Car Insurance in Germany 2026: Haftpflicht, Teilkasko and Vollkasko
In short: in Germany only third-party liability insurance (Kfz-Haftpflicht) is required by law (§ 1 PflVG). Partial cover (Teilkasko) and comprehensive cover (Vollkasko) are optional and depend mainly on your car's value. New and leased cars usually need Vollkasko, used cars up to around €10,000 are often fine with Teilkasko, and older cars are most economical with liability only. This guide explains the three cover types, the SF no-claims classes and the German cancellation deadlines.
Key facts at a glance
- •Haftpflicht (liability): mandatory (§ 1 PflVG); pays for damage you cause to others
- •Teilkasko (partial): optional; covers theft, fire, storm, hail, glass and animal collisions
- •Vollkasko (comprehensive): Teilkasko plus self-inflicted accidents and vandalism
- •SF discount: every claim-free year improves your class, though each insurer sets its own rate table
The three types of car insurance in Germany
Liability (Kfz-Haftpflicht) - mandatory
- Required by law: for every registered vehicle (§ 1 PflVG)
- Statutory minimum cover: €7.5m for personal injury, €1.3m for property damage (since 17 April 2024)
- Recommended: €100m flat cover for serious accidents
- What it covers: injury and damage you cause to other people and their property
- No insurance: you cannot register the car and risk a criminal penalty
Optional cover (Kasko)
- Teilkasko: theft, fire, storm, hail, flood, glass breakage and animal collisions
- Vollkasko: everything above plus self-inflicted accidents and vandalism
- GAP cover: closes the gap between the payout and the outstanding lease
- Mallorca-Police: raises liability limits on rental cars abroad to German levels
- Roadside assistance (Schutzbrief): breakdown help and towing
Important for newcomers to Germany
No-claims bonus (Schadenfreiheitsklasse): your claim-free years from abroad may be partly recognised. Ask your previous insurer for an official confirmation letter and have it translated into German. This can improve your SF-Klasse and save you a meaningful amount each year.
Example annual premiums in Germany (2026)
Example calculations for a 35-year-old driver with several claim-free years; actual premiums vary by vehicle, region and provider.
Small car (VW Polo, Opel Corsa)
Liability + Teilkasko
€300-500
per year
Mid-size car (VW Golf, BMW 3 Series)
Vollkasko
€600-900
per year
Premium car (BMW 5 Series, Mercedes E-Class)
Vollkasko with extras
€1,200-2,000
per year
New driver (SF 0), small car
Liability only
from €650
per year
What each cover type pays for
| Cover | Haftpflicht | Teilkasko | Vollkasko |
|---|---|---|---|
| Damage to third parties | Yes | - | - |
| Theft | - | Yes | Yes |
| Glass breakage | - | Yes | Yes |
| Animal collision (Wildunfall) | - | Yes | Yes |
| Storm, hail, flood | - | Yes | Yes |
| Fire | - | Yes | Yes |
| Marten bite (Marderbiss) | - | Yes | Yes |
| Self-inflicted accidents | - | - | Yes |
| Vandalism | - | - | Yes |
How much liability cover the law actually requires
German law sets a floor, not a sensible level. The minimum sums are listed in the annex to section 4 of the Pflichtversicherungsgesetz: 7.5 million euros for personal injury, 1.3 million euros for property damage and 50,000 euros for pure financial loss. Those figures apply per claim, and the property damage figure has been at 1.3 million since 17 April 2024.
The problem with the legal minimum is that a serious motorway pile-up can go past it. If several people are badly hurt, treatment and loss of earnings add up over decades, and anything above the insured sum comes out of your own pocket. This is why the German consumer association Verbraucherzentrale advises drivers to look for a high combined sum, ideally 100 million euros. In practice most tariffs already offer that, and the surcharge over a minimum-cover policy is small.
Worth checking in any offer: whether the liability sum is quoted as one combined figure or split across the three categories. A single combined sum is easier to rely on when a claim mixes injury and property damage.
When full comprehensive cover stops paying off
Vollkasko only ever pays out up to what your car is currently worth. Once that figure drops far enough, you are paying a premium to insure a sum you could cover yourself. The German consumer finance site Finanztip puts the switching point at roughly five years of age, or a vehicle value under 8,000 euros, at which point Teilkasko or even plain liability is usually the better deal.
