Car insurance Germany 2024: How Germans save money

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Written By Alex

Do you live or want to settle in Germany and are you looking for information about Car insurance Germany? Want to take out car insurance for your car without an insurance advisor and without speaking German?

Here you will find all the information you need. Millions of Germans compare insurance prices and take out car insurance policies online.

For this they use an online car insurance calculator such as:

Car insurance in Germany calculator Check24*

The calculator for car insurance from HDI Versicherung*

You can start right now.

You don’t speak German? It’s okay.

Below you will find a COMPLETE GUIDE on how to compare and make a car insurance Germany online in a few minutes with Check24 . Without speaking German.

Download the CAR INSURANCE GERMANY GUIDE here

In this article you will find out everything about the topic Car Insurance Germany and namely:

  1. How to use a car insurance Germany calculator online
  2. What types of car insurance Germany there are and which one you should choose
  3. The claims-free categories or how to get a discount on car insurance in Germany depending on your claims history
  4. Car insurance in Germany – lower price depending on the region and the type of car you are driving
  5. How can you get many other discounts if you use a car insurance calculator in Germany efficiently
  6. How to fill in the information in an online car insurance calculator Germany to get the best price

CAR INSURANCE CALCULATOR GERMANY CHECK24

 

How can you use a car insurance calculator in Germany?

  1. fill out form with your data
    If you don’t know German, you can download the FULL GUIDE here:
    Download the CAR INSURANCE GERMANY GUIDE here
  2. Get the best car insurance deals in Germany,free of charge and without any obligation. Out of hundreds of offers.
  3. Once you find the right offer, purchase your car insurance in Germany online, at no additional cost.

What types of car insurance in Germany are there?

There are 3 major types of car insurance in Germany:

  1. Kfz Haftpflichtversicherung – Third party liability car insurance Germany
  2. Teilkaskoversicherung – The partial cover car insurance in Germany
  3. Vollkaskoversicherung – Comprehensive cover car insurance in Germany

MTPL car insurance in Germany (Motor Third Party Liability) | Kfz-Haftpflichtversicherung

Third party liability car insurance is mandatory in Germany and it covers damages caused to third parties as a result of an accident.
You will also find it under the name of KFZ-Haftpflicht.

Electronic confirmation of motor insurance in Germany: eVB – elektronische Versicherungsbestätigung
Anyone who wants to register a car in Germany needs anelectronic confirmation of car insurance (eVB – electronic Versicherungsbestätigung) that is shown at the car registration office.
With the help of an online car insurance Germany calculator you can get theelectronic confirmation of car insurance (eVB) in just a few minutes. This type of car insurance only covers the damages you cause to others.
Optionally you can make a partial cover car insurance (Teilkasko).

Partial coverage insurance in Germany | Teilkaskoversicherung

Teilkasko protects against theft and damages to your car as a result of external factors, such as, for example, wild animals and natural hazards. Here is a comprehensive list of damages covered by this type of car insurance:

  • Fire and explosion damage (Brand und Explosion)
    If your car catches fire or explodes
  • Theft or misappropriation of components mounted on the car (Diebstahl und Entwendung fest verbauter Autoteile)
    For example, when your mirror or side mirrors or a bumper is stolen
  • Acts of robbery and embezzlement (Raub und Unterschlagung)
    Damage caused by storms (Sturm), lightning (Blitzschlag) or floods (Überschwemmung)
  • Damage caused by wild animals (Haarwildschaden)
    This category includes, for example, wild boar or deer.
  • Stones in the windscreen (Steinschlag)
    Who hasn’t found themselves with a stone/pebble in their window, “thrown” by the wheels of the cars in front?
  • Engine damage caused by jder bites (Marderbissschäden)
    Bitten and snapped cables are not a rarity but a normality in Germany.
    Here you must choose to cover the costs of replacing broken cables and the consequences of breaking these cables ( Folgeschäden).

Vollkaskoversicherung – Comprehensive cover car insurance Germany

In addition to KFZ-Haftpflichtversicherung (third party liability) you can also make a comprehensive car insurance in Germany – VOLLKASKO.

This comprehensive car insurance offers you protection in the event of self-inflicted damage to your own car.
And it also provides protection for all damage covered by partial coverage car insurance Germany (Teilkasko).

