Does bike insurance in Germany cover wear and inspection?
In short
Does bike insurance in Germany cover wear and inspection? Wear only if the policy expressly includes it, and then with limits: one published set of conditions has a three-month waiting period, bikes up to five years old and a EUR 50 excess per claim. Inspection counts as maintenance and is expressly excluded there. If you ignore the manufacturer's maintenance rules, you may even lose cover.
What wear and servicing cost in Germany and what cover for them costs.
Example
Typical range
Excess per wear claim in the published conditions
EUR 50
Inspection package in company bike leasing
from about EUR 4 net a month
Wear for frequent riders without a package
often EUR 100 to 200 a year
Bike worth EUR 1,000, stand-alone comprehensive policy
about EUR 50 to 450 a year
As of October 2026, from published conditions,
information from a leasing provider and tariff examples.
Wear costs for frequent riders and the worked example are guide values from our quoting practice;
we obtain the exact quote for you.
Worked example
E-bike commuter, 6,000 kilometres a year, bike two years old
How a wear add-on works out when two larger repairs come up in a year.
Chain, sprocket and chainring
about EUR 180
Brake pads and discs front and rear
about EUR 160
Excess for two claims
EUR 100
Refund from the wear add-on
about EUR 240
Annual inspection
about EUR 100, paid by you
If the add-on costs clearly less than about EUR 240 a year, it pays off for this commuter. The inspection stays with him either way. Figures are guide values from our quoting practice.
What counts as wear
Wear (Verschleiß) is the deterioration caused by riding: chain, sprockets and chainrings, brake pads and discs, tyres, tubes, bearings. These parts get worse with every kilometre and eventually need replacing. That is neither an accident nor a theft, so bike insurance only covers wear if it says so explicitly.
One published set of conditions describes wear as the result of continuous operation and gradual effects such as moisture or heat. Without a wear add-on, exactly that is excluded.
How a wear add-on works
Policies with wear cover pay repair costs, meaning parts of the same kind and quality plus labour. In the published conditions this applies only after a three-month waiting period. If the bike is older than six months when the policy starts, cover begins after six months. With continuous previous insurance there is no waiting period.
Wear cover ends when the bike is five years old, and each claim carries a EUR 50 excess. A separate rule applies to the battery: an excessive loss of capacity to below 50 percent of the original before the end of the fifth year of use is covered.
Rule in the published conditions
What it means for you
Three-month waiting period
a new chain in the first quarter is on you
Bike older than six months at start: six months waiting
joining later costs half a year
Cover up to bike age five
older bikes get no wear cover
EUR 50 excess per claim
small items such as brake pads often not worth claiming
Battery below 50 percent before year five
replacement or repair of the battery possible
Why inspection is not insured
An inspection is planned care, not damage. The published conditions expressly exclude maintenance, inspections, servicing and software updates, as well as replacing components such as shocks or forks according to the manufacturer's schedule and bleeding brakes.
More importantly, the same conditions exclude damage resulting from not following the manufacturer's maintenance and care instructions. Skipping inspections therefore not only means paying yourself, it can cost you cover after a loss. Keep your workshop invoices.
Warranty, guarantee and insurance
If a defect was already in the bike when you bought it, the dealer is responsible first. Statutory claims for defects in purchased goods expire after two years (section 438 Civil Code, BGB). Worn brake pads, by contrast, are the result of riding, not a defect.
Some bike policies also pay for design or material faults once warranty and guarantee have expired. That is different from wear and appears in the conditions as a separate item.
When wear cover pays off
Wear cover is mainly worth it for frequent e-bike riders who use up several chains, sprockets and pads a year, and only in the first five years. If you ride little, paying for parts yourself is cheaper. Compare the extra premium with your workshop bills of the last two years, minus EUR 50 excess per claim.
Step by step
Search your conditions for the word wear: included or excluded?
Note waiting period, age limit and excess.
Read the manufacturer's maintenance rules and plan inspections.
Keep workshop invoices as proof of maintenance.
Compare the extra premium with your own wear costs of recent years.
Checklist
Wear expressly named in the policy
Waiting period and age limit known
Excess per claim known
Inspections documented as the manufacturer requires
Battery rule in the policy checked
Common mistakes
Believing comprehensive cover automatically includes wear
Skipping inspections and putting cover at risk
Claiming small wear items that are below the excess
Buying wear cover for a bike that is almost five years old
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Does contents insurance pay for wear on my bike?
No.
For bikes, contents insurance only pays for theft with the bike add-on, not for repairs.
Are tyres wear parts?
Yes, worn tyres are wear.
A puncture from glass may count as damage depending on the policy.
Does insurance pay for the annual inspection?
As a rule no.
Inspections are maintenance and expressly excluded in the published conditions.
What happens if I skip the inspection?
If damage results from not following maintenance rules, it can be excluded.
Is the e-bike battery a wear part?
Normal ageing is.
Some policies pay for a sharp capacity loss before year five, for example below 50 percent.
Is wear covered on a leased company bike?
Only through a service or wear package in the lease.
