# Electronic equipment insurance in Germany: all risks cover for your business technology > German businesses insure computers, tills, phone systems, medical and measuring devices through a dedicated Elektronikversicherung. It covers almost any sudden damage, including accidental damage, short circuits and power surges, which a standard contents policy leaves out. Think of it as the engineering counterpart to property cover. Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-electronic-equipment.php Updated: 2026-09-18 ## Why do I need electronic equipment insurance if I have contents insurance? Because German contents cover only pays for named perils: fire, burglary, water from pipes and storm. Most damage to technology comes from something else: a power surge from the grid, a short circuit, coffee spilled on a keyboard, a dropped tablet or an operating error. Electronic equipment insurance covers these on an all risks basis, usually at replacement value. ## At a glance - **Mandatory?:** No, often required by equipment leasing contracts - **Principle:** All risks: covered unless excluded - **Model wording:** ABE 2020 from the German insurers' association GDV - **Settlement:** Repair cost, or replacement value for a total loss - **Add-ons:** Data and software, extra costs, business interruption ## All risks shifts the burden of proof Most German property policies list what they cover. Electronic equipment insurance works the other way round: any unforeseen physical damage is covered unless an exclusion applies, and the insurer has to prove that it does. For a business owner this makes claims simpler. The main exclusions are wear and tear, defects known when the policy started, intent, and damage for which the manufacturer, supplier or repairer is liable under warranty. The model conditions published by the GDV (ABE 2020) set the framework, and individual insurers improve on them. ## Hardware yes, data only with an add-on The basic cover replaces or repairs the device. Restoring data, reinstalling software and buying new licences needs a separate data and software section, which usually pays only if insured physical damage to the storage medium caused the loss. Ransomware and hacking do not damage hardware, so they fall outside this policy. Cyber insurance fills that gap. Many firms need both, and neither replaces the other. ## Blanket cover or itemised list Small offices often insure all stationary office and communication equipment under one blanket sum without a list, and new devices are automatically included up to that sum. Practices and laboratories usually list each expensive device with its replacement value. Portable devices such as laptops, tablets and measuring kits can be covered off-site, often worldwide. Check the rules for theft from vehicles: many policies require a locked boot and limit cover at night. ## What is covered - Operating errors, clumsiness and negligence - Power surges, induction and short circuits, also without lightning - Water, moisture and spilled liquids - Drops, breakage and impact - Fire, lightning, explosion, storm and water from pipes - Burglary, robbery, vandalism and sabotage - Design, material and manufacturing defects after the warranty expires - Portable equipment away from the premises, if included - Data and software restoration, if included ## What is not covered - Wear and tear - Damage the manufacturer, dealer or repairer is liable for - Defects known at the start of the policy - Data loss without physical damage, such as ransomware - Intentional damage - Theft from unlocked vehicles, depending on the policy ## Who needs it - Medical and dental practices with diagnostic equipment - Offices and agencies that depend on computers and servers - Retail and hospitality with till systems - Businesses with measuring, testing and control technology - Anyone whose leasing contract requires cover ## Who can do without - Businesses with a few inexpensive devices they can replace from reserves ## What it costs The premium is a rate on the sum insured, which is the replacement value of the equipment. Portable devices cost considerably more to insure than stationary ones. A higher deductible lowers the premium. **What drives the premium:** - Replacement value of the equipment - Type of technology: office IT, medical, measuring and control - Share of portable devices and off-site cover - Deductible - Data, software and extra costs sections - Environment, such as dust, heat or humidity _There are no reliable published price comparisons for business electronics cover in Germany. Your premium is known once we have a quote._ ## The policy levels on the market - **Blanket office cover:** One sum for all stationary office and communication equipment, no list, new devices included. - **Extended blanket cover:** Adds portable devices worldwide, data and software, extra costs and a lower deductible. - **Itemised cover:** Each device listed at replacement value, plus electronics business interruption and extra costs. For practices and labs. ## How to recognise a good policy | Criterion | Minimum standard | Strong policy | Why it matters | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Replacement value | current value after a few years | replacement value for the whole service life | Electronics lose value quickly, but a replacement costs the full price. | | Portable devices | on premises only | worldwide, including locked vehicles | Laptops and tablets usually break or disappear on the move. | | Data and software | not included | restoration of data, programs and licences with its own limit | Reinstalling practice or inventory software can cost more than the hardware. | | Extra