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Is your bike on a car bike rack insured in Germany?

In short

Is your bike on a car bike rack insured in Germany? Usually not through your car insurance. Comprehensive cover (Kasko) often includes the rack but not the bike, and liability cover only pays for damage to others. For theft from the rack you need bike insurance or the bike add-on to contents insurance. Accident damage needs bike cover with damage, from about EUR 70 a year.

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What it costs

Published annual premiums for bike cover in Germany, as of 2026.

Example	Typical range
Separate bike insurance for a EUR 1,500 bike	about EUR 48 to 370 a year
Theft-only policy for an everyday bike	usually well under EUR 50 a year
Theft policy for an e-bike	from about EUR 50 a year
Policy with damage cover and extra services	from about EUR 70, sometimes over EUR 250 a year
Bike add-on to contents insurance	about EUR 20 to 50 extra a year

Guide values as of October 2026 from published premium examples.

The price of the bike add-on and the worked example are guide values from quoting practice.

Your premium depends on the bike's value, where you live and the scope of cover;

we obtain the exact quote for you.

Worked example

Couple with two e-bikes on a rear rack, on holiday

How differently the contracts pay when something happens on the way.

Two e-bikes, combined value when new	EUR 6,000
Theft from the locked rack, contents insurance with bike add-on up to EUR 1,000	at most EUR 1,000
Same theft, separate bike insurance at new value	up to EUR 6,000
Rear-end collision you caused, bikes crushed, no bike damage cover	EUR 0
Bike damage cover for both bikes	from about EUR 140 a year

With the bike add-on, EUR 5,000 stays uncovered after a theft, and the whole loss after an accident you caused. Bike cover with damage closes both gaps.

Why your car insurance does not protect the bike

To an insurer, a bike on the rack is load. Partial and full comprehensive cover (Teilkasko and Vollkasko) protect the car with its fixed parts and accessories. Many policy terms name roof and rear racks expressly, but not items that do not serve the use of the car. Your bike falls through that gap.

Car liability insurance (Kfz-Haftpflicht) pays for damage you cause to others with the car. If the bike comes loose on the motorway and hits the car behind you, that is such a case. It never pays for your own bike.

Less well known: many German car policy terms also exclude damage to items carried in or on the car. The only exception is what passengers normally have with them, such as clothing, glasses or luggage. If you take a friend's bike along and cause an accident, your liability cover will not pay for it. If the other driver is at fault, their liability insurance also pays for your bikes.

What happens	Who pays
Bike stolen from a locked rack	bike insurance or the bike add-on to contents insurance
Bike crushed in a rear-end collision you caused	only bike cover with damage
Bike crushed in an accident caused by the other driver	the other driver's car liability insurance
Bike falls off and damages another car	your car liability insurance
Rack stolen or damaged in an accident	often your partial or full comprehensive cover
Bike slips and scratches your own paintwork	usually nobody, as this often counts as operating damage

Theft from the rack: contents or bike insurance

Without an add-on, contents insurance (Hausratversicherung) only pays for a stolen bike after a break-in to your flat, cellar or garage. On a rack at a motorway service area, it is simple theft, which needs the bike add-on. That add-on often pays only up to a fixed sum, for example EUR 1,000, or a percentage of the sum insured.

Separate bike policies sometimes name the rack expressly: theft from a rack mounted on the car is covered if the holder was locked. Some also pay for theft from a locked car. If your contract has a night-time clause, a theft at night may still not be paid.

Accident damage: the expensive case

A rear-end collision with two e-bikes on a rear rack can easily cost several thousand euros. Contents insurance never pays here, as it does not cover accidents. A theft-only bike policy does not help either.

Only bike cover that expressly includes accidents, including accidents of the means of transport, can pay. Check that the battery and the on-board computer are covered.

What German traffic rules require

Under section 22 (1) of the road traffic regulations (StVO), load must be secured so that it does not slip or fall even in an emergency stop. Check the straps and frame holders before every trip.

If the rack or the bikes hide the rear number plate, section 12 (10) of the vehicle registration regulation (FZV) requires the plate to be repeated on the car or the rack. This third plate needs no official stamp. If the load sticks out more than one metre beyond the rear reflectors, section 22 (4) StVO requires it to be marked.

When you need nothing extra

If you only take an inexpensive bike on short trips to the lake and never leave the car unattended, the bike add-on or no extra cover at all is often enough.

If you take expensive e-bikes on holiday, stop on the way and park overnight at a hotel, the risk is different. Then bike insurance with theft from the rack and accident cover is worth it.

Step by step

Add up the new value of all bikes you carry on the rack.
Check whether your contents insurance has a bike add-on and up to what amount it pays.
Check whether your bike policy names theft from the rack and accidents during transport.
Buy or retrofit a lockable rack and lock the bikes as well.
Before setting off, check holders, straps and the third number plate.

Checklist

Bike cover applies expressly on the car rack
Holder and bikes can be locked
Accident damage during transport is included
No night-time clause, or overnight parking planned for
Battery and on-board computer are covered
Number plate repeated on the rack if the rear one is hidden

Common mistakes

Assuming the car's full comprehensive cover also pays for the bikes
Securing the bikes only with straps and not locking them
Keeping a bike add-on with a EUR 1,000 limit for two expensive e-bikes
Taking a friend's bike along and expecting your own liability cover to pay for it after an accident

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Does partial comprehensive cover pay if the bike is stolen from the rack?

No.

Teilkasko pays for theft of the car and covered parts.

The rack itself is often included, the bike is not.

Who pays if the bike falls off while driving?

Your car liability insurance pays for damage to other cars or people.

Only bike cover with damage replaces your own bike.

Do I need a third number plate for a rear rack?

Yes, if the rack or bikes fully or partly hide the rear plate.

Section 12 (10) FZV requires this, and no stamp is needed.

Is a bike in the boot better covered?

Against theft, sometimes, as some bike policies also pay for theft from a locked car.

In an accident it is the same as on the rack: only bike cover with damage pays for the bike.

Does the cover apply on holiday abroad?

Some bike policies apply worldwide around the clock.

The exact area is set out in the terms, so look before you travel.

Does the bike have to be locked on the rack?

For theft cover, almost always.

Many contracts require a locked holder or a separate bike lock.

Sources

NAMMERT insurance broker

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