01
Basic
Liability of EUR 50m to 100m, partial cover with game animals and cable damage by martens. No waiver for gross negligence, often a workshop tie-in.
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Car insurance in Germany: what expats need to know before registering a car
You cannot register a car in Germany without liability insurance, and the insurer, not the car, carries your no-claims history. German pricing rests on four things most newcomers have never heard of: no-claims class, vehicle type class, regional class and the list of permitted drivers. Getting your foreign driving record recognised can cut the premium by more than half.
The question almost everyone asks first
Can I use my no-claims bonus from abroad in Germany?
Sometimes, and it is worth asking before you sign. There is no legal right to have a foreign record recognised, but a number of German insurers accept claims-free years from EU countries, Switzerland and some others if you bring a letter from your previous insurer confirming the policy period and that no claims were made. Without it you usually start as a beginner, which can make the first policy several times as expensive as it would be for a local driver with the same experience.
Do the maths
Pay it yourself or claim? The no-claims calculator
After a liability claim your no-claims class (SF-Klasse) drops and the premium rises for several years. Work out whether claiming pays. Your insurer's table shows the surcharge.
Simplified: the surcharge falls evenly to zero. With claims protection in your policy, always claim.
Three layers: Haftpflicht, Teilkasko, Vollkasko
Haftpflicht is the compulsory part and pays for damage you cause to other people and their property. It never pays for your own car. Teilkasko, partial cover, adds theft, glass, fire, storm, hail, flooding, collisions with wild animals and marten bites. Vollkasko, fully comprehensive, adds accidents you cause yourself and vandalism.
Unlike in some countries, glass and theft are not separate add-ons but sit in Teilkasko. And Teilkasko claims do not affect your no-claims class, while Haftpflicht and Vollkasko claims do. Leasing and finance companies nearly always require Vollkasko.
How the no-claims class drives the price
Each claims-free year moves you up one Schadenfreiheitsklasse, SF for short, and each step lowers the percentage of the base premium you pay. A claim paid by the insurer moves you down, often by several steps, and the extra premium over the following years can exceed the claim itself. Many policies let you reimburse a small claim within six months to keep your class.
The class belongs to the policyholder. It can be passed to a spouse or child under certain conditions, and it lapses if you have no insured car for more than seven years. A second car can often start in a better class than a genuine beginner, which helps couples where only one partner has a German record.
Pitfalls newcomers hit most often
Named drivers matter. If you insure the car for yourself only and a visiting relative or a colleague under 25 drives it, the insurer can charge a contractual penalty after an accident. Declare everyone who will drive.
Your foreign licence is a separate question from insurance. EU and EEA licences stay valid; licences from many other countries are only valid for a limited period after you take up residence and then need to be exchanged. An insurer will ask about your licence date, and a claim with an invalid licence can lead to recourse against you.
Cancelling and switching
Most German car policies run for a calendar year and renew on 1 January. To switch, your notice must reach the insurer one month before, so by 30 November. You can also cancel within one month of a premium increase without a change in cover, after a settled claim, or when you sell the car.
Leaving Germany? Deregister the car, and the policy ends with it. Ask the insurer for a no-claims confirmation in English before you go, because the next country will ask for exactly the document you needed on arrival.
What is covered
- Liability: injury, property damage and financial loss you cause to others
- Liability: defence against unjustified claims
- Partial cover: theft of the car and fitted parts
- Partial cover: glass, fire, storm, hail, lightning and flooding
- Partial cover: collision with wild animals, in good policies any animal
- Partial cover: marten bites, in good policies including consequential damage
- Fully comprehensive: accidents you cause yourself
- Fully comprehensive: vandalism by unknown persons
- New-car or purchase-price replacement in the first years, depending on the policy
What is not covered
- Intentional damage
- Drink or drug driving: comprehensive can refuse, liability recovers up to EUR 5,000 from you
- Wear and tear, tyres, brakes and mechanical breakdown
- Your own injuries as the driver at fault, unless you add driver protection
- Racing and track days
- Belongings in the car, which fall under contents insurance
Who needs it
- Anyone registering a car, motorbike, camper or trailer in Germany
- E-scooter, moped and speed pedelec riders, who need an insurance plate
- Expats buying or leasing a new car
- Newcomers with a claims-free record abroad who want it recognised
Who can do without
- Vollkasko on an older car whose value you could replace from savings
- A separate breakdown policy if you already have an automobile club membership
Wheel of misfortune
Spin the wheel of bad luck
Six things that really happen. The wheel picks yours and shows who pays.
