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Insurance broker / Business types / Transport and logistics

Insurance for delivery services with vans, cars and cargo bikes in Germany

A delivery service lives on vehicles that make dozens of stops a day, often double parked and always against the clock. Whether you run vans, cars or cargo bikes, accidents, theft from the load area and injured drivers are part of everyday life. This page shows which insurance is compulsory for delivery services in Germany, what it costs and where the gaps are.

Insurance for delivery services

The question almost everyone asks first

My drivers use their own cars or bikes. Who pays if something happens?

Damage the driver causes to others is covered by the motor liability of the driver's own car. Damage to the private car itself and the loss of no claims bonus are not, and this often leads to disputes between business and driver. Clear rules in the employment contract and a business trip comprehensive policy, or company vehicles, avoid that. Commercial cargo bikes have their own tariffs.

What goes wrong in this trade

  1. 01

    Accidents on the round

    Double parking, manoeuvring in tight yards, getting in and out all day: delivery vehicles have many small and medium accidents.

  2. 02

    Theft from the load area

    While the driver rings the bell, the van stands open. Parcels, drinks or electronics are gone in seconds.

  3. 03

    Damaged or spoiled goods

    Glass, electronics, chilled food: if something arrives broken, warm or late, the client wants compensation.

  4. 04

    Injured drivers

    Falls on stairs and ice, back injuries from carrying, cargo bike crashes.

  5. 05

    Breakdown at the peak

    If a van is off the road before Christmas, rounds are missed. Hire vehicles and contract penalties soon cost more than the repair.

  6. 06

    Apps and data

    Route planning, customer data and payment run digitally. An outage or attack stops the whole business.

Risk radar
Liability 4Fire and water 3Theft 4Cyber 3Downtime 4Health 4

Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.

The insurance you need

Essential

Car insurance

Motor liability is required by law. With comprehensive cover your own vehicle is insured after accident, theft and vandalism too.

Strongly advised

Fleet insurance

From three vehicles, a fleet policy bundles them all; the premium then follows the claims history of the whole business.

Cargo insurance

Insures the cargo against accident, theft and damage and covers your liability to clients for the goods.

Business liability

For damage while delivering: the broken glass door in the stairwell, the scratch in the customer's parquet.

Business legal expenses

With traffic legal cover for accidents with unclear fault, fines and disputes with clients over deductions.

Depends on the business

Bicycle and e-bike

For commercial cargo bikes and e-bikes against theft and damage; private bicycle policies often exclude business use.

Group accident insurance

Pays your drivers a lump sum on top of statutory accident insurance, including after accidents in their free time.

Cyber insurance

For delivery services with their own app, online ordering and customer data.

What it costs: example prices

Motor insurance is the biggest item. It depends on vehicle, region, driver age, no claims class and excess. A van in a big city costs much more than in the countryside.

InsuranceExampleTypical range
Car insuranceVan up to 3.5 tonnes, liability only, good no claims class, city trafficaround €900 to €1,800 a year
Car insuranceVan with comprehensive cover, €1,000 excessaround €1,800 to €3,500 a year
Fleet insuranceFleet of ten vans, liability and partial coveraround €12,000 to €25,000 a year
Cargo insuranceCargo up to €20,000 per vehicle, five vehiclesaround €400 to €1,200 a year
Business liabilityDelivery service with ten staff, €3 million coveraround €250 to €700 a year
Bicycle and e-bikeCommercial cargo bike worth €8,000around €250 to €500 a year

For comparison: For delivery services, quotes differ mainly on comprehensive cover, theft from an unattended vehicle and liability for the cargo. We lay these points side by side, not just the price.

Guide figures from our own quoting work, October 2026, excluding German insurance premium tax.

Vehicle, region, driver age and claims history move the premium a lot.

The legal figures come from the statutes listed.

Sources of the price examples

Our suggestions: three packages

01

Starter

For: one or two vehicles, the owner drives

  • Car insurance
  • Business liability
  • Cargo insurance

Together around €1,500 to €3,500 a year

Request this package

02

Growing business

For: three to ten vehicles with employed drivers

  • Fleet insurance
  • Cargo insurance
  • Business liability
  • Business legal expenses

Together around €5,000 to €20,000 a year

Request this package

03

Own platform

For: delivery service with app, cargo bikes and a larger fleet

  • Fleet insurance
  • Cargo insurance
  • Business liability
  • Cyber insurance
  • Group accident insurance
  • Bicycle and e-bike

Together individual, usually from around €20,000 a year

Request this package

The worst day in delivery

Six losses delivery services really suffer, all on one day just before Christmas. Tap through and see who pays.

