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What does insurance pay after hitting a deer in Germany?

In short

In Germany damage to your own car after hitting a deer, stag, wild boar or fox is paid by partial cover (Teilkasko), minus your deductible and without affecting your no-claims class. The average wildlife collision cost about EUR 4,100 in 2024. With liability only, you pay yourself. You need a wildlife accident certificate from the police or the local hunter.

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What does insurance pay after hitting a deer in Germany?

What it costs

Published figures for wildlife collisions involving insured cars in Germany.

ExampleTypical range
Average wildlife collision, 2024about EUR 4,100
Average wildlife collision, 2023about EUR 3,850
Estimated average, 2025about EUR 4,350
Share of claims above EUR 5,000about 1 in 5
Reported wildlife collisions with insured cars, 2024over 276,000

Figures from published industry statistics as of September 2026. The amounts in the worked example are guide values from our quoting practice. Whether your policy covers animals of all kinds is something we can check for you.

Worked example

Five-year-old estate car, deer on a country road

Damage to bumper, headlight and radiator. This is how the bill is split.

Repair at the garageabout EUR 4,000
Your deductible in partial coverEUR 150
Paid by the insurerabout EUR 3,850
Effect on your no-claims classnone

You pay EUR 150. Without partial or comprehensive cover you would have paid the full EUR 4,000 or so yourself.

What partial cover pays and what not

Partial cover pays for repairs after a collision with furred game (Haarwild), meaning wild mammals that fall under German hunting law. Many policies go further and cover animals of all kinds (Tiere aller Art), which adds cows, horses, dogs and birds.

Without that extension, partial cover does not pay for farm animals or pets. Only comprehensive cover steps in, and then you lose no-claims years. The animal's owner can also be liable, for example a farmer whose cow escaped.

AnimalBasic partial coverPartial cover with all animalsComprehensive cover
Deer, stag, wild boaryesyesyes
Fox, hare, badgeryesyesyes
Cow, horse, sheepnoyesyes, you lose no-claims years
Dog, catnoyesyes, you lose no-claims years
Birdsnoyesyes, you lose no-claims years

Swerving without hitting the animal

If you swerve to avoid a deer and end up in a ditch without touching it, partial cover only pays if you can show the manoeuvre was meant to prevent greater damage. German law calls these rescue costs.

With large animals this often works, with small ones hardly ever. Courts have repeatedly found that swerving for a hare or fox was out of proportion. Then only comprehensive cover pays. The safer rule: brake hard, hold your lane, use the horn.

What to do at the scene

Hazard lights on, high-visibility vest on, warning triangle out. Call the police on 110 even if the animal ran away. They inform the hunter and issue the certificate your insurer will ask for.

Do not touch the animal and never take it with you, that can count as poaching. Photograph the car, the animal and the spot. Hair or blood on the car is good evidence, leave it until the damage has been inspected.

Where partial cover falls short

If you were driving far too fast or had been drinking, the insurer can reduce its payment for gross negligence unless your policy waives that defence. Reporting very late can also cause problems.

Injured people or damage to other cars, for example if your car is pushed into oncoming traffic, are paid by your liability insurance. That claim can cost you no-claims years there.

When you do not need special wildlife cover

If you drive almost only in the city, basic furred game cover is usually enough. The extension to all animals often costs little and is worth it mainly for commuters on country roads through forests and pastures.

For an old car with a very low value, the insurer will never pay more than its replacement value anyway. Paying yourself can then be cheaper than the premium over the years.

Step by step

  1. Secure the scene: hazard lights, vest, warning triangle.
  2. Call the police on 110, even if the animal has run off.
  3. Do not touch or take the animal.
  4. Take photos of the car, the animal and the spot, and leave traces on the car.
  5. Get the wildlife accident certificate and report the claim to your insurer before any repair.

Checklist

  • Partial cover including collisions with furred game
  • Extension to all animals if you drive a lot in the countryside
  • Waiver of the gross negligence defence
  • Wildlife accident certificate in hand
  • A deductible you could pay at any time

Common mistakes

  • Driving on without calling the police
  • Taking the dead animal home
  • Swerving for a small animal and risking far greater damage
  • Booking the repair before telling the insurer

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Will I lose no-claims years after hitting a deer?

No, as long as partial cover pays. If only comprehensive cover pays, for example for a dog without the all-animals extension, you are downgraded.

Does liability insurance pay for a wildlife collision?

Not for your own car. It only pays if others are harmed, such as another car.

What if the animal ran away?

Call the police anyway. Hair, blood and photos of the car help prove the collision.

What does the certificate cost?

From the police usually nothing. If the hunter issues it, a small fee is possible.

Will I be paid if I swerved and hit nothing?

Only if swerving was meant to prevent greater damage. Often yes for large animals, usually not for a hare or fox.

When do most wildlife collisions happen?

At dawn and dusk, especially in April and May and from October to December.

Sources

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NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker. Statutory disclosure (German) · Updated

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