Cost:
Budget policy
Strong policy
See all six cases
- Marten chews through the cables, around EUR 100 to 300, several thousand with engine damage. Budget policy: pays in part, Strong policy: pays. Martens are a common nuisance in German engine bays. Basic partial cover pays for the bitten cable, good policies also for the engine damage that follows.
- Stone chip cracks the windscreen, around EUR 150 to repair, often over EUR 1,000 to replace with sensors. Budget policy: pays, Strong policy: pays. Glass is part of Teilkasko, so any partial or full cover pays. Many insurers waive the deductible if the chip is repaired rather than the screen replaced.
- Colleague under 25 crashes your car, the damage plus a possible contractual penalty. Budget policy: pays in part, Strong policy: pays in part. Liability and full cover still pay for the accident. If the driver was outside the declared group, the insurer can charge a penalty or back premium, whatever the policy level.
- Rental car crash on a US road trip, US liability claims can reach six or seven figures. Budget policy: does not pay, Strong policy: pays. US rental cars often come with very low liability limits. Basic German policies top these up only in Europe, strong ones worldwide.
- New car stolen after 18 months, difference to the purchase price, often several thousand euros. Budget policy: pays in part, Strong policy: pays. After six months a basic policy pays only the replacement value. A policy with 24 or 36 months new-car value refunds the price you paid.
- Clutch burns out on the Autobahn, around EUR 1,000 to 2,500. Budget policy: does not pay, Strong policy: does not pay. Wear and mechanical failure are never insured under car insurance in Germany. Towing is a matter for a breakdown service or automobile club.
What it costs
German car premiums vary more than almost any other insurance. The same car can cost several times as much depending on driver, postcode and claims history, so a general figure would mislead you.
What drives the premium
- No-claims class, your own or one recognised from abroad
- Type class of the model, set each year by the German insurers' association
- Regional class of the district where the car is registered
- Annual mileage and use, commuting or private only
- Who drives and the age of the youngest driver
- Deductible in partial and fully comprehensive cover
- Workshop tie-in, garage, home ownership, payment frequency
We do not quote ranges because they are meaningless without car and driver. Your premium is only fixed in the quote.
The policy levels on the market
02
Standard
EUR 100m liability with EUR 15m per person, any animal, marten consequential damage, gross negligence waiver, new-car value for 12 to 24 months.
03
Premium
Purchase-price replacement up to 36 months, GAP cover for leasing, bonus protection, driver injury cover and battery cover for electric cars.
How to recognise a good policy
| Criterion | Minimum standard | Strong policy | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liability cover | EUR 100m in total | EUR 100m with EUR 15m per injured person | The per-person cap is what matters in a serious accident. |
| Gross negligence | waived in partial cover | waived in partial and fully comprehensive | Otherwise a moment of distraction can cut your payout. |
| Animal collisions | game animals | any animal, including swerving | Swerving to avoid a deer and hitting a tree is a classic dispute. |
| Foreign no-claims | not recognised | recognised with a letter from the previous insurer | This is the biggest price lever for newcomers. |
| New-car value | six months | 24 to 36 months | After a write-off you otherwise get only the current market value. |
| Rental cars abroad | Europe | worldwide top-up of low foreign limits | Rental cars abroad often carry very low liability limits. |
| Electric car battery | fire and short circuit | all risks, charging cable and wallbox | The battery is the most expensive part of the car. |
Insurers on the German market
Around a hundred companies write car insurance in Germany. Several large ones sell only direct and do not work with brokers; we list them so you know the market. This is an overview, not a statement about who we work with.
