# Household appliance insurance in Germany: cover for washing machines, fridges and cookers > The washing machine stops draining, the fridge runs warm, the hob shows nothing but an error code. Appliance cover and extended warranties pay for repairs once the manufacturer guarantee has run out. They are optional, and for many households they do not pay off. This page explains when they do. Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-household-appliance-insurance.php Updated: 2026-11-13 ## Do I need insurance for my household appliances in Germany? Usually not. For two years the seller is liable for defects, contents insurance pays for lightning and, depending on the policy, power surges, and the consumer advice centre in Hamburg explicitly advises against appliance insurance. It is worth considering for an expensive new appliance if a large repair bill would hurt your budget and the premium is reasonable compared with the purchase price. ## At a glance - **Mandatory?:** No, optional extra cover - **Statutory warranty:** 2 years against the seller, burden of proof eased in year one - **Typical claims:** failed pump, heating element, electronics, user error - **Contents cover pays:** lightning and surges depending on the policy, never wear - **Premium:** monthly or as a one-off payment for several years ## Statutory warranty, manufacturer guarantee and extended warranty If a new appliance is faulty when you buy it, the seller must repair or replace it for two years. If the fault shows within the first year, German law has presumed since 2022 that it was there from the start. After that you have to prove it yourself, which rarely works for a worn drain pump. A manufacturer guarantee is a voluntary extra on the maker's own terms. An extended warranty sold by a retailer is usually an insurance policy with its own wording. The German term Garantieverlängerung is not protected, so what counts is the policy text, not the label. ## What German contents insurance covers for appliances Hausratversicherung pays when something from outside damages the appliance: fire, lightning, burglary, escaping tap water and, in many policies, power surges. If your washing machine leaks, contents cover pays for your furniture, buildings cover for the floor, and your personal liability policy for the flat below. It does not pay for the appliance breaking down by itself. Worn bearings, a dead control board or a heating element that gives up after six years are not insured events. That is the gap appliance cover is meant to close. ## When appliance cover is not worth it Add up the premiums over the whole term and compare them with the purchase price. The consumer advice centre in Hamburg describes a customer who insured a EUR 199 washing machine for EUR 8 a month and had paid more than EUR 800 after nine years, long after he had got rid of the machine. For cheap appliances, appliances near the end of their life and households that can pay a repair from savings, your own savings account is almost always the better insurance. If you do sign up, note the cancellation deadline straight away. ## What is covered - Breakdowns caused by material, design or manufacturing defects - Wear and tear on pumps, bearings, heating elements or seals, depending on the policy - User error and accidents, for example a cracked ceramic hob - Electronic faults in boards, displays and controls - Repair costs including parts, labour and call-out - Replacement if the appliance is beyond economic repair, often scaled by age - Spoiled food after a fridge or freezer breakdown, in some policies ## What is not covered - Cosmetic damage such as scratches and dents without loss of function - Servicing, cleaning, descaling and consumables such as filters and bulbs - Faults that already existed when cover started - Damage from incorrect installation or repairs by unauthorised third parties - Commercial use, for example in a holiday let, unless agreed - Water damage to furniture and the building, which contents and buildings cover handle ## Who needs it - Buyers of an expensive built-in appliance or a high-end washing machine - Households where a repair of several hundred euros would strain the budget - Families whose appliances run every day - Owners of several older large appliances who prefer a fixed monthly cost - Landlords of furnished flats, if the policy explicitly allows letting ## Who does not need it - Cover for cheap appliances, where premiums reach the purchase price within a few years - An extra warranty for the first two years, when the seller's statutory warranty already applies ## What it costs The premium mainly depends on the purchase price. Specialists charge monthly, retailers often sell extended warranties as a one-off payment for three or five years. On a partner page, Wertgarantie quotes EUR 3.50 a month for appliances up to EUR 350 and EUR 5.50 a month for appliances up to EUR 2,000 for its comprehensive cover. | Example | Typical range | | --- | --- | | Comprehensive cover, appliance up to EUR 350 | EUR 3.50 a month | | Comprehensive cover, appliance up to EUR 2,000 | EUR 5.50 a month | **What drives the premium:** - Purchase price and type of appliance - Age of the appliance when cover starts - Basic extended warranty or cover including wear and user error - One-off or regular premium - Deductible per claim - Single appliance or several in one contract _Prices from one provider's undated partner page. Other providers and retailers price differently, often as a one-off payment. Your premium is only fixed in the quote._ ## The policy levels on the market - **Basic extended warranty:** Extends cover against material and manufacturing defects beyond the manufacturer guarantee. Wear and user error are usually excluded. - **Appliance cover with accidents:** Also pays for mishaps, breakage and electronic damage, depending on the policy with wear, call-out and spoiled food. - **Home appliance assistance:** Sends a technician and pays up to a fixed amount per call-out. Fast help, but with caps and age limits and no new appliance. ## How to recognise a good policy | Criterion | Minimum standard | Strong policy | Why it matters | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Wear and tear | only material and manufacturing defects | wear on bearings, pumps, heating elements and seals included | Once the warranty has expired, appliances mostly fail through wear, not through a factory fault. | | User error | excluded | user error and breakage included | A pan dropped