# Insurance for driving schools and driving instructors in Germany

> In a driving lesson the person at the wheel is only just learning. If they crash, German law treats the instructor as the driver, and the car belongs to the school. This page shows what a driving school has to insure, what it costs and where the gaps are.

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

## Who pays if a learner causes an accident during a lesson?

Damage to other cars and injuries to people are paid by the tuition car's motor liability, because in law the instructor counts as the driver. Damage to your own tuition car is only paid by comprehensive cover. Claiming the money back from the learner is only possible within narrow limits. That is why comprehensive cover for tuition vehicles is effectively a must, even though the law does not require it.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** Motor liability for every tuition vehicle; during lessons the instructor counts as the driver under § 2 (15) of the German Road Traffic Act (StVG)
- **Biggest risk:** Accidents during lessons and tests, and falls during motorcycle training
- **Basic cover from:** about €65 a year for public liability, plus motor insurance for the tuition vehicles as the largest item
- **Statutory accident insurer:** compulsory for employed instructors and office staff; which Berufsgenossenschaft (statutory accident insurer) applies is set on registration, for driving schools usually the BG Verkehr
- **Often forgotten:** Training motorcycles and category C and CE lorries need their own tariffs; falls on the practice ground are only covered by comprehensive insurance

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Accidents during lessons:** Rolling back on a hill start, missing a right of way, misjudging a gap: most damage is minor, but not all of it.
- **Motorcycle training:** Tip overs on the practice ground and falls during emergency braking cost levers, mirrors and fairings, and sometimes an injury.
- **Lorries and buses:** Large vehicles in inexperienced hands: manoeuvring, swinging out, trailers. Here small mistakes become expensive damage.
- **Tuition car off the road:** No car, no lessons. After an accident lessons and test appointments are lost, while the costs keep running.
- **Classroom:** A learner falls on the stairs, the projector burns out, water damage in the training room.
- **Back and concentration:** Eight hours a day in the passenger seat, always ready to brake: instructors have a high risk of back and stress related illness.

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

## The insurance you need

- **Fleet insurance** (Essential): Motor liability is compulsory; comprehensive cover protects tuition cars, motorcycles and lorries. From three vehicles, in a fleet policy. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-fleet-insurance.php
- **Business liability** (Essential): Covers damage away from driving, in the classroom, on the practice ground and when learners fall there. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): Covers furnishings, simulator, projector and materials against fire, escape of water and burglary. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Strongly advised): With motoring legal expenses for accidents during lessons, fines and disputes with learners over unpaid lessons. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Occupational disability** (Strongly advised): For owners who teach themselves: if you have to give up instructing for health reasons, you lose your income. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-occupational-disability.php
- **Group accident insurance** (Depends on the business): Extra accident cover for instructors, especially in motorcycle training. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-group-accident.php
- **Electronic equipment** (Depends on the business): Covers driving simulators and training equipment, including operating errors and power surges. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-electronic-equipment.php

## What it costs: example prices

Almost the whole premium goes on the tuition vehicles. What matters is the number of instructors, vehicle categories, excess and claims history. Public liability and contents are comparatively cheap.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fleet insurance | Driving school with three vehicles, liability and comprehensive under a fleet policy | about €2,250 a year |
| Business liability | Driving school with two staff and €200,000 turnover | about €65 a year |
| Business contents | Classroom with furnishings | about €60 a year |
| Business legal expenses | Driving school with two staff | about €165 a year |
| Fleet insurance | Category A training motorcycle, liability and comprehensive | about €400 to €1,000 a year |

For comparison: Public liability, contents and legal expenses for a small driving school together cost about as much a year as five driving lessons.

_The first four examples come from a publicly available worked example for a driving school with two staff, €200,000 turnover and three vehicles (around €2,650 in total including buildings cover). The motorcycle figure is a guide value from our own quoting work. As of September 2026._

- [transparent-beraten.de: Versicherungen für Fahrschulen](https://www.transparent-beraten.de/versicherungen-fuer-fahrschulen/)
- [Allianz: Fahrschulversicherung](https://www.allianz.de/business/fahrschule-versicherung/)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Solo** (Instructor with their own school and one tuition car): Fleet insurance, Business liability, Business legal expenses. Together: about €1,000 to €2,000 a year
- **Driving school** (Two to four instructors, cars and one motorcycle): Fleet insurance, Business liability, Business contents, Business legal expenses. Together: about €2,500 to €6,000 a year
- **All categories** (Driving school with cars, motorcycles, lorries and buses and several branches): Fleet insurance, Business liability, Business contents, Business legal expenses, Group accident insurance, Electronic equipment. Together: about €8,000 to €25,000 a year

## The worst day at the driving school

Six things driving schools really go through, all on one test day. Tap through and see who pays.

- 07:45: On a hill start the tuition car rolls back into the car behind. (€2,100, Paid by: Fleet insurance)
- 09:30: The training motorcycle tips over on the practice ground: levers, mirror and fairing. (€1,600, Paid by: Fleet insurance)
- 11:15: During a test a learner misses a right of way and another driver is slightly injured. (€14,000, Paid by: Fleet insurance)
- 13:00: Damage to your own test car from the right of way accident; the car is off the road for three weeks. (€9,500, Paid by: Fleet insurance)
- 17:40: A learner slips on the wet stairs up to the classroom and breaks her foot. (€6,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 20:10: A learner refuses to pay for twelve lessons, claiming they were never agreed. (€900, Paid by: Business legal expenses)

**Damage so far:** €34,100

## Practical tips from your broker

- Insure every tuition vehicle with comprehensive cover; most damage during training affects your own car.
- Training motorcycles and lorries must be insured expressly as driving school vehicles; normal tariffs often exclude tuition.
- Cover for third party vehicles protects you when you teach in a learner's own car, for example for the trailer category.
- Choose an excess that suits your many small claims; €500 is often a good compromise.
- Check the liability limit: a combined €100 million costs hardly more than the legal minimum.
- Have the practice ground, including rented areas, expressly included in your public liability.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We know the driving school tariffs:** Tuition cars, motorcycles, lorries and third party vehicles all need the right components. As a broker we compare several insurers that cover driving schools.
- **We know how accidents are settled:** In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves. We help when there is a dispute over fault and loss of no claims discount after a lesson.
- **School and private in one place:** Tuition vehicles, classroom, income protection and your personal insurance all run through us.
- **Family run since 1989:** Our work is free for you; the insurer pays our commission. And you speak to people who know your vehicles.

## FAQ

### Which insurance is compulsory for a driving school?

Motor liability for every tuition vehicle. Everything else is voluntary, but comprehensive cover and public liability are strongly recommended.

### What does insurance for a driving school cost?

A published worked example for a driving school with three vehicles puts it at around €2,650 a year, of which about €2,250 is for the vehicles.

### Who counts as the driver during a lesson?

Under § 2 (15) StVG, the instructor. That is why the school and instructor are liable, and the tuition car's motor liability pays for third party damage.

### Does the learner have to pay for damage?

Only in exceptional cases, such as gross misconduct against instructions. As a rule, the driving school bears the risk through its insurance.

### Are falls on the training motorcycle covered?

Only comprehensive cover pays for damage to the motorcycle. The learner's injuries are covered by motor liability if the instructor is liable, otherwise by accident insurance.

### Is a fleet policy worth it for driving schools?

From three vehicles, often yes. The premium then follows the claims history of the whole school, and new vehicles are covered immediately.

## 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-driving-school.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.