# Tool insurance in Germany: cover for tools in the van and on site > If you work as a tradesperson, fitter or self-employed installer in Germany, your tools spend most of the day away from the workshop: in the van, in a site container, in a client's half-finished building. Business contents insurance usually stops at the workshop door, and German motor insurance does not pay for loose tools in the load area. Werkzeugversicherung, German tool insurance, fills that gap. Whether it pays depends on a few clauses that differ widely between insurers. Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-tool-insurance.php Updated: 2026-11-13 ## Do I need tool insurance if my business already has contents insurance? Usually yes, as soon as tools leave your premises. German business contents insurance (Inhaltsversicherung) covers what is inside the premises named in the policy. Away from there it pays at most under a small external cover limit, and a break-in to a vehicle is often not included at all. Tool insurance is built for the places where tools actually are: the van, the site, the container and the client's property. It is sold as a stand-alone policy or as an add-on to contents or goods-in-transit cover. ## At a glance - **Compulsory?:** No, it is voluntary property insurance - **Policy form:** stand-alone policy or add-on to contents, vehicle contents or goods-in-transit cover - **Motor partial cover (Teilkasko):** generally does not pay for loose tools in the vehicle - **Key restriction:** night clause, often for the hours between 10 pm and 6 am - **Insurance tax:** 19 % on top of the premium ## Tools, contents and electronics: three different policies German business insurance is split by object and place. Contents insurance protects furniture, stock and equipment inside your premises against fire, burglary, burst pipes and storm. Electronics insurance (Elektronikversicherung) covers computers, tills and phone systems, including operator error and power surges. Tool insurance covers the drills, saws, measuring equipment and hand tools that travel between workshop, van and site. Mobile plant such as a mini excavator or a plate compactor belongs in machinery insurance, not in a tool policy. Laptops and tablets are excluded by many tool policies and are better placed under electronics cover. If you hold several policies, it pays to check that every item sits in exactly one of them. ## The van: locked, break-in marks and the night clause Most claims start with a van that has been broken into. Cover normally requires a locked vehicle and visible signs of forced entry. Theft from an unlocked van is not covered. Some policies also require a closed box body or that tools are not visible from outside. The night clause (Nachtzeitklausel) is where many claims fail. Under it, theft from the vehicle at night, often between 10 pm and 6 am, is covered only if the van was in a locked garage, a closed yard or a guarded car park. Other insurers pay at night with a higher deductible or charge an extra premium for round-the-clock cover. If your van stays on the street outside your flat, look for a policy without this clause. ## On site and abroad On a building site, a good policy covers a break-in to a locked site container or a lockable room in the new building. Tools left in the open or in an unlocked shell are hardly ever covered. Damage while working, such as a laser level falling from scaffolding, is only included under all-risks cover. Fitters who work in other countries should check the territorial scope. Many German policies cover Germany only, some extend to Europe, and worldwide assembly jobs usually need a special agreement. Mention regular work abroad before the policy is issued. ## What is covered - Theft following a break-in to the locked vehicle - Theft of the whole vehicle together with the tools - Road accident of the vehicle carrying the tools - Break-in to locked site containers and rooms in new buildings, depending on the policy - Fire, lightning and explosion - Damage while working, if all-risks cover is agreed - Robbery with violence or threats - Employees' own tools and hired equipment, if included ## What is not covered - Wear and tear - Unexplained loss and items left behind - Theft from an unlocked vehicle - Theft from the vehicle at night outside a garage or guarded area, where a night clause applies - Consumables such as drill bits, cutting discs and saw blades, depending on the policy - Laptops, tablets and phones, which usually belong under electronics insurance ## Who needs it - Trades businesses that drive to clients and sites with vans - Field fitters and installers, including jobs abroad - Self-employed tradespeople who cannot work the next day without their tools - Firms with expensive battery systems and measuring equipment - Businesses whose staff bring their own tools to work ## Who does not need it - Businesses whose tools never leave the workshop, if contents cover is sufficient ## What it costs The premium depends on the sum insured, which should match the cost of replacing your tools new, on the number of vehicles and on where the tools need to be covered. A policy without a night clause or with simple theft costs noticeably more than vehicle-only cover. **What drives the premium:** - Sum insured and number of vehicles - Covered locations: vehicle only, or site, container and premises as well - Night clause or round-the-clock cover - All-risks including damage, or theft and fire only - Deductible, often separate for theft - Trade and claims history _We do not publish sample premiums, because German tool policies are built very differently. German insurance tax of 19 % is added to the premium. Your price is fixed in the quote we obtain on the basis of your details._ ## The policy levels on the market - **Vehicle cover:** Break-in to the locked vehicle, theft of the vehicle, accident and fire. At night only in a garage or guarded area, indemnity value after a few years. Enough if your van is parked safely overnight. - **Tool cover including sites:** Adds locked containers and new buildings, employees' tools and hired equipment, with a clear rule for the night. The right level for most trades businesses. - **All-risks:** Adds damage while working, drops and operator error, sometimes simple theft, new-for-old for longer and hire costs for replacements. For expensive measuring kit and fitters with changing sites. ## How