on a ceramic hob is not a defect and falls through every other net. | | Payout if beyond repair | current value on a sliding scale | replacement value or purchase price for a longer period | When a repair is uneconomic, the scale decides how much of the new appliance you pay yourself. | | Extra costs | parts and labour only | also call-out, diagnosis, removal and installation | For large appliances, call-out and diagnosis make up a noticeable part of the bill. | | Choice of repairer | approved partner only, after authorisation | free choice of repairer, reimbursed against invoice | In rural areas the nearest partner can be far away, and a fridge cannot wait a week. | | Term and cancellation | fixed term with automatic renewal | cancellable monthly or with a clear end date | If you sell or replace the appliance, you should not keep paying for something you no longer own. | | Deductible | fixed deductible per claim | no deductible | On a repair of a few hundred euros, a deductible eats up a large share of the payout. | ## Insurers on the German market In Germany, appliance cover comes from specialists selling through retailers, as extended warranties from the big electronics chains with an insurer behind them, and as add-ons or assistance cover from mainstream property insurers. The list is a market overview. - **WERTGARANTIE**: appliance cover specialist, sold through retailers and some manufacturer promotions - **Zurich**: insurer behind the extended warranty sold by MediaMarkt and Saturn - **ERGO**: long-term warranty for electrical appliances through partners, including user error - **ADAC**: home appliance assistance that arranges a repairer - **ARAG**: electronics cover as an add-on to contents insurance 155 insurers supervised by BaFin, the German regulator, are licensed for this class of insurance. (Hagel-, Frost- und sonstige Sachschäden). Source: BaFin company database, 2026-09-18; EU insurers without a German office excluded. ## Typical claims and who pays - **Drain pump fails after four years** (repair, often a three-figure sum): Whether the pump was faulty or simply worn decides the claim. Basic extended warranties usually exclude wear. - **Pan dropped on the ceramic hob** (new hob including fitting): A crack from an impact is not a defect. Only policies with user error and breakage pay. - **Freezer dies while you are away** (repair and spoiled frozen food): The repair is usually covered, spoiled food only in some policies and up to a limit. - **Lightning fries the dishwasher** (new electronics or appliance): Contents cover often pays here already if surges are included. Insuring twice is pointless. - **Nine-year-old washer beyond repair** (share of the new price on a scale): When repair no longer pays, you only get part of the new price, and that share shrinks every year. - **Scratch on the fridge door** (new door or foil): Cosmetic damage without loss of function is excluded almost everywhere. ## Myth or truth - „For two years the seller has to put a defect right." ✔ True, that is the statutory warranty. Since 2022 a defect appearing in the first year is presumed to have existed at purchase. - „Contents insurance repairs my washing machine when it breaks." ✘ No. It pays for insured perils such as fire, lightning and, depending on the policy, surges, not for wear or an internal fault. - „An extended warranty always covers wear and tear." ✘ Wrong. The German term is not protected, and basic offers only cover material and manufacturing defects. - „Appliance cover can end up costing more than the appliance." ✔ True. The Hamburg consumer advice centre describes a EUR 199 washing machine on which more than EUR 800 in premiums had been paid after nine years. - „Buying an extended warranty takes away my statutory rights." ✘ No. The statutory warranty and any guarantee apply side by side. The guarantee adds to your rights and takes nothing away. ## Common mistakes - Paying for cover in the first two years that the statutory warranty already provides - Buying a basic extended warranty and assuming wear is included - Insuring a cheap appliance with a monthly premium that overtakes the purchase price - Letting the contract run on after selling or replacing the appliance - Booking a repairer yourself when the policy requires prior authorisation - Not keeping the receipt and rating plate details ## FAQ ### What is the difference between warranty and guarantee in Germany? Gewährleistung is the statutory warranty: two years, against the seller who sold you the appliance. Garantie is a voluntary promise, usually by the manufacturer, on its own terms. Both apply side by side. ### Does contents insurance pay for a broken washing machine? Only if the cause is insured, such as fire, lightning or, depending on the policy, a power surge. It does not pay for wear or a fault inside the appliance. ### Who pays if the washing machine leaks? Contents cover for your furniture, buildings cover for floors and walls, and your personal liability policy for the flat below. Leaving the machine running while you go out can lead to a reduced payout for gross negligence. ### Does every extended warranty cover wear and tear? No. Basic extended warranties usually cover only material and manufacturing defects. Wear and user error come only with broader policies. Read the list of insured events, not the product name. ### Can I still insure an older appliance? With some providers, yes, often up to a maximum appliance age at the start and sometimes with a waiting period. Retailer extended warranties can usually only be bought at purchase or shortly after. ### What happens if a repair is no longer worth it? Many policies then pay part of the replacement price, scaled by the age of the appliance. The older it is, the more of the new appliance you pay yourself. ### How do I cancel appliance cover? Within the deadlines in the contract. With annual contracts, notice often has to arrive three months before the end of the policy year, otherwise it runs for another year. When you sell or replace the appliance, check whether cover ends or can be transferred. ### Are appliances in a holiday let covered? Often not. Many policies exclude commercial or rented use. If you want to cover appliances in a flat you let, you need a policy that explicitly allows it. ## 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. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-household-appliance-insurance.php#anfrage --- 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.