Is there a car insurance discount for severe disability in Germany?
In short
There has been no legal car insurance discount for severe disability in Germany since 1994. Some insurers offer special tariffs, but there is no fixed amount. The reliable saving is vehicle tax (Kfz-Steuer): full exemption with the marks H, Bl or aG on your disability card, and a 50 percent reduction with the orange printed card.
What a severe disability means for the car in numbers.
Example
Typical range
Vehicle tax with marks H, Bl or aG
EUR 0, fully exempt
Vehicle tax with orange printed card
50 percent of the normal tax
Legal car insurance discount
0 percent, no obligation since 1994
Special tariff of some insurers
0 percent guaranteed, amount varies
As of October 2026.
The tax rules are statutory; whether an insurer runs a special tariff changes often.
As a broker we ask about it specifically when getting quotes.
Worked example
Mark G, vehicle tax EUR 180
A woman with an orange printed card and the mark G drives an estate car with EUR 180 vehicle tax a year. She does not use free public transport.
Normal vehicle tax
EUR 180 a year
Reduction under section 3a(2)
50 percent, so EUR 90
Car insurance discount
only if the tariff offers one
She pays EUR 90 tax a year. On insurance she saves more by comparing quotes than through a disability discount.
No compulsory discount in car insurance
Insurers used to be obliged to give people with a severe disability a discount. That rule ended in 1994. Today each insurer decides whether it offers a car insurance discount for severe disability. Some have special tariffs, others do not ask about disability at all.
Where a discount exists, it usually requires the car to be registered to the person with the disability. There is no standard percentage, so compare the price in euros for the same cover, not the advertised discount.
The reliable saving: vehicle tax
Under section 3a of the Motor Vehicle Tax Act (Kraftfahrzeugsteuergesetz), a car registered to a severely disabled person with the mark H, Bl or aG is fully exempt from vehicle tax. With the orange printed disability card, for example with the mark G or Gl, the tax is halved.
You lose the 50 percent reduction while you use free local public transport. Both reliefs apply to one vehicle only, need a written application to the customs office (Hauptzollamt), and end if the car is used to carry goods or for other people's trips.
Disability card
Vehicle tax
Car insurance
marks H, Bl or aG
100 percent exempt
no legal discount
orange print, for example G or Gl
50 percent off
no legal discount
degree of disability without these marks
no relief
no legal discount
Insuring adaptations properly
A ramp, lift, hand controls or modified steering raise the value of the car. In partial and comprehensive cover (Teilkasko, Vollkasko) such parts are only fully covered if the insurer knows about them. List disability related adaptations with their value on the application and keep the invoices.
Many tariffs only include accessories up to a limit at no extra cost. Above that you need a higher sum insured, otherwise a theft or write off pays for the car but not the expensive conversion.
When someone else drives your car
If relatives or a carer drive the car, name them as drivers. For the tax relief that is fine as long as the trips relate to your transport or household.
If a young relative is the main driver, the premium usually rises by more than any disability discount could save. Check whether the car is cheaper as a relative's second car.
Other savings around the car
Many manufacturers give a discount on new cars to people with a severe disability, often from a degree of disability of 50. There is no legal right to it; the dealer decides.
Such a discount can matter later: if the car is destroyed in an accident caused by someone else, courts have partly deducted the discount from the compensation. Keep the purchase contract and proof of the discount.
Step by step
Check the marks on your disability card.
Apply for the tax relief at the customs office.
Ask insurers about a special tariff.
List adaptations with value and invoice.
Compare quotes with equal cover by the euro amount.
Checklist
Car registered to the person with the disability
Tax application filed
Adaptations declared
All drivers and ages in the policy
Free transport and tax relief weighed against each other
Common mistakes
Assuming a car insurance discount is automatic
Not declaring the conversion and only getting the car value after a claim
Expecting free transport and 50 percent tax relief at the same time
Choosing by the advertised percentage instead of the price
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Must my car insurer give me a discount for disability?
No.
There has been no obligation since 1994.
Some insurers offer special tariffs voluntarily.
From what degree of disability do I save vehicle tax?
The marks count, not only the degree.
H, Bl or aG exempt you fully, the orange printed card with G or Gl halves the tax.
Does the tax exemption apply to several cars?
No, only one vehicle and only on written application.
May someone else drive my tax exempt car?
Yes, if the trips relate to your transport or household.
Other people's trips or carrying goods end the relief.
Are adaptations covered by comprehensive insurance?
Only if the insurer knows about them and the sum insured is high enough.
Will my disability make my insurance more expensive?
No, the disability itself is no reason for a surcharge.