Damage so far€27,000
  1. Manoeuvring in a yard, the van pushes in a customer's gate.

    €4,200 · Paid by: Car insurance

  2. During a drop, a box of electronics disappears from the open load area.

    €3,800 · Paid by: Cargo insurance

  3. Carrying a parcel, a driver knocks into a glass door in a stairwell and it shatters.

    €1,600 · Paid by: Business liability

  4. Rear end collision at traffic lights; the driver in front complains of neck pain.

    €8,500 · Paid by: Car insurance

  5. A cargo bike is stolen outside an entrance.

    €7,000 · Paid by: Bicycle and e-bike

  6. The client cuts the invoice over late chilled goods; a lawyer checks the contract.

    €1,900 · Paid by: Business legal expenses

Which package would you have had?

Paid by insurance: €0
Out of your own pocket: €27,000

Illustrative amounts before any excess.

What is paid depends on the policy terms.

Practical tips from your broker

  1. Choose high motor liability cover; the statutory minimums are often not enough for serious injuries.
  2. From three vehicles, look at a fleet policy, so single cars with a poor no claims class weigh less.
  3. Check whether theft from an unattended vehicle is covered; many policies require the vehicle to be locked.
  4. Declare all drivers and their age; young drivers raise the premium, undeclared ones can lead to reduced payouts.
  5. Agree in writing who pays for damage to private cars or bikes used for deliveries.
  6. If you carry chilled goods, ask for cover against spoilage when the cooling fails.

Why NAMMERT for your business

We compare fleet tariffs

As a broker we approach several insurers and set comprehensive cover, excess and cargo cover side by side.

Claims experience from boat insurance

In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves. We use that experience when choosing policy terms for you.

Vehicles, business and private in one place

Fleet, liability, home and pension with one contact person.

Family run, brokering since 1989

Norman Nammert acts as an insurance broker and we can advise you in English. Our work is free for you; the insurer pays our commission.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

Which insurance is compulsory for a delivery service in Germany?

Motor liability for every vehicle, with at least €7.5 million for injury,

€1.3 million for property damage and €50,000 for financial loss.

Commercial haulage with vehicles over 3.5 tonnes also needs liability insurance under § 7a GüKG of

at least €600,000 per event.

Do I need goods in transit cover with vans up to 3.5 tonnes?

Not under the Road Haulage Act, which generally does not apply to these vehicles.

You are still liable to your clients for the cargo.

Transport or carrier liability insurance covers that.

What does insurance for a delivery van cost?

From our quoting work, around €900 to €1,800 a year for liability on a van up to 3.5 tonnes,

and around €1,800 to €3,500 with comprehensive cover.

Region, driver age and no claims class make the difference.

How do I insure cargo bikes?

A commercial cargo bike needs its own policy against theft and damage.

Damage the rider causes to others is covered by your public liability policy if the bike is

included.

Who pays if a driver is injured?

Employed drivers are covered by statutory accident insurance through the Berufsgenossenschaft.

Group accident insurance pays an extra lump sum, including after accidents in their free time.

NAMMERT insurance broker

Request quotes for Delivery service

The recommended covers are ticked.

Change what does not fit; we compare quotes, in English.

1Who is it for?
2Which insurance?

Choose as many as you like. For each one, the details an insurer needs for a quote appear below.

Personal

Business

3Details

Car insurance in Germany (liability, partial and fully comprehensive)

Most precise with the HSN and TSN codes from the registration document

Business liability insurance in Germany (Betriebshaftpflicht)

For example electrical installation in homes, café with outdoor seating, online shop for furniture

For example work at clients' sites, own products, exports to the US, parent company abroad

Business legal expenses insurance in Germany (Firmenrechtsschutz)

For example plumbing business, tax practice, online shop for electronics

Existing disputes cannot be insured, but knowing about them helps us advise you

Cargo and transport insurance in Germany

Only for hauliers and own-account transport

For example Incoterms, ADSp, packing, storage, previous claims

Fleet insurance in Germany (Kfz-Flottenversicherung)

For example leasing, insurer's claims report, foreign trips, renewal date

4Your current policy
5How can we reach you?

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Boat or yacht? NAMMERT has its own cover concepts for boats, arranged by the same broker.

Boat insurance

Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT.

Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act.

Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company.

It does not arrange your contract.

Statutory disclosure (German) · Updated