# Insurance for car sharing in Germany, station based and free floating

> In car sharing hundreds of people drive the same car, often for half an hour, unlock it with an app and leave it somewhere in town. Every new driver is a new risk, and the app is the key to the whole fleet. If you run car sharing in Germany, station based or free floating, German law applies. This page explains what is compulsory, which insurance belongs with it and what it costs.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-car-sharing.php  
Updated: 2026-10-15

## A customer reports a dent the previous user might have caused. Who pays?

If the person who caused it cannot be identified, the damage usually stays with you or your comprehensive cover. That is why photos at the start and end of each trip in the app, telematics data and clear reporting duties in your terms matter so much. Your comprehensive insurer settles with you; whether and how far users share in damage is set out in your terms.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** Motor liability for every vehicle, with statutory minimums of €7.5 million for injury, €1.3 million for property damage and €50,000 for financial loss; use for car sharing must be declared to the insurer
- **Car Sharing Act:** The German Car Sharing Act distinguishes station based and free floating car sharing; local authorities can give marked vehicles parking privileges and fee exemptions and allocate spaces to station based schemes for up to eight years
- **Biggest risk:** Accidents and damage caused by constantly changing, often inexperienced drivers, and the question of who caused the damage
- **Basic cover from:** about €1,200 to €2,500 a year for liability and comprehensive on a small car used for car sharing, a guide figure from our quoting practice
- **Often forgotten:** The platform: an attack on the app or telematics locks the whole fleet and exposes customer data

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Changing drivers:** New drivers, tourists, people driving the car for the first time: claims are more frequent than with any company car.
- **Unknown culprits:** Scratches, dents and kerbed wheels are found hours later, and who caused them often stays unclear.
- **Theft and misuse:** Stolen log ins, forged driving licences, cars that never come back.
- **Attacks on the app:** An attack on the platform or telematics locks the fleet and affects customer and payment data.
- **Cars off the road:** Every car in the workshop earns nothing while leasing and parking costs continue.
- **Vandalism and hail:** Cars stand outside in public spaces, often overnight and in changing places.

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

## The insurance you need

- **Car insurance** (Essential): Motor liability is required by law and must include use for car sharing; comprehensive cover protects your own vehicles. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-car-insurance.php
- **Fleet insurance** (Strongly advised): From a few vehicles a fleet policy bundles all cars, priced on the claims history of the fleet. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-fleet-insurance.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Strongly advised): For attacks on app, telematics and booking system, data breaches and platform outages. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php
- **Business liability** (Strongly advised): For damage not caused by driving, for example at stations, charging points or during cleaning. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Strongly advised): For disputes with users over damage charges, fines and contracts with local authorities and partners. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Business interruption** (Depends on the business): Replaces lost revenue if a station or the platform fails after an insured loss. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **D&O insurance** (Depends on the business): For managing directors who are personally liable to investors and the company. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-directors-and-officers.php

## What it costs: example prices

Car sharing vehicles cost more to insure than company cars because many different people drive them. The price depends on vehicle class, city, minimum age of users, excess and the fleet's claims history.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Car insurance | Small car used for car sharing, liability and comprehensive, €1,000 excess | about €1,200 to €2,500 a year |
| Fleet insurance | Fleet of 30 cars, liability and comprehensive | about €40,000 to €90,000 a year |
| Cyber insurance | Platform with app and telematics, €1 million cover | about €3,000 to €8,000 a year |
| Business liability | Provider with stations and charging points, €5 million cover | about €500 to €1,500 a year |
| Business legal expenses | Provider with traffic, contract and employment legal cover | about €800 to €2,000 a year |

For comparison: Comprehensive cover on a car sharing small car costs about as much a year as the car earns in four to six weeks of good use.

_Guide figures from our quoting practice, excluding German insurance premium tax, as of October 2026. Insurers publish no tariff examples for car sharing because they price by fleet and claims history. The minimum limits and the Car Sharing Act are linked._

- [German Compulsory Insurance Act (PflVG), annex: minimum limits](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/pflvg/anlage.html)
- [German Car Sharing Act (CsgG)](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/csgg/BJNR223000017.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Neighbourhood** (Station based scheme with up to ten cars, for example run by a cooperative or housing company): Car insurance, Business liability, Business legal expenses. Together: about €15,000 to €30,000 a year
- **City fleet** (Provider with 20 to 100 cars and its own app): Fleet insurance, Cyber insurance, Business liability, Business legal expenses. Together: individual, usually from about €40,000 a year
- **Free floating** (Free floating car sharing in several cities): Fleet insurance, Cyber insurance, Business liability, Business legal expenses, Business interruption, D&O insurance. Together: individual, based on fleet and claims history

## The worst day in car sharing

Six things car sharing providers really go through, all on one busy Friday. Tap through and see who pays.

- 07:40: Pulling out of a space, a user hits a cyclist, who is injured. (€14,000, Paid by: Car insurance)
- 09:15: The next user reports a dented bumper, and no one can say who did it. (€2,400, Paid by: Car insurance)
- 12:30: An attack shuts down the app, no car can be unlocked and customer data is affected. (€45,000, Paid by: Cyber insurance)
- 15:00: At a station a passer by trips over a charging cable. (€5,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 18:20: A user disputes accident damage and refuses to pay the excess. (€2,200, Paid by: Business legal expenses)
- 23:50: A car is taken with stolen log in data and never comes back. (€22,000, Paid by: Car insurance)

**Damage so far:** €90,600

## Practical tips from your broker

- Declare car sharing use expressly to the insurer; a company car tariff does not fit.
- Choose a high combined liability limit; the statutory minimums are not enough for serious injuries.
- Have users take photos at the start and end of each trip, so culprits can be identified more often.
- Check licences and identity carefully at registration, as misuse usually starts there.
- Set minimum age and years of driving in your terms and agree them with the insurer.
- Test regularly whether the fleet can still be opened and locked if the app fails.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We find insurers for car sharing:** Not every insurer covers vehicles with an open group of drivers. As brokers we approach those that do and compare comprehensive cover, excess and theft protection.
- **Fleet and platform together:** We match motor, cyber and public liability so that no gap remains between car and app.
- **Growing with you:** From a neighbourhood scheme to a city fleet, we adapt the policy as cars and cities are added.
- **Family run, brokering since 1989:** Norman Nammert arranges your cover as an insurance broker. It is free for you; the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### Which insurance is compulsory for car sharing in Germany?

Motor liability for every vehicle, with at least €7.5 million for injury, €1.3 million for property damage and €50,000 for financial loss. Car sharing use must be stated in the policy.

### What does the Car Sharing Act regulate?

It defines station based and free floating car sharing and allows parking privileges and fee exemptions for marked vehicles. Spaces for station based schemes can be allocated for up to eight years.

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

For a small car with liability and comprehensive about €1,200 to €2,500 a year, depending on city, excess and claims history.

### Who pays for damage when the culprit is unknown?

Usually your comprehensive cover, minus the excess. Good photo records in the app help to find the culprit more often.

### Do car sharing providers need cyber insurance?

Yes, the app is the key to the fleet. An attack stops operations and affects customer and payment data.

### Does this also apply to cooperative and housing car sharing?

Yes. Small schemes also need motor liability with declared car sharing use and should consider liability and legal cover.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-car-sharing.php#anfrage

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Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT. Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act. Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company. It does not arrange your contract.

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