If you have a new car or a used car that is only a few years old, it is best to purchase comprehensive insurance (Vollkasko).


No claims bonus in Germany |Schadenfreiheitsklasse

The cost of car insurance in Germany also depends on the driver’s personal claims history and claims-free category – in German Schadenfreiheitsklasse (SF or SFR).

What is Schadenfreiheitsklasse (claims-free category)?

Usually, this term (abbreviated SF, SFR or SF-Klasse) appears accompanied by a number. For example, SF5. The number “5” shows the number of years a driver have driven a car registered on their name. And that they did not cause damage to others or his own car.

Hence the word Schadenfrei, composed of the words “Schaden” = damage and “frei” = free. So “no damage” or “free of damage” or “claims free”.

The more years you drive without any damage or claims, the lower the price you pay.

After each year without damages you are automatically placed in a higher claims-free category.

Check24 offer on their website a concrete example:

Let’s say that the car insurance policy in Germany normally costs 500 Euros per year. And that you are in no-claims class SF4.

In this case, you will receive a 40% discount from the insurance company (ie 200 Euro).
This means that you do not pay 500 Euros but only 300 Euros per year.

SF-Klasse (Schadenfreie Jahre – Years without claims)Price reduction in percent
over SF 26approx. 75-80% discount
SF 16-25approx. 65-70% discount
SF 9-15approx. 55-60% discount
SF 5-8approx. 45-50% discount
SF 4approx. 40% discount
SF 3approx. 30% discount
SF 2approx. 15% discount
SF 10% discount
Special claims-free categories
SF ½ – for beginnersover 100%
SF 0 – The drivers have experience, but insure their the first car / Or insure their the second carover 100%
SF M / S – This is the category in which those who caused damages in the first years of insurance are included.approx. 55-60% discount

What types of insurance benefit from no-claims bonus (Schadenfreiheitsrabatt)?

The types of car insurance in Germany that benefit from Schadenfreiheitsrabatt discounts are:

  • Third party liability car insurance Germany (KFZ-Haftpflichtversicherung) and
  • Comprehensive cover car insurance in Germany (Vollkaskoversicherung)

Teilkasko, ie The partial cover car insurance in Germany, never benefits from claims-free bonus.
It should be noted that these categories are always accounted for and highlighted separately.

How do you know which claims-free bonus category (Schadenfreiheitsklasse) you are?

There are several possibilities:

  1. Have you ever had a car insurance policy in Germany issued under your name? You can find SF-Klasse (claims-free category) in the contract received from your car insurance company in Germany.
  2. You have never purchased a car insurance in Germany or you want to register a second car in your name? You will start from SF 0.
  3. You belong to a special category, you can see in the list above in which category you are.

The claims-free bonus (Schadenfreiheitsrabatt) can be taken over in the family

But this can only be done in the case of first-degree relatives. For example, your children can take this discount from you or your parents. You can take it from children, parents, husband or wife. The conditions are as follows:

  1. The years of driving experience in the driver’s license should be at least at the same level as the bonus level. This means that for example for SF5, the person must have had their driver’s license for 5 years.
  2. You have to prove that you drove the car in question during the period when the insurance was under the name of your first-degree relative. The classic case is when the children drive a car insured under the name of their parents.

But what if you don’t have a proof of your claims history in Germany?

You have two options:

  1. Either you start with a 0 discount, in this case you choose SF 0
  2. Or you ask, in the country you come from, for the claims history


Car insurance in Germany – lower price depending on the region and the type of car you are driving

  • Discount on your car insurance depending on the region your register your car
  • You get a discount on your car insurance policy depending on the type of your car

Discount depending on the region where you live – Regionalklasse

German car insurance companies know the exact number of accidents that occur in each region. Therefore, the price of a policy may also vary depending on which region of Germany you live in.

Discount on your car insurance policy depending on the type of your car – Typklasse

When setting the price for car insurance, insurance companies in Germany also look at how many accidents happen with certain types of cars.

The more accidents or damages happen with one type of car, the higher the price of the car insurance policy.

