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Tool insurance in Germany: cover for tools in the van and on site

If you work as a tradesperson, fitter or self-employed installer in Germany, your tools spend most of the day away from the workshop: in the van, in a site container, in a client's half-finished building. Business contents insurance usually stops at the workshop door, and German motor insurance does not pay for loose tools in the load area. Werkzeugversicherung, German tool insurance, fills that gap. Whether it pays depends on a few clauses that differ widely between insurers.

The question almost everyone asks first

Do I need tool insurance if my business already has contents insurance?

Usually yes, as soon as tools leave your premises. German business contents insurance (Inhaltsversicherung) covers what is inside the premises named in the policy. Away from there it pays at most under a small external cover limit, and a break-in to a vehicle is often not included at all. Tool insurance is built for the places where tools actually are: the van, the site, the container and the client's property. It is sold as a stand-alone policy or as an add-on to contents or goods-in-transit cover.

Tools, contents and electronics: three different policies

German business insurance is split by object and place. Contents insurance protects furniture, stock and equipment inside your premises against fire, burglary, burst pipes and storm. Electronics insurance (Elektronikversicherung) covers computers, tills and phone systems, including operator error and power surges. Tool insurance covers the drills, saws, measuring equipment and hand tools that travel between workshop, van and site.

Mobile plant such as a mini excavator or a plate compactor belongs in machinery insurance, not in a tool policy. Laptops and tablets are excluded by many tool policies and are better placed under electronics cover. If you hold several policies, it pays to check that every item sits in exactly one of them.

The van: locked, break-in marks and the night clause

Most claims start with a van that has been broken into. Cover normally requires a locked vehicle and visible signs of forced entry. Theft from an unlocked van is not covered. Some policies also require a closed box body or that tools are not visible from outside.

The night clause (Nachtzeitklausel) is where many claims fail. Under it, theft from the vehicle at night, often between 10 pm and 6 am, is covered only if the van was in a locked garage, a closed yard or a guarded car park. Other insurers pay at night with a higher deductible or charge an extra premium for round-the-clock cover. If your van stays on the street outside your flat, look for a policy without this clause.

On site and abroad

On a building site, a good policy covers a break-in to a locked site container or a lockable room in the new building. Tools left in the open or in an unlocked shell are hardly ever covered. Damage while working, such as a laser level falling from scaffolding, is only included under all-risks cover.

Fitters who work in other countries should check the territorial scope. Many German policies cover Germany only, some extend to Europe, and worldwide assembly jobs usually need a special agreement. Mention regular work abroad before the policy is issued.

What is covered

  • Theft following a break-in to the locked vehicle
  • Theft of the whole vehicle together with the tools
  • Road accident of the vehicle carrying the tools
  • Break-in to locked site containers and rooms in new buildings, depending on the policy
  • Fire, lightning and explosion
  • Damage while working, if all-risks cover is agreed
  • Robbery with violence or threats
  • Employees' own tools and hired equipment, if included

What is not covered

  • Wear and tear
  • Unexplained loss and items left behind
  • Theft from an unlocked vehicle
  • Theft from the vehicle at night outside a garage or guarded area, where a night clause applies
  • Consumables such as drill bits, cutting discs and saw blades, depending on the policy
  • Laptops, tablets and phones, which usually belong under electronics insurance

Who needs it

  • Trades businesses that drive to clients and sites with vans
  • Field fitters and installers, including jobs abroad
  • Self-employed tradespeople who cannot work the next day without their tools
  • Firms with expensive battery systems and measuring equipment
  • Businesses whose staff bring their own tools to work

Who does not need it

  • Businesses whose tools never leave the workshop, if contents cover is sufficient

Wheel of misfortune

Spin the wheel of bad luck

Six things that really happen. The wheel picks yours and shows who pays.

See all six cases
  1. Van broken into outside your home, around EUR 5,000 to 20,000. Budget policy: pays in part, Strong policy: pays. With a night clause, basic cover only pays if the van was in a garage or guarded area. Strong policies drop the clause or apply a higher deductible.
  2. Site container broken open, around EUR 3,000 to 15,000. Budget policy: does not pay, Strong policy: pays. Vehicle-only cover ends at the van door. Only policies that name the site as a location pay for a break-in to a locked container.
  3. Laser level falls off scaffold, around EUR 500 to 3,000. Budget policy: does not pay, Strong policy: pays. Damage while working is only covered under all-risks.
  4. Crash destroys tools in the van, several thousand euros. Budget policy: pays, Strong policy: pays. An accident of the carrying vehicle is a basic peril in almost every tool policy.
  5. Cordless drill worn out, around EUR 150 to 400. Budget policy: does not pay, Strong policy: does not pay. Wear and tear is not an insured event under any policy.
  6. Hammer drill vanishes from open shell, around EUR 300 to 1,500. Budget policy: does not pay, Strong policy: pays in part. Without a break-in this is simple theft. Only a few strong policies pay, and then with a separate limit.

