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.
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.
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).
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.
€14,000 · Paid by: Fleet insurance
A customer slips in the station's wet yard and breaks a wrist.
€7,000 · Paid by: Business liability
A hirer collides with a cyclist, who is seriously injured.
€85,000 · Paid by: Fleet insurance
A customer denies causing a dent in the tailgate and refuses to pay the excess.
€1,800 · Paid by: Business legal expenses
The booking software is encrypted and customers' ID copies have leaked.
€19,000 · Paid by: Cyber insurance
A motorhome is not returned; the hirer booked with a forged ID.
€68,000 · Paid by: Fleet insurance
Which package would you have had?
Paid by insurance: €0
Out of your own pocket: €194,800
Illustrative amounts before any excess.
What 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.
Frequently asked questions
Questions and answers
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 ticked.
Change what does not fit; we compare quotes, 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.