Calculating your deductible, when the higher one starts to pay off

A higher deductible lowers the premium. Whether that pays off comes down to one simple division: another five hundred euros of deductible against sixty euros saved a year means more than eight claim-free years until you break even. A single claim before then wipes out the whole calculation.

So the more important question is not how high the deductible is, but when it applies at all. From Basis-Plus upwards it is waived in the event of total loss, theft and burglary, and for damage to personal effects and to the boat trailer, in other words, in exactly the cases where the sums are largest.

The Premium tariff adds a reduction on top of that: after five claim-free years the agreed deductible is halved for the first claim. Put the two together and you will often find that the lower deductible with full cover is the better choice.