  • Third party liability car insurance Germany Kfz-Haftpflicht: Typklasse from 10 to 25 (15 Typklassen – ie 15 car classes)
  • Comprehensive cover car insurance in Germany Vollkaskoversicherung: Typklasse from 10 to 34 (25 Typklassen – 25 car classes)
  • The partial cover car insurance in Germany Teilkaskoversicherung: Typklasse from 10 to 33 (24 Typklassen – 24 car classes)

You should be aware, however, that the price of car insurance in Germany depends not only on the type of vehicle and the region in which you live.

It also matters who drives the car and who the passengers are.

If a car driven, usually by young people, belongs to a family with children, it is assumed that the parents will drive much more cautiously than a young person who has just taken his license.

Additional discounts for car insurance if you use a car insurance calculator in Germany efficiently

Reduction of the car insurance rate in Germany depending on the value of the deductible – Selbstbeteiligung

Usually – and this you will see especially when you fill in an online comparison form – in Germany the amount of:

  • 150 € deductible (Selbstbeteiligung) for the partial cover car insurance (Teilkasko)
  • € 300 deductible (Selbstbeteiligung) for comprehensive cover car insurance (Vollkasko)

Therefore, in the event of damage covered by either partial or fully comprehensive insurance, you also will pay a share.

  • if you choose the standard option above, you will pay 150 €, respectively 300 € deductible
  • reducing the amount of the deductible increases the car insurance premium
  • in case you increase this amount, the insurance premium for your car will be cheaper

First registration of the car in Germany (Erstzulassung des Fahrzeugs) and registration in your name (Zulassung auf den Halter)

These two factors are very important in the case of partial cover car insurance and comprehensive cover car insurance in Germany.

Because the new value of the car is taken into account when calculating the insurance premium, it is very important to specify exactly when the car was first registered.

Careful: You must differentiate between the date you registered the car, if you bought it second-hand (Zulassung auf den Halter) and the first registration of the car (Erstzulassung).

These two data are obviously different when buying a used car.

You will get a better price if you are the owner of a property (house, apartment) (Wohneigentum)

Statistics in Germany show that a person who owns a house or apartment on personal property drives more carefully than someone who lives in rent.

So, if you want to get a better price for insuring your car in Germany, you need to buy a property now. Just kidding.

If you park your car on the street you will pay a higher premium than if you keep it in a garage (nächtlicher Parkplatz)

If you park your car on the street, then the probability of damage is higher than if the car is parked in a garage, carport or in a protected parking lot.

Make sure that everything you say here is in line with reality, because insurance companies can check where you park your car at night.

You also get discounts depending on how you pay the car insurance premium in Germany (Zahlweise)

You can also get a small discount depending on how you pay the insurance premium.
The rule of thumb is: the sooner the insurer gets its money and with less effort, the lower the insurance premium.

For example, if you decide to transfer the money yourself after receiving the invoice from the insurance company in Germany by mail, you will pay a little more.

Also in this context, you should know that you will receive a small discount if you pay once a year (jährlich) and not several times a year (halbjährlich = twice a year or monatlich = monthly).

You pay less when you choose a car service preferred by your car insurance company (Werkstattbindung)

During my first years in Germany, I always ticked the option on the Check24 form to choose for myself the car service where my car would be repaired in case of breakdown.

But over time, I realized I could save some money by leaving car service to the insurer’s choice, and I checked the “Ohne Werkstattbindung” option.

And it happened that I scratched my car and had to go to the repair with it, on the comprehensive insurance. Everything worked like clockwork. The car repair workshop chosen by the insurer specializes only in such cases.

The more kilometers you driver, the higher the insurance premium (Jährliche Fahrleistung)

According to Check24 many insurance companies use the following scales to set prices according to the number of kilometres driven per year. The limits are:

  • up to 3,000 km / year
  • up to 6,000 km / year
  • up to 9,000 km / year
  • up to 12,000 km / year
  • up to 15,000 km / year
  • up to 20,000 km / year
  • up to 25,000 km / year
  • up to 30,000 km / year
  • up to 30,000 km / year

Each time you exceed one of the above levels, the insurance premium increases.

If you often rent a car on holiday, don’t forget Mallorca-Police or Mallorca-Klausel

The word “Police” above is not related to the police, but means the insurance policy.

If you opt for this clause, the total amount of claims that can be covered by your private car insurance will also be valid for the car you rent on holiday.

Hence the name “Mallorca”, the island where many Germans spend their holidays and where, probably, many cars are rented.

