How do I insure accompanied driving at 17 in Germany?
In short
This is how you insure accompanied driving at 17 in Germany (begleitetes Fahren): before the first drive, add your child as a driver to the policy of the car they practise in. Some insurers charge nothing extra until the 18th birthday, others add a surcharge, because young drivers can raise the premium by up to 100 percent. Not telling the insurer can cost a penalty of about one annual premium.
Published figures on surcharges, penalties and costs around accompanied driving in Germany.
Example
Typical range
17-year-old in some tariffs until the 18th birthday
EUR 0 surcharge
Surcharge for drivers under 23, depending on the insurer
up to 100 percent
Penalty for an unreported driver
several hundred euros, usually 1 annual premium
Retroactive back payment
up to 2 years
Driving without a registered companion
about EUR 70 and 1 point
Test certificate for accompanied driving
about EUR 7.70 fee
As of October 2026, from guides published by insurers and comparison sites.
The figures in the worked example are a guide value from our quoting practice.
We are happy to check how your insurer treats accompanied drivers and the 18th birthday.
Worked example
Family car, EUR 800 a year, daughter turns 17
The parents have driven claim-free for years. Their daughter has passed the test and will practise with both parents.
Premium without a young driver
EUR 800 a year
Tariff with free accompanied driving
EUR 0 extra until the 18th birthday
Tariff with a young driver surcharge
about EUR 200 to 800 more a year
Not reported, discovered after an accident
penalty of about EUR 800 plus back payment
Reporting costs between nothing and a few hundred euros a year here, keeping quiet can easily cost over EUR 1,000. Calculation with guide values.
How to insure accompanied driving
German car insurance covers the car, not the driver. Your 17-year-old therefore drives under the policy of the car they practise in. All you do is tell the insurer that a 17-year-old now belongs to the group of drivers (Fahrerkreis). This is usually possible online or by phone. Some insurers ask for a copy of the test certificate (Prüfungsbescheinigung).
If your child will also drive other cars, for example the grandparents' car, they must be reported in each of those policies. The accompanying adults do not need to be named in the insurance policy, but they must be listed on the test certificate.
Typical extra premium
The premium is based on the youngest driver on the policy. Depending on the insurer, drivers under 23 can increase it by up to 100 percent. For accompanied driving, however, some insurers make an exception and let 17-year-olds drive without a surcharge until their 18th birthday, because accompanied drivers have fewer accidents.
The expensive moment is the 18th birthday, when your child may drive alone. Compare tariffs by then at the latest: a tariff that charges nothing for accompanied driving can be much more expensive afterwards than another one.
Option
Cost
Advantage
Drawback
Add child to the parents' policy
from EUR 0 to a clear surcharge, depending on insurer
simple, no new contract
a claim lowers the parents' no-claims class
Second car in a parent's name, child as driver
separate premium for the second car
the parents' main policy stays untouched
only worth it if there is a second car anyway
Do not report
penalty and back payment
none
expensive as soon as something happens
What happens if you do not report it
After an accident, the car's liability insurance still pays the other party. But the insurer will find out who was driving, for example from the police report. It can then charge the higher premium retroactively, often for up to two years, and claim a contractual penalty that is usually about one annual premium.
Your child also faces consequences under licence law if they drive without a registered companion: a fine of about EUR 70, one point, withdrawal of the licence and a longer probation period. That is a licence issue, not an insurance one.
Planning for the 18th birthday
From 18 your child usually stays on the parents' policy, now as a young driver without a companion, and many insurers charge the full surcharge from then on. Report the birthday on time rather than months later.
If your child gets their own car, it is often cheaper to insure it as a parent's second car or to transfer a no-claims class from a parent later. Which option pays off depends on the individual case.
When you do not need to change anything
If your policy already allows any driver with no minimum age, your child is covered. Check the policy document anyway, because many cheap tariffs explicitly exclude young drivers.
If your child only practises with the driving school so far, there is nothing to report until they pass the test. The driving school insures its own cars.
Step by step
Check your policy document for the group of drivers and the minimum age.
Report your child as a driver online or by phone before the first accompanied drive.
Send the test certificate if asked, with all accompanying adults listed on it.
Check the new premium and compare other tariffs if the surcharge is high.
Decide before the 18th birthday how your child will be insured afterwards.
Checklist
Child reported for every car they practise in
Accompanying adults at least 30 and listed on the certificate
Test certificate carried on every drive
New premium confirmed in writing
Plan for 18: parents' policy, second car or own policy
Common mistakes
Not reporting your child because they only drive with a companion
Reporting only your own car but also practising in the grandparents' car
Not telling the insurer about the 18th birthday
Choosing a tariff only because accompanied driving is free
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Do I have to tell the insurer about accompanied driving?
Yes, before the first drive.
Otherwise you risk back payment and a penalty, often about one annual premium.
Does my 17-year-old need their own insurance?
No.
In Germany the car is insured, your child is simply added as a driver.
Who pays if my child causes an accident during accompanied driving?
The car's liability insurance pays for damage to others,
comprehensive cover (Vollkasko) pays for your own car.
The policy is then downgraded as after any claim.
Is the accompanying person liable?
The 17-year-old is the driver, the companion is only there to advise.
The companion must not be above 0.5 per mille or under the influence of drugs.
Will insurance be cheaper at 18 because my child did accompanied driving?
With some insurers, yes, they rate former accompanied drivers more favourably.
There is no right to it, so ask.
We are new to Germany. Does a foreign licence change anything?
Accompanied driving at 17 is a German licence model:
your child takes the test in Germany and receives the test certificate.
For the insurer, only the reported driver and their age matter.
