Quick answer
Important
1. The three tiers of cover
German car insurance is built in layers, and the names tell you nothing useful unless you already know the system.
One feature is worth highlighting for anyone arriving from outside Europe: compulsory third-party liability in Germany carries very high minimum cover, and policies commonly insure personal injury liability at levels far above those minimums. A serious injury claim can run to millions, and this is the layer that protects you against that.
| Haftpflicht | Teilkasko | Vollkasko | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compulsory | Yes | No | No |
| Damage you cause to others | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Theft of your car | No | Yes | Yes |
| Fire, storm, hail, flood | No | Yes | Yes |
| Glass damage | No | Yes | Yes |
| Collision with wildlife | No | Yes | Yes |
| Damage you cause to your own car | No | No | Yes |
| Vandalism | No | No | Yes |
Teilkasko covers things that happen to your car. Vollkasko adds things you do to your car.
The German words you will see
- Kfz-Haftpflichtversicherung
- Compulsory third-party liability insurance. Covers damage and injury you cause to others.
- Teilkasko
- Partial comprehensive: theft, fire, glass, storm and animal collisions.
- Vollkasko
- Full comprehensive: adds damage to your own car, including damage that was your fault, plus vandalism.
- Selbstbeteiligung
- The excess: what you pay yourself on a claim. A higher excess lowers the premium.
2. Which tier to choose
The conventional rule of thumb is Vollkasko for a new or financed car, Teilkasko for a middle-aged one, and liability only for an old car worth little.
Two qualifications matter. If the car is financed or leased, the lender will normally require Vollkasko for the term, so it is not your decision. And the calculation depends on the car’s value against the premium difference: paying several hundred euros a year in Vollkasko for a car worth two thousand rarely makes sense.
- New or nearly new car: Vollkasko
- Financed or leased: Vollkasko, usually contractually required
- Three to eight years old: Teilkasko is the common choice
- Older, low value: liability only, and consider setting the money aside instead
- Street parking in a city: Teilkasko or Vollkasko is worth more, because of theft and vandalism risk
- A higher excess lowers the premium, and is usually worth taking if you can absorb it
4. Switching, and the November deadline
Most German car insurance policies run to the calendar year, and the ordinary notice period means the practical deadline to switch for the following year is the end of November.
Because of that, November is when insurers compete hardest, and switching is genuinely worthwhile: the same cover can differ by hundreds of euros a year between providers. Your no-claims class transfers with you, so switching does not reset your record.
You also get a special right to cancel outside the normal window in defined circumstances, most usefully after a premium increase and after a claim has been settled.
- Ordinary switching: give notice by the end of November for a 1 January change
- After a premium increase: a special right to cancel, within a short window of the notification
- After a claim is settled: a special right to cancel
- On selling the car: the policy ends with the vehicle rather than transferring
- When you switch, your no-claims class transfers with you
5. After an accident
What you do in the first hour affects the claim considerably, and the German expectation is more documentation than many drivers are used to.
Secure the scene and check for injuries
Warning triangle, hazard lights, high-visibility vest. Call emergency services if anyone is hurt. Leaving the scene of an accident is a criminal offence.
Call the police where it is not trivial
For injuries, significant damage, a foreign vehicle or any dispute about fault. Insurers take a police report seriously.
Document thoroughly
Photographs of both vehicles, positions, the wider scene, road markings and any skid marks. Exchange names, addresses, insurers and policy numbers.
Do not admit fault at the scene
Fault is determined by the insurers and, if necessary, a court. An admission recorded at the roadside can bind you unhelpfully.
Report it to your insurer promptly
There are contractual deadlines. Report it even where you do not intend to claim, because the other party may.
Consider an independent assessor if you are not at fault
Where the other side is liable, you are generally entitled to instruct your own assessor at their insurer’s cost rather than accepting theirs.
6. Frequently asked questions
Third-party liability, Kfz-Haftpflicht. You cannot register a car without it, and the eVB confirmation of cover is required at the registration office. Teilkasko and Vollkasko are optional.
Teilkasko covers things that happen to your car: theft, fire, glass, storm and animal collisions. Vollkasko adds damage you cause to your own car, including your own fault, plus vandalism.
Your no-claims class. Each claim-free year moves you up and lowers the premium, and a long record cuts it to a fraction of the beginner rate. A claim moves you back several classes, not one, which is why small repairs are often better paid yourself.
Some insurers recognise claim-free years earned abroad and some do not, and the difference is substantial. Get a written statement of your claim-free years from your previous insurer and ask several German insurers, because their policies on this differ.
For most policies the practical deadline is the end of November for a change on 1 January. You also have a special right to cancel after a premium increase and after a claim is settled.
Often not. A claim moves you down several no-claims classes and the higher premiums persist for years. Ask your insurer at what repair cost claiming becomes worthwhile; they will usually tell you.
An electronic confirmation that you have cover, which the registration office requires before it will register a vehicle. Insurers issue it quickly, often within minutes online, and it commits you to nothing until you register.
Official information
Rules and amounts change. Always verify current requirements using official sources.
Owning a vehicle — official services, opens in a new tab
Bundesportal
Registration, re-registration, deregistration and the paperwork each step needs.
Consumer advice centres, opens in a new tab
Verbraucherzentrale · not a government authority
Publicly funded consumer advice on contracts, energy, telecoms and debt. Independent of the providers it advises on.
Federal Motor Transport Authority, opens in a new tab
Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA)
The federal authority for vehicle registration data and driving licence records.
Related guides
Amounts and legal requirements can change. We verify this information against official sources and show when each figure was last checked, but always confirm important requirements with the responsible authority before you apply.
Einfach Germany is an independent information platform and is not affiliated with the German government.