Two things complicate that rule. If the car is leased or financed, the lender normally requires comprehensive cover for the whole term, so the decision is not yours. And if you have built up a good SF class over many years, comprehensive cover can occasionally come out cheaper than partial cover, because Teilkasko does not use SF classes at all. Run both quotes before you downgrade rather than assuming the cheaper label is the cheaper price.
| Your situation | Usually the better fit |
|---|---|
| New or nearly new car | Vollkasko |
| Leased or financed car | Vollkasko, usually required by the contract |
| Over five years old, value under 8,000 euros | Teilkasko |
| Old car you could replace out of savings | Haftpflicht only |
Age and value thresholds follow Finanztip's guidance (based on GDV figures, as of August 2025).
What Teilkasko will not pay for
Teilkasko is sold as protection against things outside your control. That is partly true, and the gaps tend to show up at the worst possible moment. The big one is damage you cause to your own car. If you reverse into a bollard, misjudge a garage entrance or hit a kerb on ice, Teilkasko pays nothing.
Vandalism catches people out too. A keyed door or a kicked wing mirror is only covered by Vollkasko, even though it was not your fault either. Animal collisions sit in a greyer area. Most policies cover wild game such as deer or boar, some insurers extend this to animals of all kinds, and the wording differs between tariffs. If you drive through woodland regularly, read that clause before you sign.
One thing that works in your favour: a Teilkasko claim does not push you down the SF scale, because partial cover is not rated by no-claims class. A Vollkasko claim does.
What actually sets your premium
Two people can insure the same car, with the same insurer, in the same year and pay very different amounts. That is not the insurer being arbitrary. German premiums start from a base tariff that gets adjusted by rating classes, and the two biggest ones are not set by the insurance company at all. They come from the GDV, the German insurance association, which means every company starts from the same statistics and competes on what it adds or takes off on top.
Typklasse: what your model costs the industry
Every model and engine variant carries a type class based on how often that exact car shows up in claims and what those claims cost to settle. The GDV works it out from the previous three years of damage and repair data, and the new classes normally take effect on 1 January. Liability, Teilkasko and Vollkasko each have their own scale, so the same car can sit low on one and high on another. Around 32,000 models are listed. You can look yours up with the HSN and TSN, the two key numbers printed on your registration document, and it is worth doing before you buy a car rather than after.
Regionalklasse: where the car is registered
Germany is divided into 413 registration districts, and each one carries a regional class drawn from the claims record in that area: how often accidents happen there, how much gets stolen, how much storm and hail damage the insurers pay out. This is also recalculated once a year. The class follows your registration address, not the roads you actually drive on, which is why moving across a city boundary can change your premium without anything about your driving changing.
The answers you give on the form
After the classes come your own details, and these are the part you control. Declared annual mileage moves the price directly, so estimate it honestly: a large gap at the end of the year can trigger an adjustment. A garage or carport lowers theft and weather risk and is usually rewarded. Restricting the policy to named, experienced drivers is cheaper than leaving it open, and adding a driver under 25 is one of the sharpest increases there is.
None of this is worth guessing at. The rating tables are the same across the market, so the only way to see what your combination actually costs is to put your real details through a comparison and read the offers that come back.
Compare car insurance quotes for Germany
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How to save on car insurance in Germany
Build your SF no-claims class
Each claim-free year raises your SF-Klasse and cuts the share of the base premium you pay. Insurers publish their own rate tables, so the saving varies. Either way, claiming for a small dent usually costs more over the following years than paying for it yourself.
Pay annually
Monthly instalments usually cost a surcharge. Paying once a year typically saves around 5-10%.
Choose a higher deductible
A €500 deductible instead of €150 in Teilkasko noticeably lowers the premium.
Check the vehicle type class (Typklasse)
German cars are rated in type classes that strongly affect the premium. Check the GDV Typklasse before you buy.
Accept a workshop tie-in
Some tariffs give a discount if you use the insurer's repair network after a claim.
Compare before renewal
Most policies run to 31 December and ask for one month's notice, which puts the deadline at 30 November. The law does not name that date: § 11 (3) VVG only requires the notice period to be between one and three months and identical for both sides. Check your own contract for the exact wording.
Germany car insurance FAQ
Which car insurance is mandatory in Germany?
What is the difference between Haftpflicht, Teilkasko and Vollkasko?
How much does car insurance cost in Germany in 2026?
Will my no-claims history from abroad be recognised?
When can I cancel or switch my car insurance?
What happens if I drive without insurance in Germany?
Is comprehensive cover worth it for an older car?
How does the SF no-claims class affect my premium?
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