What it costs

The premium depends on the sum insured, which should match the cost of replacing your tools new, on the number of vehicles and on where the tools need to be covered. A policy without a night clause or with simple theft costs noticeably more than vehicle-only cover.

What drives the premium

  • Sum insured and number of vehicles
  • Covered locations: vehicle only, or site, container and premises as well
  • Night clause or round-the-clock cover
  • All-risks including damage, or theft and fire only
  • Deductible, often separate for theft
  • Trade and claims history

We do not publish sample premiums, because German tool policies are built very differently. German insurance tax of 19 % is added to the premium. Your price is fixed in the quote we obtain on the basis of your details.

The policy levels on the market

01

Vehicle cover

Break-in to the locked vehicle, theft of the vehicle, accident and fire. At night only in a garage or guarded area, indemnity value after a few years. Enough if your van is parked safely overnight.

02

Tool cover including sites

Adds locked containers and new buildings, employees' tools and hired equipment, with a clear rule for the night. The right level for most trades businesses.

03

All-risks

Adds damage while working, drops and operator error, sometimes simple theft, new-for-old for longer and hire costs for replacements. For expensive measuring kit and fitters with changing sites.

How to recognise a good policy

CriterionMinimum standardStrong policyWhy it matters
Night clause at night only in a garage or guarded area no night clause, or only a higher deductible Most van break-ins happen at night outside the owner's home.
Covered locations vehicle vehicle, site container, new building, premises and employees' homes Tools change location every day and cover has to follow them.
Damage theft, accident and fire only all-risks including drops and operator error A dropped measuring device costs as much as a stolen one.
Basis of settlement indemnity value new-for-old for several years The depreciated value of an old battery system will not buy a new one.
Third-party tools own business tools only also employees' tools and hired or leased equipment The business has to pay for lost hired equipment.
Gross negligence reduction according to the degree of fault waiver of the reduction up to a limit One careless moment can otherwise cost a large part of the payout.
Territorial scope Germany Europe, worldwide assembly by agreement Jobs across the border are routine for many fitters.

Insurers on the German market

In Germany tool cover is sold as a stand-alone policy, as vehicle contents insurance or as part of goods-in-transit and contents policies. Product names say little about the actual scope. The list describes the German market; it says nothing about which insurers we work with.

InsurerBackground
Dialogvehicle contents cover for building trades and goods-in-transit, sold through brokers
Zurichvehicle contents insurance for business customers
Mannheimerequipment and goods-in-transit cover for commercial clients
ARAGgoods-in-transit cover including tools and work equipment
Württembergischegoods-in-transit cover for business customers
HDIpart of the Talanx group, small business and trades

From the BaFin register

155

155 insurers supervised by BaFin, the German regulator, are licensed for this class of insurance.

(Hagel-, Frost- und sonstige Sachschäden)