| Insurer | Background |
|---|---|
| HUK-COBURG | mutual-led group, own sales force, does not work with brokers |
| HUK24 | online-only direct insurer of the HUK-COBURG group, does not work with brokers |
| Allianz | tied agents and brokers |
| Allianz Direct | direct insurer of the Allianz group, does not work with brokers |
| R+V | insurer of the cooperative banks |
| VHV | mutual-owned, strong in broker distribution |
| AXA | tied agents and brokers |
| DEVK | mutual-led group, own sales force |
| Württembergische | part of the W&W group, agents and brokers |
| Verti | direct insurer owned by the Spanish Mapfre group, does not work with brokers |
From the BaFin register
106
106 insurers supervised by BaFin, the German regulator, are licensed for this class of insurance. (Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflicht, Kraftfahrzeug-Kasko)
Show all 106 names from the register
- ACM Versicherung AG
- ADAC Autoversicherung AG
- ADLER Versicherung AG
- Allianz Direct Versicherungs-AG
- Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE
- Allianz Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- Alte Leipziger Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Ambra Versicherung AG
- andsafe Aktiengesellschaft
- ARAG Allgemeine Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- AXA easy Versicherung AG
- AXA Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- BA die Bayerische Allgemeine Versicherung AG
- Badischer Gemeinde-Versicherungs-Verband
- Baloise Sachversicherung Aktiengesellschaft Deutschland
- Barmenia Allgemeine Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- BavariaDirekt Versicherung AG
- Bayerischer Versicherungsverband Versicherungsaktiengesellschaft
- BGV-Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- CG Car-Garantie Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- Concordia Versicherungs-Gesellschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit
- Continentale Sachversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Cosmos Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- DA Deutsche Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- DARAG Deutschland AG
- Debeka Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft Sitz Koblenz am Rhein
- DEVK Allgemeine Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- DEVK Deutsche Eisenbahn Versicherung Sach- und HUK-Versicherungsverein a.G. Betriebliche Sozialeinrichtung der Deutschen Bahn
- Dialog Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- ERGO Direkt Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- ERGO Reiseversicherung AG
- ERGO Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- EUROPA Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Fahrlehrerversicherung Verein auf Gegenseitigkeit
- Feuersozietät Berlin Brandenburg Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- GARANTA Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- Generali Deutschland Versicherung AG
- Gothaer Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Gothaer Versicherungsbank VVaG
- Great Lakes Insurance SE
- GVO Gegenseitigkeit Versicherung Oldenburg VVaG
- GVV Direktversicherung AG
- GVV-Kommunalversicherung, Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
- Haftpflichtgemeinschaft Deutscher Nahverkehrs- und Versorgungsunternehmen Allgemein (HDNA) VVaG
- Hamburger Feuerkasse Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- HanseMerkur Allgemeine Versicherung AG
- HanseMerkur Reiseversicherung AG
- HDI Global SE
- HDI Global Specialty SE
- HDI Haftpflichtverband der Deutschen Industrie Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
- HDI Versicherung AG
- Helvetia Schweizerische Versicherungsgesellschaft AG Direktion für Deutschland
- Helvetia Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- HUK-COBURG Haftpflicht-Unterstützungs-Kasse kraftfahrender Beamter Deutschlands a.G. in Coburg
- HUK-COBURG-Allgemeine Versicherung AG
- HUK24 AG
- Hübener Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- Itzehoer Versicherung/Brandgilde von 1691 Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
- Janitos Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- KRAVAG-ALLGEMEINE Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- KRAVAG-LOGISTIC Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- Landschaftliche Brandkasse Hannover
- Lifestyle Protection AG
- Lippische Landesbrandversicherung AG
- LVM Landwirtschaftlicher Versicherungsverein Münster a.G.
- Mannheimer Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Markel Insurance SE
- Mecklenburgische Versicherungs-Gesellschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit
- MÜNCHENER VEREIN Allgemeine Versicherungs-AG
- NEH Neue Hildener Versicherung AG
- Neodigital Autoversicherung AG
- Newline Europe Versicherung AG
- nexible Versicherung AG
- NV-Versicherungen VVaG
- NÜRNBERGER Allgemeine Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
- NÜRNBERGER BEAMTEN ALLGEMEINE VERSICHERUNG AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
- OKV - Ostdeutsche Kommunalversicherung auf Gegenseitigkeit
- Provinzial Nord Brandkasse Aktiengesellschaft
- Provinzial Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- R+V Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- RheinLand Versicherungs Aktiengesellschaft
- Rhion Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- S DirektVersicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- SAARLAND Feuerversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- SIGNAL IDUNA Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Sparkassen-Versicherung Sachsen Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Stuttgarter Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- SV SparkassenVersicherung Gebäudeversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- TRIAS Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- uniVersa Allgemeine Versicherung AG
- Versicherer im Raum der Kirchen Sachversicherung AG
- Versicherungskammer Bayern Versicherungsanstalt des öffentlichen Rechts
- Versicherungsverband Deutscher Eisenbahnen-Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
- Verti Versicherung AG
- VHV Allgemeine Versicherung AG
- Volkswagen Autoversicherung AG
- Volkswagen Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- VOLKSWOHL-BUND SACHVERSICHERUNG AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
- Waldenburger Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- WERTGARANTIE SE
- WGV-Versicherung AG
- WWK Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Württembergische Gemeinde-Versicherung auf Gegenseitigkeit
- Württembergische Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
- Zurich Insurance Europe AG
- Öffentliche Feuerversicherung Sachsen-Anhalt
Source: BaFin company database, retrieved 18 September 2026. Insurers from other EU countries selling through a branch or without a German office are not included.
