
Covers damage on your premises and at handover, for example when a customer falls in the yard.
Business legal expenses
Legal expenses for disputes with hirers over damage, excess and deposit, and for traffic proceedings.
Cyber insurance
Covers the booking platform holding ID and payment data, including data breach notifications.
Depends on the business
Commercial buildings
For the rental station, workshop and wash bay if you own them.
Business contents
For spare parts, tyres, key safe and the station's fittings.
Business interruption
For when the station cannot operate after a fire.
What it costs: example prices
Hire vehicles cost more to insure than private cars because they cover more kilometres and are driven by many people. The price depends on vehicle class, value when new, excess, minimum age of hirers and claims history.
| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Fleet insurance | Compact car used for hire, liability and comprehensive, €1,000 excess | about €1,500 to €3,500 a year |
| Fleet insurance | Van up to 3.5 tonnes for hire, liability and comprehensive | about €2,000 to €4,500 a year |
| Fleet insurance | Motorhome hired out in season, liability and comprehensive | about €2,000 to €4,000 a year |
| Business liability | Rental station with yard and workshop | about €200 to €600 a year |
| Cyber insurance | Small hire firm with online booking | about €400 to €1,000 a year |
For comparison: Liability and comprehensive cover for a compact hire car cost about as much a year as 40 to 60 rental days of the same car bring in.
Guide prices excluding German insurance premium tax from our own quoting work, as of September 2026. Insurers publish hardly any tariff examples for hire vehicles because they price by fleet and claims history. The minimum limits are set out in the German Compulsory Insurance Act (Pflichtversicherungsgesetz).
Our suggestions: three packages
01
Starter
For: Side business or new business with one or two vehicles
- Fleet insurance
- Business legal expenses
Together about €2,000 to €7,500 a year
Request this package02
Station
For: Hire firm with five to twenty cars and vans
- Fleet insurance
- Business liability
- Business legal expenses
- Cyber insurance
Together about €10,000 to €60,000 a year
Request this package03
Complete
For: Hire firm with its own station, workshop and motorhomes
- Fleet insurance
- Business liability
- Business legal expenses
- Cyber insurance
- Commercial buildings
- Business contents
- Business interruption
Together priced individually by fleet and claims history
Request this packageThe worst day at the car hire desk
Six cases car hire firms really experience, all on the first day of the school holidays. Tap through and see who pays.
Damage so far€194,800
-
A hirer drives the van into a multi storey car park entrance; the box body and the ceiling are damaged.
-
A customer slips in the station's wet yard and breaks a wrist.
-
A hirer collides with a cyclist, who is seriously injured.
-
A customer denies causing a dent in the tailgate and refuses to pay the excess.
-
The booking software is encrypted and customers' ID copies have leaked.
-
A motorhome is not returned; the hirer booked with a forged ID.
Which package would you have had?
Illustrative amounts before any excess. Whether and how much is paid depends on the policy terms.
Practical tips from your broker
- Have self drive hire stated expressly in the policy and declare every type of vehicle you hire out.
- Include misappropriation by hirers in the comprehensive cover; otherwise it does not count as theft.
- Choose a high combined limit for liability; €100 million is usual for hire vehicles.
- Set a minimum age and minimum years of driving experience and stick to them; breaching your own rules can reduce the payout.
- Document every handover with photos; it saves legal disputes and helps when you claim back from hirers.
- From three vehicles, look at a fleet policy so that new vehicles are covered straight away without a separate application.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We find insurers for hire vehicles
Not everyone covers self drive hire. As a broker we approach several insurers and compare comprehensive cover, misappropriation and excess.
We know how comprehensive claims are settled
In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves. We know the questions that matter for you too: who had the vehicle, when it happened and what the policy covers.
Fleet and private in one place
Hire fleet, station, business legal expenses and your personal provision all run through us.
Family run since 1989
Free for you; the insurer pays our commission. You have named contacts, in the busy season too.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Which insurance do hire cars need?
Motor liability is compulsory and must include hire to self drive customers. Comprehensive cover is practically essential, because hirers cause a lot of damage.
What does insurance for a hire car cost?
For a compact car with liability and comprehensive, usually €1,500 to €3,500 a year; a little more for vans and motorhomes.
Am I covered if a hirer does not bring the car back?
Only if misappropriation is included in the comprehensive cover. Without that extension it does not count as theft.
May I hire out my privately insured car?
Not without telling the insurer. Private tariffs exclude commercial hire, and after a claim the insurer may demand money back.
Who pays the excess if a hirer has an accident?
The hirer, under the rental agreement, unless they booked a damage waiver. Business legal expenses cover disputes about it.
When is a fleet policy worth it?
Usually from three vehicles. The premium then follows the claims history of the whole fleet, not the no claims class of individual cars.
NAMMERT insurance broker
Request quotes for Car hire
The recommended covers are already ticked. Change what does not fit; we obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. You can write in English.
Thank you, we have your request.
We will be in touch within one working day. If it is urgent: +49 3375 29 12 77.
Related trades
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Are the cars on my forecourt insured against hail?
Who pays if a customer breaks my equipment?
Official classification
This page covers the following classes of the German WZ 2025 (identical to NACE at four digits):
- 77.11 Vermietung von Kraftwagen mit einem Gesamtgewicht von 3,5 t oder weniger
- 77.12 Vermietung von Kraftwagen mit einem Gesamtgewicht von mehr als 3,5 t
Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), WZ 2025. All business types
Boat or yacht? Here we are not the broker but the underwriting agency, with our own policies and our own claims handling.
Boat insuranceNAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker. Statutory disclosure (German) · Updated