to recognise a good policy | Criterion | Minimum standard | Strong policy | Why it matters | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Night clause | at night only in a garage or guarded area | no night clause, or only a higher deductible | Most van break-ins happen at night outside the owner's home. | | Covered locations | vehicle | vehicle, site container, new building, premises and employees' homes | Tools change location every day and cover has to follow them. | | Damage | theft, accident and fire only | all-risks including drops and operator error | A dropped measuring device costs as much as a stolen one. | | Basis of settlement | indemnity value | new-for-old for several years | The depreciated value of an old battery system will not buy a new one. | | Third-party tools | own business tools only | also employees' tools and hired or leased equipment | The business has to pay for lost hired equipment. | | Gross negligence | reduction according to the degree of fault | waiver of the reduction up to a limit | One careless moment can otherwise cost a large part of the payout. | | Territorial scope | Germany | Europe, worldwide assembly by agreement | Jobs across the border are routine for many fitters. | ## Insurers on the German market In Germany tool cover is sold as a stand-alone policy, as vehicle contents insurance or as part of goods-in-transit and contents policies. Product names say little about the actual scope. The list describes the German market; it says nothing about which insurers we work with. - **Dialog**: vehicle contents cover for building trades and goods-in-transit, sold through brokers - **Zurich**: vehicle contents insurance for business customers - **Mannheimer**: equipment and goods-in-transit cover for commercial clients - **ARAG**: goods-in-transit cover including tools and work equipment - **Württembergische**: goods-in-transit cover for business customers - **HDI**: part of the Talanx group, small business and trades 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 - **Van broken into outside your home** (around EUR 5,000 to 20,000): With a night clause, basic cover only pays if the van was in a garage or guarded area. Strong policies drop the clause or apply a higher deductible. - **Site container broken open** (around EUR 3,000 to 15,000): Vehicle-only cover ends at the van door. Only policies that name the site as a location pay for a break-in to a locked container. - **Laser level falls off scaffold** (around EUR 500 to 3,000): Damage while working is only covered under all-risks. - **Crash destroys tools in the van** (several thousand euros): An accident of the carrying vehicle is a basic peril in almost every tool policy. - **Cordless drill worn out** (around EUR 150 to 400): Wear and tear is not an insured event under any policy. - **Hammer drill vanishes from open shell** (around EUR 300 to 1,500): Without a break-in this is simple theft. Only a few strong policies pay, and then with a separate limit. ## Myth or truth - „German partial motor cover also pays for tools stolen from the van." ✘ False, Teilkasko pays for parts of the vehicle and required accessories, not for loose items in the load area. - „Business contents insurance covers tools wherever they are." ✘ False, it covers the premises named in the policy. Elsewhere there is at most a small external cover limit. - „Parking on the street at night can cost you your theft cover." ✔ True where a night clause applies. Many policies pay for night-time theft from the vehicle only if it was in a garage, closed yard or guarded car park. - „Tools that employees bought themselves can be insured too." ✔ True, many policies offer an extension for employees' tools. It has to be agreed expressly. - „Gross negligence always means no payout at all." ✘ False, under German law the insurer may only reduce the payout according to the degree of fault, and some policies waive this up to a limit. ## Common mistakes - Assuming the motor policy pays for tools stolen from the van - Overlooking the night clause and parking on the street overnight - Keeping no list of tools with receipts or photos - Not raising the sum insured after buying new equipment - Forgetting to mention regular jobs abroad ## FAQ ### Does German motor insurance pay if tools are stolen from my van? Generally not. Partial cover (Teilkasko) pays for parts of the vehicle and required accessories, such as the broken window or lock, but not for loose items like tools or materials. For those you need tool, vehicle contents or goods-in-transit insurance. ### What is the night clause? A restriction on theft from the vehicle at night, often between 10 pm and 6 am. Depending on the policy, the insurer only pays during those hours if the vehicle was in a garage, a closed yard or a guarded car park, or pays with a higher deductible. The exact hours and exceptions are in the policy wording. ### Are tools left on site overnight covered? Only if the site is a covered location and the tools were locked away, for example in a site container or a lockable room. Tools left in the open or in an unlocked shell are almost never covered. ### Are my employees' own tools covered? Only if the policy expressly includes tools owned by staff. Without that extension the employee bears the loss or asks the business to pay. ### What happens if I forgot to lock the van? Theft from an unlocked vehicle is usually not covered, because there was no break-in. For other grossly negligent mistakes, German law (§ 81 Insurance Contract Act) lets the insurer reduce the payout according to the degree of fault. Some policies waive this up to a limit. ### What should I do after a theft? Report it to the police at once, make a list of the stolen items and notify the insurer without delay. Receipts, serial numbers and photos speed up the claim. ### Can I cancel after a claim? Yes. Under § 92 of the German Insurance Contract Act both you and the insurer may cancel a property policy after a claim. Insurers sometimes use this after repeated thefts. ### Why use a broker for tool insurance? Because the differences lie in the night clause, vehicle requirements and theft limits, not in the insurer's name. We compare the wording against your vans, your sites and the value of your tools, and explain the German terms in English. ## 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-tool-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.