Skip to content

Insurance broker / Insurance questions / Car insurance

Does a vehicle with a green number plate need insurance?

In short

Yes, almost always. Does a vehicle with a green number plate need insurance in Germany? If it has to be registered, it needs motor liability insurance, because the green lettering only shows exemption from vehicle tax. Insurance is only not required for a few vehicles exempt from registration, such as horse and boat trailers. A small tractor costs about EUR 20 to 170 a year in liability.

Does a vehicle with a green number plate need insurance?

What it costs

Published guide values for vehicles that often carry a green plate, and the statutory trailer surcharge.

ExampleTypical range
Tractor under 44 kWabout EUR 20 to 170 a year
Tractor from 45 kWup to about EUR 600 a year
Trailer, liability onlyunder EUR 100 a year
Trailer with partial or comprehensive coverfrom about EUR 100 a year
Trailer surcharge on the towing vehicle's tax if the trailer is tax exempt on applicationEUR 373.24 a year (Section 10 (3) Motor Vehicle Tax Act)

Guide values as of July 2026 from a published guide.

Your premium depends on power, use and cover; we obtain the exact quote.

Worked example

Small farm with a tractor and an unregistered horse trailer

The 40 kW tractor is registered and only used on the own farm. The horse trailer is exempt from registration and only used for riding.

Vehicle tax for tractor and trailerEUR 0
Tractor liability, compulsoryabout EUR 20 to 170
Horse trailer liability, voluntaryunder EUR 100

Together at most about EUR 270 a year. The tax falls away, liability for the tractor stays compulsory, and cover for the trailer closes the gap when it is parked unhitched.

Green means tax exempt, not insurance exempt

A number plate with green lettering on a white background is issued to a vehicle whose keeper is exempt from German vehicle tax. This is set out in Section 10 (2) of the Vehicle Registration Ordinance (FZV). Exempt are for example tractors and trailers used only in farming and forestry, tractors of travelling showmen and vehicles that do not need registration.

The colour has nothing to do with insurance. Anyone who keeps a vehicle based in Germany must take out and keep liability insurance under Section 1 of the Compulsory Insurance Act (PflVG). Under Section 3 FZV a vehicle is only registered if this insurance exists. That applies to green plates just as to black ones.

Which vehicles need no compulsory insurance

The exceptions are in Section 2a PflVG and depend on exemption from registration, not on the plate colour. Exempt are self-propelled work machines and forklifts with a design speed of no more than 20 km/h, and trailers that do not need registration.

These trailers include special trailers for sports equipment and for animals used for sport, so boat trailers and horse trailers, if they are used exclusively for that. Trailers in farming or forestry businesses towed behind tractors at no more than 25 km/h are also included.

Motor vehicles with a design speed of no more than 6 km/h are not covered by the Act at all.

Tax-exempt vehicleMotor liability compulsory?
Registered tractor on a farmyes
Registered trailer behind a lorry, tax exempt on applicationyes
Tractor used by travelling showmenyes
Self-propelled work machine over 20 km/hyes
Horse or boat trailer exempt from registrationno, voluntary cover is sensible
Farm trailer exempt from registration, up to 25 km/hno, voluntary cover is sensible

Why an unregistered trailer still needs cover

No duty does not mean no risk. Under Section 19 of the Road Traffic Act (StVG) the keeper of a trailer is liable if someone is injured or something is damaged when the trailer is in use.

As long as the trailer is hitched to the car, the towing vehicle's motor liability also covers it under the model terms. That also applies if it comes loose while driving and is still rolling. If the trailer stands unhitched at the roadside or in the yard and rolls away, this rule no longer helps.

For that case there is separate trailer liability cover. Also ask your personal or business liability insurer whether parked unregistered trailers are included. This differs from contract to contract.

When use no longer fits the green plate

The tax exemption for tractors and farm trailers only applies as long as they are used exclusively for the purposes named in the law, such as farming or forestry (Section 3 No. 7 Motor Vehicle Tax Act). Using a green-plated tractor privately to carry building materials is use for another purpose. Tax then becomes due for at least one month.

Your insurer also bases the premium on the use you stated. If it changes, for example from farm to hobby or to contract work, tell them before any damage happens.

What makes sense beyond liability

Liability only pays for damage to others. If the tractor burns in the barn, is stolen or is hit by hail, partial cover pays. Accidents to your own vehicle need comprehensive cover.

For an old tractor worth a few thousand euros, liability is usually enough. For an expensive horse trailer or a new tractor, have the comprehensive cover calculated. Load, animals and the boat on the trailer are not insured through the trailer insurance.

Step by step

  1. Check whether the vehicle is registered or belongs to the vehicles exempt from registration.
  2. For registered vehicles, take out motor liability and bring the eVB number to the registration office.
  3. For unregistered trailers, check which policy pays when the trailer stands unhitched.
  4. State the actual use correctly to the insurer and report any change.
  5. Have comprehensive cover calculated if the vehicle or trailer is worth more than you could replace yourself.

Checklist

  • Motor liability in place for every registered vehicle with a green plate
  • Unregistered trailer has liability cover when unhitched
  • Use stated in the contract matches real use
  • Vehicle only used for the tax-exempt purposes
  • Load, animals or boat insured separately

Common mistakes

  • Believing the green plate also exempts from insurance
  • Parking the unregistered trailer unhitched without any liability cover
  • Using the tax-exempt tractor for private trips or outside jobs
  • Giving the insurer a use that is no longer true

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

What does a green number plate mean in Germany?

The keeper is exempt from vehicle tax.

The colour says nothing about insurance.

Must a tractor with a green plate be insured?

Yes.

It is registered, and there is no registration without motor liability.

Using it without the required insurance is prohibited under Section 6 of the Compulsory Insurance

Act.

Do I have to insure my horse trailer?

If it is exempt from registration and only used for sport, there is no duty.

Hitched to the car it is covered by the car's liability, unhitched it is not.

Separate trailer liability cover exists for that.

Does this also apply to a boat trailer?

Yes, if it is exempt from registration as a special trailer for sports equipment.

A normally registered trailer needs its own liability cover.

In both cases the boat is not insured through the trailer.

Do cars of severely disabled keepers get a green plate?

No.

Vehicles of severely disabled persons with a tax concession are expressly excluded from green

lettering.

The duty to insure applies anyway.

Is there a green seasonal plate?

Yes, the Vehicle Registration Ordinance expressly allows it.

The operating period covers two to eleven full months.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

Request a quote: Car insurance

We compare insurers and come back to you, in English.

Free; the insurer pays our fee.

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

4Your current policy
5How can we reach you?

Free of charge and without obligation. A person will get back to you.

Related questions

Updated

Was this useful?