# Insurance for car hire, van hire and motorhome rental in Germany

> Every day you hand your car to another stranger. Some drive more carefully than you, some do not, and some never bring it back. This page shows which insurance is required for hire vehicles, what it costs and how to cushion downtime and fraud.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-car-hire.php  
Updated: 2026-09-18

## Can I insure my hire cars on ordinary motor tariffs?

No. Vehicles hired out without a driver are a separate risk, known in Germany as Selbstfahrervermietung, with their own tariffs. If you insure a car as a private vehicle and then hire it out commercially, after an accident you risk the insurer claiming back up to several thousand euros and, at worst, losing the comprehensive payout. Small hire firms often do best with a fleet policy from three vehicles.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** Motor liability for every vehicle; use for self drive hire must be declared to the insurer, otherwise it can claim money back
- **Biggest risk:** Accidents and damage caused by changing, sometimes inexperienced drivers, and vehicles being misappropriated
- **Basic cover from:** about €1,500 a year for liability and comprehensive on a compact hire car
- **Statutory accident insurer:** depending on your set up the BG Verkehr or the VBG; the Berufsgenossenschaft (statutory accident insurer) confirms which one applies after you register
- **Often forgotten:** Misappropriation by the hirer does not count as theft under partial cover and must be included separately
- **WZ 2025 / NACE:** 77.11 Vermietung von Kraftwagen mit einem Gesamtgewicht von 3,5 t oder weniger, 77.12 Vermietung von Kraftwagen mit einem Gesamtgewicht von mehr als 3,5 t

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Hirers' accidents:** An unfamiliar vehicle, a strange city, a rush to the airport: hire cars have considerably more accidents than private cars.
- **Misappropriation:** Hired with false papers and never returned: misappropriated vehicles often end up abroad.
- **Minor damage:** Scratches, dents, stone chips, kerbed wheels: lots of small damage that nobody admits to causing.
- **Vehicle off the road:** After an accident the car sits in the workshop for weeks earning nothing, while the finance keeps running.
- **Vans and motorhomes:** Height barriers, petrol station canopies, misjudged widths: hirers underestimate the size of large vehicles.
- **Data and bookings:** ID copies, driving licences and payment data in the booking software are an attractive target for attackers.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 5, Fire and water 5, Theft 4, Cyber 3, Downtime 4, Health 2

## The insurance you need

- **Fleet insurance** (Essential): Motor liability is compulsory; a fleet policy with comprehensive cover that includes self drive hire insures all vehicles on the same terms. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-fleet-insurance.php
- **Business liability** (Strongly advised): Covers damage on your premises and at handover, for example when a customer falls in the yard. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Strongly advised): Legal expenses for disputes with hirers over damage, excess and deposit, and for traffic proceedings. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Strongly advised): Covers the booking platform holding ID and payment data, including data breach notifications. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php
- **Commercial buildings** (Depends on the business): For the rental station, workshop and wash bay if you own them. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-commercial-buildings.php
- **Business contents** (Depends on the business): For spare parts, tyres, key safe and the station's fittings. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Business interruption** (Depends on the business): For when the station cannot operate after a fire. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php

## What it costs: example prices

Hire vehicles cost more to insure than private cars because they cover more kilometres and are driven by many people. The price depends on vehicle class, value when new, excess, minimum age of hirers and claims history.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fleet insurance | Compact car used for hire, liability and comprehensive, €1,000 excess | about €1,500 to €3,500 a year |
| Fleet insurance | Van up to 3.5 tonnes for hire, liability and comprehensive | about €2,000 to €4,500 a year |
| Fleet insurance | Motorhome hired out in season, liability and comprehensive | about €2,000 to €4,000 a year |
| Business liability | Rental station with yard and workshop | about €200 to €600 a year |
| Cyber insurance | Small hire firm with online booking | about €400 to €1,000 a year |

For comparison: Liability and comprehensive cover for a compact hire car cost about as much a year as 40 to 60 rental days of the same car bring in.

