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Do I have to keep paying car insurance during a driving ban?

In short

Yes. As long as the car is registered, you have to keep paying car insurance during a driving ban. The ban applies to you, not to the car, and other people may drive it. The premium only stops if you deregister the car; the policy then becomes dormant and you do not have to cancel it. For a one month ban, little is left once the fees are paid.

Do I have to keep paying car insurance during a driving ban?

What it costs

Fees for deregistering the car for the length of a ban, as of October 2026.

ExampleTypical range
Deregistration online2.10 euros
Deregistration at the registration office15.90 euros
Reserving your number plate, up to 12 months2.60 euros
Re-registration with reserved plate, online or in person10.60 to 23.00 euros
Premium during dormant cover0 euros

Fees under the nationwide fee schedule, without new plates or a roadworthiness test.

Annual premium and vehicle tax in the worked example are guide values from our quoting practice.

Worked example

One month ban, car in your own garage

A car with a premium of 600 euros a year and 120 euros vehicle tax is deregistered online for the month of the ban and re-registered online afterwards.

Premium for one monthabout 50 euros saved
Vehicle tax for one monthabout 10 euros saved
Online deregistration and plate reservation4.70 euros
Online re-registration10.60 euros

About 45 euros left over. Doing both in person leaves just under 20 euros. Worked example with guide values.

Why the policy keeps running

A driving ban (Fahrverbot) is aimed at the driver, not the vehicle. Your licence is held by the authorities for one to three months, or up to six months after a criminal conviction. The car stays registered, and German law requires the keeper of a registered car to hold liability insurance without a break. Vehicle tax also keeps running while the car is registered.

Insurers do not raise or lower the premium because of a ban. Points and bans are not rating factors in the model policy terms.

Who may drive your car in the meantime

Your partner, an adult child or a colleague may drive the car if they hold a valid licence. Check first whether they belong to the group of drivers agreed in your policy. The group of drivers is a rating factor; if it does not fit, tell your insurer before they drive.

You must not drive yourself, not even briefly. Driving despite a ban is a criminal offence under German road traffic law, punishable by a fine or up to one year in prison. The same applies to a keeper who lets a banned driver take the wheel. In certain cases the car can be confiscated.

Deregistering the car for the ban

Deregistering (Abmeldung) does not end the policy. Under the model terms it turns into free dormant cover (Ruheversicherung) if the car is off the road for at least two weeks. Liability stays in place, and partial cover too if you had partial or fully comprehensive cover before. Fully comprehensive cover is suspended.

The condition is strict: the car must be kept in a garage or on enclosed private ground, for example behind a fence, hedge or wall, and must not be moved outside it. Each insurer sets how long dormant cover lasts, often 18 months.

Your no-claims class does not suffer. Under the model terms a break of up to six months is treated as if there had been none. Any driving ban of up to six months falls within that window.

OptionPremiumWhen it makes sense
Keep it registered, others drivekeeps runningwhen family or colleagues need the car
Keep it registered, car standskeeps runningfor a one month ban or without a garage
Deregister, dormant cover0 euros, only feesfor longer bans with a garage or enclosed parking space

When deregistering does not pay off

For a one month ban you save one month of premium and one month of vehicle tax. Fees for deregistering and re-registering come off that, much less online than in person. In person, little is left.

Without a garage or enclosed space, deregistering is not an option, because dormant cover is tied to that parking place. If you need fully comprehensive cover for a new or financed car, remember that only partial cover applies while it is dormant.

Step by step

  1. Check when the ban starts and how long it lasts.
  2. Decide who will drive the car and whether they are in the agreed group of drivers.
  3. For a longer ban with your own garage, work out whether deregistering pays.
  4. If you deregister, reserve the plate and do not cancel the policy yourself.
  5. Before re-registering, check that the roadworthiness test is still valid.

Checklist

  • Premium keeps running while the car is registered
  • Drivers during the ban are in the agreed group
  • Parking for dormant cover is a garage or enclosed
  • Fees weighed against the saving
  • End of the ban in your calendar

Common mistakes

  • Cancelling the policy instead of deregistering the car
  • Parking the deregistered car on the street or an open driveway
  • Driving yourself just once during the ban
  • Letting someone drive who is outside the agreed group of drivers

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Can I pause my car insurance for the length of the ban?

Only by deregistering the car.

If it is off the road for at least two weeks,

the model terms switch the policy to free dormant cover.

May my partner drive my car during my ban?

Yes, with a valid licence.

If your partner is not in the agreed group of drivers, tell your insurer first.

Will my premium rise because of the ban?

No.

Bans and points are not rating factors.

It only rises after a claim your insurer pays.

Do I lose my no-claims class by deregistering?

No.

Under the model terms a break of up to six months is treated as if there had been none.

When does the ban start?

When your licence is handed in after the decision becomes final.

For a ban from a fine notice, if you had no ban in the two years before the offence,

you can choose the start within four months.

What if I drive despite the ban?

It is a criminal offence, punishable by a fine or up to one year in prison.

In certain cases the car can be confiscated.

Sources

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