Who pays after an accident with an uninsured car in Germany?
In short
Who pays after an accident with an uninsured car in Germany? The road accident victims' fund (Verkehrsopferhilfe), for injuries and property damage, without the EUR 500 deduction that applies in hit and run cases. It only pays to the extent that the driver, keeper or your own insurance such as comprehensive cover do not. If the other policy only just ended, the old insurer is often still liable.
Limits and deductions that apply after an accident with an uninsured car in Germany.
Example
Typical range
Deduction with an uninsured car
EUR 0
Deduction in hit and run, property damage
EUR 500
Maximum for personal injury per accident
EUR 7.5 million
Maximum for property damage per accident
EUR 1.3 million
Excess of your comprehensive cover the fund can replace
usually EUR 150 to 1,000
Values under Section 12 PflVG, Section 117 VVG and the annex to the Compulsory Insurance Act,
October 2026.
The range for the comprehensive excess is a guide value from our quoting practice.
Worked example
Right of way ignored, other driver uninsured, your car with comprehensive cover
How EUR 9,000 damage to the car and EUR 1,500 for injuries are shared.
Repair via your comprehensive cover
EUR 9,000 minus EUR 500 excess
Excess via the Verkehrsopferhilfe
EUR 500
Pain and suffering via the Verkehrsopferhilfe
EUR 1,500
Your share in the end
EUR 0
In the end your loss is covered. Remember that your comprehensive cover may downgrade your no claims class after the claim, and include this disadvantage in your application to the fund.
The road accident victims' fund for uninsured cars
For accidents with an uninsured car Germany has a statutory compensation fund. This role is held by the Verkehrsopferhilfe, an institution financed solely by motor liability insurers. The legal basis is Section 12 (1) No. 2 of the Compulsory Insurance Act.
Unlike hit and run, an uninsured car brings no restrictions: damage to your car is paid without the EUR 500 deduction, and pain and suffering is not limited to severe injuries. The application is informal and free for you.
Situation
Who pays
Restriction
Other driver insured
their motor liability insurer
none
Other driver just cancelled or did not pay
often still their old insurer
until one month after notice to the registration office
Other driver uninsured
Verkehrsopferhilfe
after driver, keeper and your own comprehensive cover
Other driver unknown, hit and run
Verkehrsopferhilfe
car damage only with serious injuries, EUR 500 deduction
Foreign car with insurance
via the German Green Card Bureau
none
Why your comprehensive cover comes first
The Verkehrsopferhilfe only pays to the extent you show that you cannot get compensation from the keeper, owner or driver or from a property insurer. If you have comprehensive cover (Vollkasko), the fund first refers you to it for the car damage, with your excess.
Benefits from health or pension insurance and continued pay from your employer also come first. The rest, such as your excess, pain and suffering or loss of earnings beyond continued pay, you can claim from the Verkehrsopferhilfe.
Sometimes the car is still insured
Sometimes a car that looks uninsured still has a policy that is just ending. Under Section 117 of the Insurance Contract Act the end of the contract only takes effect towards you as the injured party one month after the insurer has notified the registration office. Until then the old insurer pays your damage within the minimum sums.
You can find the insurer for a registration number free of charge via the motor insurers' central call service (Zentralruf der Autoversicherer), phone 0800 250 260 0 within Germany. You only need the registration number, date and country of the accident.
Accident with a foreign car
If a foreign car is insured in its home country, the claim is handled by the German Green Card Bureau (Deutsches Büro Grüne Karte). Enter the registration number without the country code, otherwise the bureau cannot find the insurer.
If the foreign car has no valid insurance, the Verkehrsopferhilfe treats the case like a German uninsured car. For injured people without a permanent address in Germany there is a restriction: they only receive payments on a reciprocal basis or where EU law requires it.
What to do at the scene
Call the police after an accident with an uninsured car, even if the damage is small. The police report documents what happened, who was involved and the missing insurance, and it is the most important evidence for the Verkehrsopferhilfe.
Note the registration number, vehicle, name and address of driver and keeper, take photos and get witnesses. Do not sign any admission of fault.
Step by step
Call the police and secure details of driver, keeper and vehicle.
Check via the central call service whether an insurer is registered after all.
Report the car damage to your comprehensive insurer if you have one.
Send an informal application with the police report to the Verkehrsopferhilfe.
Claim excess, pain and suffering and other costs there.
Keep the three year deadline in mind.
Checklist
Police report with reference number
Registration number, name and address of driver and keeper
Photos and witnesses
Settlement or refusal from your comprehensive insurer
Medical reports and receipts
Application made within three years
Common mistakes
Driving on without police because the damage looks small
Assuming you get nothing if the other car is uninsured
Expecting the EUR 500 deduction from hit and run cases here too
Not using your comprehensive cover and waiting for the fund
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Do I have to contact the Verkehrsopferhilfe myself?
Yes, an informal application with a short account and the damage claimed is enough.
The service is free for you.
Does the Verkehrsopferhilfe pay pain and suffering?
With an uninsured car yes, without the restriction to severe injuries that applies in hit and run
cases.
What if I only have third party car insurance?
Then the Verkehrsopferhilfe also pays the damage to your car,
to the extent the driver or keeper cannot pay.
Does the fund pay if someone deliberately uses a car against me?
Yes.
If the liability insurer refuses cover because of intent, the Verkehrsopferhilfe steps in,
also without the hit and run restrictions.
How much time do I have?
Claims against the compensation fund become time barred three years after you learn of the