_Guide prices excluding German insurance premium tax from our own quoting work, as of September 2026. Insurers publish hardly any tariff examples for hire vehicles because they price by fleet and claims history. The minimum limits are set out in the German Compulsory Insurance Act (Pflichtversicherungsgesetz)._

- [Pflichtversicherungsgesetz, Anlage: Mindestversicherungssummen](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/pflvg/anlage.html)
- [versicherungsvergleich-lkw.de: Kosten für Nutzfahrzeuge im Vergleich](https://www.versicherungsvergleich-lkw.de/was-kostet-eine-7-5-tonner-lkw-versicherung/)
- [FSA24: Transporterversicherung gewerblich](https://www.fsa24.de/Transporter-Versicherung)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Starter** (Side business or new business with one or two vehicles): Fleet insurance, Business legal expenses. Together: about €2,000 to €7,500 a year
- **Station** (Hire firm with five to twenty cars and vans): Fleet insurance, Business liability, Business legal expenses, Cyber insurance. Together: about €10,000 to €60,000 a year
- **Complete** (Hire firm with its own station, workshop and motorhomes): Fleet insurance, Business liability, Business legal expenses, Cyber insurance, Commercial buildings, Business contents, Business interruption. Together: priced individually by fleet and claims history

## The worst day at the car hire desk

Six cases car hire firms really experience, all on the first day of the school holidays. Tap through and see who pays.

- 08:00: A hirer drives the van into a multi storey car park entrance; the box body and the ceiling are damaged. (€14,000, Paid by: Fleet insurance)
- 10:30: A customer slips in the station's wet yard and breaks a wrist. (€7,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 12:45: A hirer collides with a cyclist, who is seriously injured. (€85,000, Paid by: Fleet insurance)
- 15:00: A customer denies causing a dent in the tailgate and refuses to pay the excess. (€1,800, Paid by: Business legal expenses)
- 17:20: The booking software is encrypted and customers' ID copies have leaked. (€19,000, Paid by: Cyber insurance)
- 23:59: A motorhome is not returned; the hirer booked with a forged ID. (€68,000, Paid by: Fleet insurance)

**Damage so far:** €194,800

## Practical tips from your broker

- Have self drive hire stated expressly in the policy and declare every type of vehicle you hire out.
- Include misappropriation by hirers in the comprehensive cover; otherwise it does not count as theft.
- Choose a high combined limit for liability; €100 million is usual for hire vehicles.
- Set a minimum age and minimum years of driving experience and stick to them; breaching your own rules can reduce the payout.
- Document every handover with photos; it saves legal disputes and helps when you claim back from hirers.
- From three vehicles, look at a fleet policy so that new vehicles are covered straight away without a separate application.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We find insurers for hire vehicles:** Not everyone covers self drive hire. As a broker we approach several insurers and compare comprehensive cover, misappropriation and excess.
- **We know how comprehensive claims are settled:** In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves. We know the questions that matter for you too: who had the vehicle, when it happened and what the policy covers.
- **Fleet and private in one place:** Hire fleet, station, business legal expenses and your personal provision all run through us.
- **Family run since 1989:** Free for you; the insurer pays our commission. You have named contacts, in the busy season too.

## FAQ

### Which insurance do hire cars need?

Motor liability is compulsory and must include hire to self drive customers. Comprehensive cover is practically essential, because hirers cause a lot of damage.

### What does insurance for a hire car cost?

For a compact car with liability and comprehensive, usually €1,500 to €3,500 a year; a little more for vans and motorhomes.

### Am I covered if a hirer does not bring the car back?

Only if misappropriation is included in the comprehensive cover. Without that extension it does not count as theft.

### May I hire out my privately insured car?

Not without telling the insurer. Private tariffs exclude commercial hire, and after a claim the insurer may demand money back.

### Who pays the excess if a hirer has an accident?

The hirer, under the rental agreement, unless they booked a damage waiver. Business legal expenses cover disputes about it.

### When is a fleet policy worth it?

Usually from three vehicles. The premium then follows the claims history of the whole fleet, not the no claims class of individual cars.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. Free of charge and without obligation: the insurer pays our commission. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-car-hire.php#anfrage

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NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.