Legal basis and sources
Products and add-ons
Liability only
The legal minimum and usually far more. Suits older cars you could replace yourself.
Partial cover
Liability plus theft, glass, weather, fire and animals. Claims here do not affect the no-claims class.
Fully comprehensive
Partial cover plus your own accidents and vandalism, with its own no-claims class.
Insurance plate
For e-scooters, mopeds and speed pedelecs. The insurance year starts on 1 March and the plate colour changes every year.
Seasonal plate
For motorbikes, convertibles and campers used only part of the year. You pay only for the months chosen.
Myth or truth
True or false?
Five things people say about this insurance. Guess first, then see the answer.
In Germany, the insurance follows the car rather than the driver.
This is true.
True, unlike in the UK. The liability policy covers anyone who drives the car with your permission and a valid licence. The premium still depends on who you declared as drivers, so tell the insurer about everyone.
My no-claims years from the UK or US count automatically in Germany.
This is false.
No. Each German insurer decides whether to recognise a foreign record, and you need a written confirmation from your previous insurer to ask for it. Without one you start as a beginner.
If a child under ten runs into my car, my insurer ends up paying.
This is true.
Usually yes. Under German law, children under ten are not liable for accidents with motor vehicles unless they act intentionally, and the keeper is liable even without fault. Damage to your own car is paid only by fully comprehensive cover.
Signing the accident report at the scene means admitting fault.
This is false.
No, the European accident report only records what happened from both sides. Liability is decided afterwards by the insurers. Only tick what is true and keep a copy.
After denting a parked car, leaving a note on the windscreen is enough.
This is false.
No. Leaving the scene without waiting a reasonable time or calling the police is a criminal offence in Germany. Your insurer can also recover part of what it paid from you.
Common mistakes
- Not bringing a claims-free letter from your previous insurer
- Insuring only yourself and letting a younger colleague or visitor drive
- Missing 30 November and staying in an expensive policy for another year
- Claiming small damage and losing more through the class downgrade
- Forgetting GAP cover on a leased car
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Do I need a German address to insure a car?
In practice yes, because the car must be registered in Germany and the regional class depends on the registration district. Insurers also need a German bank account or payment method for the direct debit.
What is an eVB number?
The electronic proof of insurance the registration office needs to register a car. The insurer issues it, often immediately, once you have agreed on the policy.
What documents prove my claims-free years from abroad?
A letter from your previous insurer stating the policy period, the vehicle type, that you were the main driver and whether claims were made. English is usually accepted. Each insurer decides whether and how far to recognise it.
Do I need an e-scooter insurance?
Yes. E-scooters need an insurance plate with liability cover, and riding without one is a criminal offence. Pedal-assisted bikes up to 25 km/h do not, speed pedelecs up to 45 km/h do.
How high is the minimum cover in Germany?
EUR 7.5m for personal injury, EUR 1.3m for property and EUR 50,000 for pure financial loss per accident. Good policies offer EUR 100m in total.
Can I cancel my car insurance when I leave Germany?
Yes. Once you deregister or sell the car, the policy ends. Ask for a no-claims confirmation in English before you leave.
What happens if I drive after drinking?
Liability still pays the victim but can recover up to EUR 5,000 from you. Comprehensive cover can be reduced or refused depending on the alcohol level.
Why use a broker for car insurance?
A broker compares policy terms, not just price, and can check which insurers recognise a foreign driving record. Direct-only insurers that do not work with brokers cannot be arranged this way.
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