Show all 155 names from the register
  • ACM Versicherung AG
  • ADAC Autoversicherung AG
  • ADAC Versicherung AG
  • ADAC Zuhause Versicherung AG
  • ADLER Versicherung AG
  • Allianz Direct Versicherungs-AG
  • Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE
  • Allianz Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • Alte Leipziger Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Ambra Versicherung AG
  • AMMERLÄNDER VERSICHERUNG Versicherungsverein a.G. (VVaG)
  • andsafe Aktiengesellschaft
  • ARAG Allgemeine Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • Astra 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
  • Bayerische Hausbesitzer-Versicherungs-Gesellschaft a.G.
  • Bayerische Landesbrandversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Bayerischer Versicherungsverband Versicherungsaktiengesellschaft
  • BD24 Berlin Direkt Versicherung AG
  • Bergische Brandversicherung Allgemeine Feuerversicherung V.a.G.
  • BGV-Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • CG Car-Garantie Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • Concordia Versicherungs-Gesellschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • CONSTANTIA Versicherungen a.G.
  • Continentale Sachversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Cosmos Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • DA Deutsche Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • DARAG Deutschland AG
  • Debeka Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft Sitz Koblenz am Rhein
  • Delvag Versicherungs-AG
  • DEVK Allgemeine Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • DEVK Deutsche Eisenbahn Versicherung Sach- und HUK-Versicherungsverein a.G. Betriebliche…
  • DFV Deutsche Familienversicherung AG
  • Dialog Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Die Haftpflichtkasse VVaG
  • DOCURA VVaG
  • Dolleruper Freie Brandgilde
  • Domestic & General Insurance Europe AG
  • ERGO Direkt Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • ERGO Reiseversicherung AG
  • ERGO Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • EUROPA Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • EXTREMUS Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • Fahrlehrerversicherung Verein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Feuer- und Einbruchschadenkasse der BBBank in Karlsruhe, Versicherungsverein auf…
  • Feuersozietät Berlin Brandenburg Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • GARANTA Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • Gartenbau-Versicherung VVaG
  • Gebäudeversicherungsgilde für Föhr,Amrum und Halligen
  • Generali Deutschland Versicherung AG
  • GGG Kraftfahrzeug-Reparaturkosten-Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • Gothaer Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Gothaer Versicherungsbank VVaG
  • Great Lakes Insurance SE
  • GRUNDEIGENTÜMER-VERSICHERUNG Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • GVO Gegenseitigkeit Versicherung Oldenburg VVaG
  • GVV Direktversicherung AG
  • GVV-Kommunalversicherung, Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Hagelgilde Versicherungsverein a.G., gegründet 1811
  • Hamburger Beamten-Feuer-und Einbruchskasse
  • Hamburger Feuerkasse Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • Hamburger Lehrer-Feuerkasse
  • HanseMerkur Allgemeine Versicherung AG
  • HanseMerkur Reiseversicherung AG
  • Harsewinkeler Versicherung VaG
  • 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
  • Häger Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Hübener Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • IDEAL Versicherung AG
  • INTER Allgemeine Versicherung AG
  • Interlloyd Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • InterRisk Versicherungs-AG Vienna Insurance Group.
  • ISSELHORSTER Versicherung V.a.G.
  • Itzehoer Versicherung/Brandgilde von 1691 Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Janitos Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • KRAVAG-ALLGEMEINE Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • KRAVAG-LOGISTIC Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • Landschaftliche Brandkasse Hannover
  • LBN Versicherungsverein a.G. (VVaG)
  • Lehrer-Feuerversicherungsverein a.G. für Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg und Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
  • Lifestyle Protection AG
  • Lippische Landesbrandversicherung AG
  • Lucura Versicherungs AG
  • LVM Landwirtschaftlicher Versicherungsverein Münster a.G.
  • Mannheimer Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Markel Insurance SE
  • Mecklenburgische Versicherungs-Gesellschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Mercedes-Benz Versicherung AG
  • MVK Versicherung VVaG
  • MÜNCHENER VEREIN Allgemeine Versicherungs-AG
  • NEH Neue Hildener Versicherung AG
  • Neodigital Versicherung AG
  • Neuendorfer Brand-Bau-Gilde
  • Newline Europe Versicherung AG
  • nexible Versicherung AG
  • Nordhemmer Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • NV-Versicherungen VVaG
  • NÜRNBERGER Allgemeine Versicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • NÜRNBERGER BEAMTEN ALLGEMEINE VERSICHERUNG AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
  • OKV - Ostdeutsche Kommunalversicherung auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Ostangler Brandgilde, Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit (VVaG)
  • OSTBEVERNER Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit (VVaG)
  • Pallas Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • ProTect Versicherung AG
  • Provinzial Nord Brandkasse Aktiengesellschaft
  • Provinzial Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • PVAG Polizeiversicherungs-Aktiengesellschaft
  • R+V Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Real Garant Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • RheinLand Versicherungs Aktiengesellschaft
  • Rhion Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • S DirektVersicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • SAARLAND Feuerversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Schleswiger Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • SCHNEVERDINGER Versicherungsverein a.G.
  • SHB Allgemeine Versicherung VVaG
  • SIGNAL IDUNA Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • SIGNAL IDUNA Unfallversicherung a. G.
  • Sparkassen-Versicherung Sachsen Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Stuttgarter Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • SV SparkassenVersicherung Gebäudeversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • TRIAS Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Uelzener Allgemeine Versicherungs-Gesellschaft a.G.
  • Union Reiseversicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • uniVersa Allgemeine Versicherung AG
  • Vereinigte Hagelversicherung VVaG
  • Vereinigte Tierversicherung, Gesellschaft auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Versicherer im Raum der Kirchen Sachversicherung AG
  • Versicherungsverband Deutscher Eisenbahnen-Versicherungsverein auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • VHV Allgemeine Versicherung AG
  • Volkswagen Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • VOLKSWOHL-BUND SACHVERSICHERUNG AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
  • VPV Allgemeine Versicherungs-AG
  • Waldenburger Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • WERTGARANTIE SE
  • WGV-Versicherung AG
  • WWK Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Württembergische Gemeinde-Versicherung auf Gegenseitigkeit
  • Württembergische Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
  • Würzburger Versicherungs-AG
  • Zurich Insurance Europe AG
  • Öffentliche Feuerversicherung Sachsen-Anhalt

