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How high should your personal liability cover be?

In short

At least EUR 10 million as one combined limit for injury and property damage, better EUR 50 million. The higher sum usually costs only a few euros more a year. The small sub-limits in the policy for rented property, keys or young children often matter more than the big number on the front page.

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How high should your personal liability cover be?

What it costs

What the sum insured changes in the premium, based on published tariff examples and test results.

Example	Typical range
Single, cover EUR 10 to 50 million	about EUR 40 to 120 a year
Family, cover EUR 10 to 50 million	about EUR 60 to 180 a year
Very good tariffs in a consumer test	from about EUR 48 a year, average around EUR 99
Extra cost from EUR 10 to 50 million	usually only a few euros, about EUR 0 to 10 a year

Guide values as of September 2026 from publicly quoted tariff examples and test results. The extra cost of EUR 0 to 10 is a guide value from our quoting practice; we obtain the exact quote for you.

Worked example

Cyclist seriously injures a pedestrian

A simplified example of how a serious injury claim can add up. The amounts are rounded assumptions, not court figures.

Treatment and rehabilitation	about EUR 300,000
Adapting home and car	about EUR 150,000
Care over 30 years	about EUR 2,000,000
Lost earnings and pain and suffering	about EUR 1,000,000

Together around EUR 3.5 million. An old contract with EUR 3 million for injury would be used up, EUR 10 or 50 million is enough.

Why millions are not excessive

Expensive claims are almost never about things, they are about people. If someone is badly injured, liability insurance pays for treatment, adapting their home, care over decades, lost earnings and compensation for pain and suffering. Such cases quickly reach several million euros.

Anything above your cover you pay yourself, if necessary for many years from your income and assets. German law does not cap what you owe for damage you cause. That is why the sum insured is not the place to save.

What is different if you come from abroad

In the US or UK, liability is often part of your renters or home insurance, sometimes topped up with an umbrella policy. In Germany personal liability insurance (Privathaftpflichtversicherung) is a separate policy. It is not required by law, but most households have one and many landlords expect it.

A policy from your home country often stops covering you once you live in Germany, so do not rely on it without checking. German policies state a sum insured (Deckungssumme) and a list of sub-limits in the benefits overview (Leistungsübersicht). The terms are usually in German, and the German wording counts in a claim.

Combined or split limits: what to watch

Good policies state one combined limit for injury and property damage together. Older contracts sometimes split it, for example EUR 3 million for injury and much less for property. That is no longer enough today.

On top of that come sub-limits for individual parts of the cover. They are listed in the benefits overview and are often far below the main sum.

Part of the cover	Typical sub-limit
Injury and property damage combined	EUR 10 to 50 million, sometimes more
Damage caused by children under seven	EUR 10,000 up to the full sum insured
Loss of other people's keys	about EUR 10,000 to 50,000
Borrowed or hired items	often up to EUR 50,000
Damage to a rented home	up to the full sum, depending on the tariff

When EUR 10 million is enough

If you live alone, have no children and want the cheapest good tariff, EUR 10 million gives you solid protection. Switching only because of the sum rarely pays off, as long as the rest of the policy is up to date.

An old contract with split, low limits is a different matter. Replace it, even if it is cheap.

Your own losses depend on the sum too

Many tariffs also pay if someone without insurance or money damages your property or injures you. This bad debt cover (Forderungsausfalldeckung) usually applies up to your own sum insured, often above a minimum claim amount. A high sum therefore protects you in both directions.

Step by step

Find the sum insured in your policy certificate and check that it is a combined limit.
Look up the sub-limits for children, keys and rented property in the benefits overview.
If the sum is below EUR 10 million or split, compare a new tariff.
Ask what EUR 50 million would cost, the difference is usually small.
Start the new contract before the old one ends so there is no gap.

Checklist

At least EUR 10 million combined
No separate, lower limit for property damage
High sub-limit for children under seven
Bad debt cover included
Enough cover for lost keys if you have keys from your landlord or employer

Common mistakes

Looking only at the big sum and missing the sub-limits
Keeping a contract from the nineties with split limits
Choosing the lower sum to save a few euros
Assuming a liability policy from your home country still covers you in Germany

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Is EUR 5 million enough?

For serious injuries it is tight. Because EUR 10 or 50 million costs little more, the higher sum is almost always worth it.

Do I really need EUR 50 million?

Not necessarily. EUR 10 million is the minimum. EUR 50 million gives a reserve for very large claims and usually costs only a few euros more.

Is there a legal minimum?

No. Personal liability insurance is voluntary, so unlike car insurance there is no required sum.

Does the sum apply per claim or per year?

Usually per claim, often with a cap for all claims in one year, for example twice the sum. Your policy certificate states this.

What happens if the damage is higher than my cover?

You owe the rest yourself. Creditors can then claim your income and assets, possibly for many years.

Can I raise the sum in my current contract?

Often yes, by switching to a newer tariff with the same insurer. Compare the rest of the cover at the same time.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

Request a quote: Personal liability

We compare several insurers and come back with a proposal. Free for you; the insurer pays our fee. You can write in English.

1Who is it for?

Personal My company

2Which insurance?

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

Personal

Business

Please review all my existing policies

3Details

Personal liability insurance (Privathaftpflicht)

Who should be covered? * Year of birth of the oldest person * Do you work in the public sector? Liability claims in the last five years * What matters to you For example work keys, a drone, a small boat, documents in English

4Your current policy

Current insurer Policy ends on What matters more to you?

5How can we reach you?

Name * Email * Phone Postcode Town Preferred contact Anything else we should know