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What happens to your car insurance when you sell your car in Germany?

In short

When you sell a registered car in Germany, the insurance passes to the buyer by law. Your no-claims class stays with you. You and the buyer must report the sale to the insurer straight away. The contract usually ends when the buyer re-registers the car with their own insurance, and you get back any premium paid for the time after that.

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What happens to your car insurance when you sell your car in Germany?

What it costs

Costs around a sale in Germany, 2026.

Example	Typical range
Deregistering at the registration office	EUR 15.90
Deregistering online	from about EUR 2.10
Temporary plates for the buyer to drive the car away, all in	about EUR 60 to 130
of which insurance for temporary plates	about EUR 30 to 90
Refund with EUR 600 annual premium and a sale at mid-year	about EUR 300

Fees from publicly available overviews, as of September 2026. The refund is our own example calculation based on pro rata billing under standard motor policy terms. How your insurer bills exactly is set out in your policy terms.

Worked example

Sale on 30 June, annual premium paid in January

You paid EUR 600 for liability and partial cover in advance. The buyer re-registers the car with their own insurance on 30 June.

Annual premium paid	EUR 600
Insured from 1 January to 30 June	about 181 days
Insurer's share	about EUR 298
Your no-claims class	stays with you

You get back about EUR 300. If you buy another car within six months, you keep your class in full.

What German law says

Under section 95 of the Insurance Contract Act (VVG), the buyer steps into your insurance contract once the car belongs to them. You and the buyer are jointly liable for the premium of the current payment period. Under section 96 VVG, the buyer may cancel the contract they have taken over, and the insurer may cancel it with one month's notice.

Standard German motor policy terms follow this: the buyer can cancel within one month of buying. If the buyer registers the car with their own insurance confirmation (eVB number), this counts as cancellation of your old contract. In practice your contract usually ends on the day the buyer re-registers.

Your no-claims class does not go with the car

Claim-free years belong to you, not to the car. If the buyer keeps your contract, the insurer re-rates it on the buyer's own history.

You can take your class to your next car. Under standard terms it is kept in full after a break of up to six months. After longer breaks you lose claim-free years step by step, and after more than seven years it is gone.

Break until your next car	What happens to your no-claims class
up to 6 months	kept as if there had been no break
6 to 12 months	kept as it was before the break
over 12 months	one claim-free year less for each further calendar year started
over 7 years	your claim-free history lapses

If you are leaving Germany

Before you move away, ask your insurer for a written confirmation of your claim-free years, ideally in English. Insurers in your next country decide themselves whether they accept it, but without the document you have nothing to show.

Selling a registered car shortly before departure is risky: if the buyer does not re-register, premium and vehicle tax keep running in your name while you are abroad. Deregistering before the sale is often the safer choice. The contract then goes into free dormant cover, and the buyer needs temporary plates to drive the car away.

Selling registered or deregistered

If you sell the car still registered, it stays in your name until the buyer re-registers. If the buyer causes an accident in that time, liability cover pays, but the claim can end up on your contract if the insurer did not know about the sale. Write the date and time of handover into the sales contract and report the sale immediately.

If you buy another car and stay with the same insurer, a simple vehicle change within the existing contract is usually enough. Your class moves with it and you do not need to cancel anything.

Step by step

Write the date and time of handover into the sales contract and keep a copy of the buyer's ID.
Report the sale to your insurer straight away, with the buyer's name and address.
Report the sale to the registration office too if you sell the car registered.
Check that the buyer re-registers and follow up if nothing happens within a few days.
Ask for written confirmation of your no-claims class and check the refund.

Checklist

Handover time recorded in the sales contract
Sale reported to the insurer
Written confirmation of your no-claims class
Refund of overpaid premium received
Vehicle tax stopped after re-registration or deregistration

Common mistakes

Assuming the buyer takes over your no-claims class
Selling the car registered and not reporting it
Leaving Germany before the buyer has re-registered
Waiting too long for the next car and losing claim-free years

Questions and answers

Frequently asked

Do I need to cancel my car insurance after selling?

Usually not. The contract passes to the buyer and normally ends when they re-register with their own insurance. You must report the sale straight away, though.

Does the buyer get my no-claims class?

No. It stays with you. If the buyer keeps the contract, it is re-rated on their own history.

Will I get money back?

Yes, pro rata for the time after the contract ends. With annual payment this can be a noticeable amount.

What if the buyer never re-registers the car?

Premium and tax keep running in your name. Report the sale to the insurer and the registration office and give them the buyer's details.

Can I use my German no-claims years abroad?

Sometimes. Ask your insurer for a written confirmation before you leave. Whether it counts is up to the insurer in your new country.

Sources

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