Source: BaFin company database, 18 September 2026; EU insurers without a German office excluded.

Legal basis and sources

Products and add-ons

Stand-alone tool insurance

A separate policy for tools and equipment with named locations from van to site. Clearly defined and easy to compare.

Vehicle contents insurance (Autoinhaltsversicherung)

Covers what is inside the business vehicle: tools, materials and goods. Cover usually ends on site or in the container.

Goods-in-transit cover (Werkverkehrsversicherung)

Designed for goods carried on your own vehicles, but often includes tools and work equipment. Useful if you also carry materials and stock.

Add-on to contents insurance

Extends the external cover of the contents policy for tools. One policy for everything, but the limits are often low.

Myth or truth

True or false?

Five things people say about this insurance. Guess first, then see the answer.

German partial motor cover also pays for tools stolen from the van.

This is false.

False, Teilkasko pays for parts of the vehicle and required accessories, not for loose items in the load area.

Business contents insurance covers tools wherever they are.

This is false.

False, it covers the premises named in the policy. Elsewhere there is at most a small external cover limit.

Parking on the street at night can cost you your theft cover.

This is true.

True where a night clause applies. Many policies pay for night-time theft from the vehicle only if it was in a garage, closed yard or guarded car park.

Tools that employees bought themselves can be insured too.

This is true.

True, many policies offer an extension for employees' tools. It has to be agreed expressly.

Gross negligence always means no payout at all.

This is false.

False, under German law the insurer may only reduce the payout according to the degree of fault, and some policies waive this up to a limit.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming the motor policy pays for tools stolen from the van
  • Overlooking the night clause and parking on the street overnight
  • Keeping no list of tools with receipts or photos
  • Not raising the sum insured after buying new equipment
  • Forgetting to mention regular jobs abroad

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Does German motor insurance pay if tools are stolen from my van?

Generally not.

Partial cover (Teilkasko) pays for parts of the vehicle and required accessories,

such as the broken window or lock,

but not for loose items like tools or materials.

For those you need tool, vehicle contents or goods-in-transit insurance.

What is the night clause?

A restriction on theft from the vehicle at night, often between 10 pm and 6 am.

Depending on the policy, the insurer only pays during those hours if the vehicle was in a garage,

a closed yard or a guarded car park, or pays with a higher deductible.

The exact hours and exceptions are in the policy wording.

Are tools left on site overnight covered?

Only if the site is a covered location and the tools were locked away,

for example in a site container or a lockable room.

Tools left in the open or in an unlocked shell are almost never covered.

Are my employees' own tools covered?

Only if the policy expressly includes tools owned by staff.

Without that extension the employee bears the loss or asks the business to pay.

What happens if I forgot to lock the van?

Theft from an unlocked vehicle is usually not covered, because there was no break-in.

For other grossly negligent mistakes,

German law (§ 81 Insurance Contract Act) lets the insurer reduce the payout according to the

degree of fault.

Some policies waive this up to a limit.

What should I do after a theft?

Report it to the police at once,

make a list of the stolen items and notify the insurer without delay.

Receipts, serial numbers and photos speed up the claim.

Can I cancel after a claim?

Yes.

Under § 92 of the German Insurance Contract Act both you and the insurer may cancel a property

policy after a claim.

Insurers sometimes use this after repeated thefts.

Why use a broker for tool insurance?

Because the differences lie in the night clause, vehicle requirements and theft limits,

not in the insurer's name.

We compare the wording against your vans, your sites and the value of your tools,

and explain the German terms in English.

NAMMERT insurance broker

Request quotes for Tool insurance

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2Which insurance?

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

Personal

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3Details

Tool insurance

For example electrical installation, tiling, ventilation fitting

For example employees' own tools, hired equipment, jobs abroad, expensive measuring equipment

4Your current policy
5How can we reach you?

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