# Breakdown cover in Germany: the Schutzbrief or a motoring club > In Germany, breakdown cover usually comes as a Schutzbrief, an add-on to your car insurance. It arranges and pays for roadside help, towing, a hire car, a hotel and getting the car home. It costs a fraction of a motoring club membership. The key difference: the Schutzbrief covers the car, the club covers you. Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-breakdown-cover.php Updated: 2026-11-06 ## Do I need a Schutzbrief if I am already an ADAC member? Usually not both. Club membership protects you as a person, even in someone else's car. The Schutzbrief protects the insured car, whoever drives it. If you have one car and mostly drive it yourself, the Schutzbrief is normally the cheaper choice. If you often drive hire, company or borrowed cars, or use the club's other services, the club suits you better. If you pay for both, check whether you really need two. ## At a glance - **Compulsory?:** No, optional - **As a car insurance add-on:** usually around 10 to 30 € a year, some offers below 10 € - **ADAC for comparison (2026):** Basis 54 €, Plus 94 €, Premium 139 € a year - **Tied to:** Schutzbrief: the car. Motoring club: the person - **Typical distance rule:** many benefits only from 50 km in a straight line from home ## What the Schutzbrief pays, and what only kicks in after 50 km Most German policies split their benefits into two levels. Help at the scene, meaning a breakdown service and towing to the nearest garage, usually applies right outside your front door, but often only up to a cost limit that some insurers set at 100 or 200 €. Everything that rescues a longer journey typically requires the breakdown to happen at least 50 km in a straight line from your permanent home: a hotel night, a hire car, the train home or onwards, spare parts sent abroad and transporting the car back. Hire cars are often paid for up to seven days at around 50 to 70 € a day. ## Schutzbrief or motoring club: car versus person The Schutzbrief follows the insured car and anyone allowed to drive it. If your partner breaks down in your car, it helps. If you break down in a friend's car, it does not; then the Schutzbrief on that car counts. A membership with a club such as the ADAC follows you, in a hire car or a company car too, and depending on the level on a motorbike. In return it costs several times as much. German consumer advisers put it simply: if you join a club only for breakdown help, the insurers' Schutzbrief is usually the cheaper option. ## Driving abroad: where policies really differ Most policies are valid across Europe, so the differences sit in the small print. Some only bring a car that cannot be driven, plus passengers, home from within Germany. Others only pay to bring it back from abroad if repairing it would not cost more than its replacement value. Better policies also pay for shipping spare parts abroad and the fees for customs clearance or scrapping when bringing the car home is not worth it. The customs duty itself and other taxes are normally not covered. ## What is covered - Roadside help after a breakdown or accident, up to the agreed limit - Towing or recovery if the car cannot be driven - Hotel nights while repairs take time, usually from 50 km from home - Hire car or train journey onwards or home, usually from 50 km - Shipping spare parts abroad - Bringing the car home, from abroad too depending on the policy - Fees for customs clearance or scrapping abroad, depending on the policy - Help after the car is stolen during a trip ## What is not covered - Repair costs and the spare parts themselves - Customs duty and other taxes abroad - Any vehicle other than the insured one - Hotel and hire car for breakdowns close to home, depending on the policy - Bringing the car home if repairs exceed its replacement value, depending on the policy - Costs above the agreed maximum amounts ## Who needs it - Anyone who drives their own car on holiday, especially abroad - Long distance commuters and owners of older cars - Households where several people drive the same car - Club members who joined mainly for breakdown help ## Who does not need it - A second layer of cover if you already have a suitable club membership and drive one car - Doubling up on a new car whose manufacturer includes a mobility guarantee for the first years ## What it costs As an add-on to German car insurance, the Schutzbrief is one of the cheapest covers there is. Motoring clubs charge more but protect you as a person and add club services. | Example | Typical range | | --- | --- | | Car, Schutzbrief as an add-on to car insurance | usually around 10 to 30 € a year | | ADAC membership for one person, 2026 | 54 € (Basis) to 139 € (Premium) a year | **What drives the premium:** - Add-on to car insurance or a standalone policy - Territory: Germany only or Europe - Maximum amounts for towing, hire car and hotel - Type of vehicle, such as car, motorbike or motorhome - Whether a trailer or caravan is included _The ranges come from published market overviews and the clubs' published fees. Your premium is only fixed in the quote._ ## The policy levels on the market - **Roadside help:** Breakdown service and towing up to a cost limit, often only in Germany. Enough for short trips. - **Schutzbrief for Europe:** Adds hotel, hire car, train journey and bringing the car home from 50 km from home, abroad too. - **Schutzbrief with extended cover abroad:** Higher limits, longer hire car periods, spare parts shipping and customs or scrapping fees abroad. ## How to recognise a good policy | Criterion | Minimum standard | Strong policy | Why it matters | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Territory | Germany | geographical Europe including Mediterranean islands | The costliest breakdown is the one on holiday, far from your own garage. | | Towing | up to a fixed amount | to the nearest suitable garage without a tight limit | At night, at weekends or on the Autobahn, 100 € is quickly used up. | | Hire car | a few days at a low daily rate | up to 7 days, longer abroad, at a realistic rate | Repairs with ordered parts often take more than two days abroad. | | Bringing the car home | within Germany only | from abroad too, with no value limit | Some policies only bring the car home if repairing it costs less than its replacement value. | | Distance rule | travel benefits from 50 km | roadside help from km 0, travel benefits from 50 km | Most breakdowns happen on a cold morning outside your home, not on the way to Italy. | | Spare parts and customs | not included | shipping costs plus customs clearance or scrapping fees | Without the part the car stays in the garage, and without scrapping it stays there for good. | | Trailer and caravan | not included | trailers and caravans included | If you break down towing a caravan, you need a solution for both. | ## Insurers on the German market Almost every German car insurer offers a Schutzbrief, often run by specialist assistance companies. Motoring clubs sell their own memberships alongside. This is a market overview, not a statement about who we work with. - **Allianz**: Schutzbrief with car insurance, tied agents and brokers - **Württembergische**: part of the W&W group, Schutzbrief as a car insurance add-on - **R+V**: insurer of the cooperative banks - **HUK-COBURG**: own sales force, does not work with brokers - **ROLAND Schutzbrief**: ROLAND group company specialising in Schutzbrief cover - **Deutsche Assistance**: insurer specialising in assistance services - **ADAC Versicherung**: insurance company of the ADAC group, separate from club membership 97 insurers supervised by BaFin, the German regulator, are licensed for this class of insurance. (Beistandsleistungen auf Reisen). Source: BaFin company database, 2026-09-18; EU insurers without a German office excluded. ## Typical claims and who pays - **Flat battery outside your home** (a breakdown service call out): Most policies provide roadside help from km 0, but only up to the agreed cost limit. - **Engine failure 600 km from home** (hotel and hire car, often 50 to 70 € a day): From 50 km from home, policies pay for a hotel or hire car. Basic ones set low daily rates and short periods. - **Breakdown in a borrowed car** (breakdown service and towing): Your Schutzbrief is tied to your own car. In someone else's, only their Schutzbrief or a personal club membership helps. - **Accident in Italy, car won't drive** (transporting the car home): Some policies only bring the car home within Germany, or only if repairs cost less than its replacement value. - **Spare part missing in Croatia** (shipping costs for the part): Stronger policies pay for shipping parts abroad. You pay for the part itself. - **The garage bill** (repairs and parts): No Schutzbrief pays for repairs. After an accident, comprehensive cover or the other driver's insurer does. ## Myth or truth - „One hi-vis vest per car is enough in Germany." ✔ True. Since 1 July 2014 every car must carry one, and one is enough. One per passenger is still sensible. Driving without one costs a 15 € fine. - „German law makes me wear the vest when I break down." ✘ Germany only requires you to carry it, not to wear it. Put it on anyway before stepping out on the Autobahn. In Austria and some other countries wearing it is compulsory. - „The Schutzbrief helps if my partner breaks down in my car." ✔ Correct. It covers the insured car, whoever is allowed to drive it. - „The Schutzbrief pays for a hotel and hire car after any breakdown." ✘ Usually not. Many policies only pay these if the breakdown happens at least 50 km in a straight line from home. - „With a Schutzbrief the repair is paid for." ✘ No. It arranges help and transport. Repairs and spare parts are not covered. ## Common mistakes - Paying for a club membership and a Schutzbrief without comparing what each does - Assuming the Schutzbrief pays for the repair - Calling a tow truck yourself instead of the policy's emergency number - Overlooking the 50 km rule and expecting a hotel or hire car near home - Towing a caravan on holiday without checking it is included ## FAQ ### How much does a Schutzbrief cost in Germany? As an add-on to car insurance, usually between 10 and 30 € a year, some offers less. ADAC membership cost between 54 and 139 € a year in 2026, depending on the level. ### Does the Schutzbrief cover other drivers of my car? Yes. It is tied to the insured car and covers anyone allowed to drive it, plus passengers. It does not help if you break down in someone else's car. ### What is the 50 km rule? Many benefits, such as a hotel, hire car, train journey and bringing the car home, only apply if the breakdown happens at least 50 km in a straight line from your permanent home. Roadside help and towing usually apply before that. ### Does the Schutzbrief pay for repairs? No. It pays for help, transport and getting you moving again. Repairs and parts are on you or, after an accident, on your own comprehensive cover or the other driver's liability insurer. ### Does it work outside Germany? Most policies cover Europe. They differ on bringing the car home: some only do so within Germany or only up to the car's replacement value. ### Do I need a hi-vis vest in my car in Germany? Yes. Since 1 July 2014 every car registered in Germany must carry at least one. Germany has no rule that you must wear it, but you should put it on before getting out on the Autobahn. Neighbouring countries such as Austria do require it in some situations. ### Who do I call when I break down? The emergency number on your insurance card or in your insurer's app. The assistance company then sends help. If you hire a service yourself, you may only get part of the cost back or nothing at all. ## 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-breakdown-cover.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.