costs | not included | rental equipment, overtime and express charges | The business has to keep running until the replacement arrives. | | Warranty cases | excluded with no advance payment | insurer pays first if the manufacturer disputes liability | Otherwise you argue with the manufacturer while work stands still. | | Deductible | fixed amount per claim | selectable, separate rule for theft of portables | The deductible decides whether small claims are worth reporting. | ## Insurers on the German market Electronic equipment insurance belongs to the engineering lines in Germany. It is offered by large property insurers and specialists, often as part of commercial packages. This list is a market overview. - **Allianz**: engineering lines for businesses - **AXA**: electronics standalone and in packages - **HDI**: Talanx group, schemes for practices and professions - **R+V**: engineering lines for mid-sized firms - **Helvetia**: engineering lines via brokers - **Mannheimer**: Continentale group, specialist schemes - **Gothaer**: electronics for businesses and practices - **Zurich**: engineering lines for commercial clients 155 insurers supervised by BaFin, the German regulator, are licensed for this class of insurance. (Hagel-, Frost- und sonstige Sachschäden). Source: BaFin company database, retrieved 2026-09-18. Insurers from other EU countries selling through a branch or without a German office are not included. ## Typical claims and who pays - **Toddler topples the office monitor** (around €300 to €1,500): Clumsiness by anyone, including visitors, is a typical insured event under all risks cover. - **MacBook left behind on the ICE** (full price of a new device): Leaving a device behind is loss, not theft or damage. No electronic equipment policy pays for that. - **Laptop taken from a locked boot at night** (around €1,000 to €3,000): Office cover stops at the door. With portable devices included, many insurers pay, often with night time limits. - **Power surge kills the NAS** (around €500 to €5,000): Surges from the grid, even without lightning, are exactly what this insurance is for. - **Restoring data after a fire** (technician costs, often four figures): Basic cover replaces hardware. Data and software restoration needs its own section. - **Ransomware locks every PC** (five to six figures with downtime): Encrypted data is not physical damage. Cyber insurance handles that. ## Myth or truth - „Scratches on a screen that still works are covered." ✘ Usually not. Cosmetic damage that does not affect function is a standard exclusion. - „A warranty claim and this insurance can pay out for the same fault." ✘ No, the manufacturer or dealer is liable first, and the insurer will not pay twice. Good policies pay in advance and recover the money from the manufacturer. - „Damage an angry employee causes on purpose can still be covered." ✔ Yes, sabotage and intent by third parties are insured. Only intent by the owner and senior management is excluded. - „Rodents chewing through cables are an insured event." ✔ Generally yes, since all risks cover pays for any sudden physical damage not excluded. Animal bites are not among the usual exclusions. - „Every German insurer uses the same GDV conditions, so policies are all alike." ✘ No, the GDV model conditions are non-binding templates. Insurers change and extend them, and those differences decide claims. ## Common mistakes - Thinking contents insurance covers accidental damage and short circuits - Covering laptops only on the premises - Never updating the sum after buying new medical equipment - Forgetting data restoration and software licences - Treating electronics and cyber insurance as interchangeable ## FAQ ### Is a power surge covered? Yes, that is one of the main reasons for the policy. Unlike contents insurance, it also pays for surges from the grid without a lightning strike. ### Is a dropped laptop covered? Yes, drops and breakage are typical insured events. Away from the office this applies only if portable devices are included. ### Does electronic equipment insurance cover hacking? Generally no, since there is no physical damage. Encrypted or deleted data is a matter for cyber insurance. ### What if the device is still under warranty? The manufacturer or dealer has to pay first. Good policies pay in advance if the manufacturer disputes the claim and then recover the money themselves. ### Does my leasing company require this insurance? Often yes. Leasing contracts for office, medical or measuring equipment usually require the lessee to insure the device at replacement value. Lessors may offer their own cover, which is worth comparing with an independent policy. ### Do I have to list every device? Not with blanket cover, where one sum applies to all devices of a type. With itemised cover every device is listed, and new ones must be reported. ### Are older devices replaced at full value? That depends on the policy. Better policies pay replacement value as long as the device is in use. Others switch to current value after some years or for models no longer manufactured. ### Is the phone system covered? Yes, telephone and communication systems are classic insured items, as are alarm systems, tills and network equipment, provided they are included in the sum insured. ## Legal basis and sources - [Insurance Contract Act (VVG, German)](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/vvg_2008/) - [BaFin company database (licensed insurers)](https://portal.mvp.bafin.de/database/InstInfo/) ## 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/insurance-broker-electronic-equipment.php#anfrage --- 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.