If you are not a member of a German automobile club, choose the additional and emergency roadside assistance of the Schutzbriefs

Most of my acquaintances, including my wife and I (even our children) are members of a German car club.

If you are not and do not want to be a member of such a club (it costs between 70 and 100 € per year) you can opt for emergency roadside assistance offered by the so-called Schutzbrief.

In case you would like to become a member I recommend German Automobile Club ACV*.

ACV Automobil-Club Verkehr provides roadside and mobility assistance throughout Europe. If you choose their premium rate, even worldwide.

The ACV is the third largest automobile club in Germany and has over 480,000 members. Most interestingly, they offer all services, regardless of the type of subscription chosen, and are up to €60 cheaper than the competition.

How to fill in an online car insurance calculator in Germany to get the best price

If you want to make a car insurance in Germany online, compare and save now!

Don’t forget that you can terminate your current car insurance contract in Germany until 30 November 2022!

To help you take out car insurance in Germany on your own , I have prepared the best guide on the internet for you.

With it you will be able to complete the Check24 online form.


Other topics related to car insurance in Germany in brief:

GAP insurance (GAP-Deckung)

GAP coverage (GAP-Deckung) is a type of insurance that covers the difference between the value of your car and the value of your instalment or lease loan.

The value of a car depreciates over time, and if at some point your car happens to be stolen or destroyed, you may find yourself paying a lot more than the car is worth after you’ve bought it and driven it for a while.

GAP insurance protects you against paying too much if something unexpected happens.

This type of insurance is usually included in the hull or Teilkasko insurance, especially for leased cars. I recommend you check this out.

Car insurance for damage abroad (KFZ-Auslandsschadenschutz)

Car insurance for damage abroad (KFZ-Auslandsschadenschutz) is a type of car insurance that protects your car against damage or destruction while you are outside Germany.

If you travel regularly and for long periods outside Germany, you should check whether your insurance policy covers damage caused abroad.

Most car insurance companies charge a premium for the additional risk that your car might be damaged outside Germany.

Other topics related to car insurance in Germany in brief:

GAP insurance (GAP-Deckung)

GAP coverage (GAP-Deckung) is a type of insurance that covers the difference between the value of your car and the value of your instalment or lease loan.

The value of a car depreciates over time, and if at some point your car happens to be stolen or destroyed, you may find yourself paying a lot more than the car is worth after you’ve bought it and driven it for a while.

GAP insurance protects you against paying too much if something unexpected happens.

This type of insurance is usually included in the hull or Teilkasko insurance, especially for leased cars. I recommend you check this out.

Car insurance for damage abroad (KFZ-Auslandsschadenschutz)

Car insurance for damage abroad (KFZ-Auslandsschadenschutz) is a type of car insurance that protects your car against damage or destruction while you are outside Germany.

If you travel regularly and for long periods outside Germany, you should check whether your insurance policy covers damage caused abroad.

Most car insurance companies charge a premium for the additional risk that your car might be damaged outside Germany.

New TELEMATIK tariffs

If you take out a TELEMATIK car insurance policy, you will send your driving data to your insurer. It records data about your driving behaviour. If the analysis shows that you drive carefully, you will be rewarded with discounts.
What data is collected? It tracks indicators such as how fast you’re going, how you accelerate, how you brake, your cornering behaviour or the time and duration of your journey.
It doesn’t matter who’s driving. The data collected is that of the car, not of an individual driver.

Legal expenses insurance in Germany – Lawyer insurance in Germany (Rechtsschutzversicherung)

A lawyer’s insurance in Germany protects you as a road traffic participant, as a driver or passenger, as a pedestrian or cyclist.

This insurance is particularly useful when you need to defend yourself in court if you are charged with traffic offences.

Lawyer’s insurance in Germany must be taken out separately. Find out more in my article:

Legal Insurance in Germany

Legal expenses insurance in Germany – Lawyer insurance in Germany (Rechtsschutzversicherung)

A lawyer’s insurance in Germany protects you as a road traffic participant, as a driver or passenger, as a pedestrian or cyclist.

This insurance is particularly useful when you need to defend yourself in court if you are charged with traffic offences.

Lawyer’s insurance in Germany must be taken out separately. Find out more in my article:

Legal Insurance in Germany

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