# Insurance for tyre service, tyre shops and tyre storage in Germany

> Twice a year customers queue up, wheels are changed every few minutes and the store holds thousands of customers' tyres. A wheel nut not tightened, a fire in the tyre store or a scratched alloy rim: in tyre service and tyre shops, claims happen fast. This page explains which insurance you need, where the gap in tyre storage lies and what it costs in Germany.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-tyre-service-and-tyre-shop.php  
Updated: 2026-10-15

## Are my customers' stored tyres insured?

Only if third party property is expressly included in your contents insurance, with a sum for a full store. Public liability usually excludes items in your care. A store fire with a thousand wheel sets quickly reaches six figures.

## At a glance

- **Trade law:** Mechaniker für Reifen- und Vulkanisationstechnik (tyre and vulcanising mechanic) is listed in Annex A of the German Crafts Code as a trade requiring a licence
- **Compulsory:** No compulsory insurance for the business; motor liability is required for your own vehicles and red trade plates
- **Biggest risk:** Accidents from wheels coming loose after fitting and fire in the tyre store
- **Basic cover from:** about €400 a year for public liability for a small business, a guide figure from our quoting work
- **Statutory accident insurance:** Employees are insured by law through the Berufsgenossenschaft (statutory accident insurer); owners can join voluntarily
- **Often forgotten:** Customers' stored tyres and vehicles in your care are usually not covered unless agreed

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Wheel comes off:** Wheel nuts not torqued correctly: the wheel comes off on the motorway and causes an accident.
- **Tyre store fire:** Tyres burn hot and long. A fire destroys the store, the workshop and customers' tyres.
- **Rims and sensors:** The tyre changer scratches alloy rims and pressure sensors snap off.
- **Customers' cars in the workshop:** A car slips off the lift or is damaged while being moved.
- **Theft:** Complete wheels and new tyres are easy to sell on.
- **Peak season:** If the lift or tyre changer fails during changeover season, you lose the revenue that carries the year.

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

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Pays for injury and property damage from your work, with motor trade extension for consequential damage from faulty fitting. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): Replaces new stock, rims and customers' stored tyres after fire, burglary or water damage, if third party property is included. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Fleet insurance** (Strongly advised): Motor trade insurance covers red trade plates, test drives, your own vehicles and customers' cars in your care. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-fleet-insurance.php
- **Machinery breakdown** (Strongly advised): For lifts, tyre changers and balancers that break down. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-machinery-breakdown.php
- **Electronic equipment** (Depends on the business): For wheel alignment, diagnostics and tyre pressure sensor tools. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-electronic-equipment.php
- **Business interruption** (Depends on the business): Pays fixed costs and lost profit if the workshop is closed in peak season after a fire. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Depends on the business): For storage records, booking system and online shop if systems are encrypted. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php

## What it costs: example prices

Premiums depend mainly on the number of stored wheel sets, stock value, turnover and whether you only change tyres or also do vehicle repairs.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Tyre service with two people, €5 million cover with motor trade extension | about €400 to €900 a year |
| Business contents | Store with new stock and 800 customers' wheel sets, €400,000 | about €1,200 to €3,000 a year |
| Fleet insurance | Motor trade insurance with one red trade plate and garage risk | about €400 to €1,200 a year |
| Machinery breakdown | Two lifts, tyre changer and balancer worth €60,000 | about €300 to €800 a year |
| Business interruption | Loss of income up to €200,000, twelve months | about €400 to €900 a year |

For comparison: Public liability for a small tyre service costs about as much a year as a set of good winter tyres for a compact car.

_Guide figures from our quoting work, excluding German insurance premium tax, October 2026. Tyre stores are rated strictly because of the fire load; we obtain the exact quote for you._

- [Handwerksordnung, Anlage A: trades requiring a licence](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/hwo/anlage_a.html)
- [Pflichtversicherungsgesetz, § 1: compulsory motor liability](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/pflvg/__1.html)
- [SGB VII, § 2: persons insured by law](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_7/__2.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Start** (small tyre service without large storage): Business liability, Business contents, Machinery breakdown. Together: about €1,200 to €2,600 a year
- **Tyre hotel** (business storing several hundred wheel sets, with a red trade plate): Business liability, Business contents, Fleet insurance, Machinery breakdown, Business interruption. Together: about €3,000 to €7,000 a year
- **All round** (tyre retailer with workshop, alignment, online shop and large store): Business liability, Business contents, Fleet insurance, Machinery breakdown, Electronic equipment, Business interruption, Cyber insurance. Together: individual, usually from about €7,000 a year

## The worst day at the tyre shop

Six claims tyre businesses really see in changeover season, all on one day. Click through and see who pays.

- 07:30: A customer reports that a wheel fitted yesterday came off on a country road. Two vehicles are damaged and one person slightly injured. (€22,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 09:15: The tyre changer scratches four expensive alloy rims and a pressure sensor snaps. (€2,600, Paid by: Business liability)
- 11:00: A customer's car slips off the lift; sills and underbody are damaged. (€6,500, Paid by: Fleet insurance)
- 13:40: The balancer breaks down in the middle of the season. (€3,200, Paid by: Machinery breakdown)
- 16:20: The wheel alignment system is destroyed by a power surge. (€9,000, Paid by: Electronic equipment)
- 23:10: Fire breaks out in the tyre store. New stock and 300 customers' wheel sets burn. (€180,000, Paid by: Business contents)

**Damage so far:** €223,300

## Practical tips from your broker

- Have customers' stored tyres written into your contents policy as third party property, with a sum for a full store in autumn.
- Agree the motor trade liability extension; it pays for consequential damage from faulty fitting.
- Record torque settings and remind customers in writing to have wheel nuts retightened.
- Keep the tyre store separate from workshop and heating, and agree fire protection with the insurer.
- Check whether customers' cars in your workshop are covered under motor trade insurance.
- Base business interruption cover on peak season revenue, not the monthly average.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We know the storage gap:** Customers' stored tyres often fall between liability and contents cover. As an insurance broker, Norman Nammert compares several insurers and closes this gap.
- **Vehicle damage is our daily work:** In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves, including trailers and wheels.
- **One contact person:** Workshop, store, trade plates and private provision are handled together.
- **Family run since 1989:** Our advice is free for you; the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### What insurance does a tyre service need?

Public liability with motor trade extension, contents insurance including customers' stored tyres and, with trade plates or customers' cars in the workshop, motor trade insurance.

### Who pays if a wheel comes off after a tyre change?

Public liability with motor trade extension pays for damage to other vehicles and people. Damage to the customer's own car is only covered if agreed.

### Are stored tyres covered in a fire?

Only if third party property is included in your contents insurance and the sum is high enough.

### Do I need a master craftsman qualification?

Tyre and vulcanising mechanic is a licensed craft under Annex A of the German Crafts Code, so fitting and repair generally require a master qualification or an equivalent; pure retail does not.

### What does insurance for a tyre service cost?

From our quoting work, public liability starts at about €400 a year. With storage, machines and garage risk, a business with tyre storage usually pays €3,000 to €7,000.

### Are my employees covered for accidents at work?

Yes, employees are insured by law through the Berufsgenossenschaft. As the owner you can join voluntarily.

## 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-tyre-service-and-tyre-shop.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.