Haftpflicht, Teilkasko & Vollkasko explained

You've bought a car in Germany, and now you're staring at three German words you've never seen before: Haftpflicht, Teilkasko, Vollkasko. One of them is legally required. The other two are optional, and picking the wrong level means either paying for cover you don't need or being left exposed when something goes wrong.

Here's the good news: once you understand what each type actually covers, the choice is usually clear. The three levels build on each other, like steps. Liability is the legal minimum everyone must have. Partial cover adds protection for things outside your control. Fully comprehensive covers almost everything, including your own mistakes.

In this guide, you'll learn:

• What each of the three car insurance types in Germany covers
• The difference between Teilkasko (partial) and Vollkasko (fully comprehensive)
• Which level makes sense for your car and situation
• What each type typically costs in 2026
• How to sign up (and when you can switch)

The short version: Germany has three car insurance levels: Haftpflicht (third-party liability, mandatory), Teilkasko (partial, covers theft, weather, glass and animal damage), and Vollkasko (fully comprehensive, which adds damage you cause to your own car, plus vandalism).

Let's break down each one.

The three types at a glance

Before we go deep, here's how the three levels compare:

Each level includes everything from the one before it. Teilkasko contains all of Haftpflicht. Vollkasko contains all of Teilkasko. You're not choosing between them, you're choosing how far up to go.

Third-party liability (Kfz-Haftpflicht)

This is the one you can't skip.

Third-party liability insurance (Kfz-Haftpflicht) is mandatory in Germany. You can't register a car or legally drive without it. When you register your vehicle, you'll need proof of cover in the form of an eVB number (a seven-digit confirmation your insurer gives you).

Quick note to avoid a common mix-up: Kfz-Haftpflicht is your car's liability cover. It's not the same as personal liability insurance (Privathaftpflicht), which covers everyday accidents in your private life. You'll likely want both... They do different jobs.

What it covers

Haftpflicht pays for damage you cause to other people: their bodies, their property, and their finances. It does not cover any damage to your own car. A few real examples:

• Personal injury: You miss someone's right of way and cause a crash. Your insurance covers the other driver's medical treatment.
• Property damage: You reverse into a parked car and dent the door. Your insurance pays for the repair.
• Financial loss: The person you injured can't work for weeks. Your insurance covers their lost income.

What it doesn't cover

Anything that happens to your own vehicle. If you cause a crash, the other driver's car is covered (yours isn't). That's exactly the gap Teilkasko and Vollkasko fill.

How much cover you actually get

By law, your Haftpflicht must cover at least €7.5 million for personal injury and €1.22 million for property damage. A serious accident can cost far more than the car itself.

Most insurers go well beyond the legal floor, and consumer groups recommend choosing a policy with a flat €100 million cover. It usually costs very little extra and removes any worry about hitting a limit. When you compare quotes, check this number (don't just assume the minimum).

Partial coverage (Teilkasko)

Teilkasko is the first optional layer. Think of it as protection against the things you can't control.

What it covers

On top of everything in Haftpflicht, Teilkasko covers damage to your own car from:

• Theft of the car or parts of it
• Fire and explosion
• Storm, hail, lightning and flooding
• Glass breakage a cracked windscreen, for example
• Collisions with animals hitting a deer on a country road
• Marten damage. Martens love chewing through car wiring in Germany, and Teilkasko covers it.

What it doesn't cover

The big two: damage you cause to your own car, and vandalism. If you scrape a bollard or someone keys your door, Teilkasko won't help. For that, you need Vollkasko.

Who it's for

Teilkasko is usually the sweet spot for cars roughly five years or older. The car still has enough value to be worth protecting against theft or a smashed windscreen, but not so much that you need cover for every scenario.

Fully comprehensive coverage (Vollkasko)

Vollkasko is the top level; the most protection you can get for your vehicle.

What it covers

Everything in Haftpflicht and Teilkasko, plus the two gaps Teilkasko leaves open:

• Damage you cause to your own car: you misjudge a corner and hit a wall, and your repair is covered even though the accident was your fault.
• Vandalism: someone slashes your tyres or keys your paintwork.

In short, Vollkasko covers your car in almost any situation, whoever's at fault.

Who it's for

Vollkasko makes the most sense when your car is worth protecting fully (typically newer cars under about five years old). It's also worth it if:

• You lease or finance your car. This is the big one for new arrivals: leasing companies and banks almost always require Vollkasko as a condition of the contract. Check your paperwork before you choose.
• You drive a lot, so your accident risk is higher.
• You're a newer driver, or the car will be driven by one (accident risk is highest in the first years behind the wheel).

Teilkasko vs Vollkasko: which do you need?

If liability is a given, the real decision is how much further to go. Here's a simple way to place yourself:

• New, leased or financed car (under ~5 years): Vollkasko. Often required by your lender.
• Car around 5–10 years old, still holds decent value: Teilkasko.
• Older, low-value car you could afford to replace yourself: Haftpflicht only.
• A newer driver using the family car: Vollkasko, because the accident risk is highest.
• High-mileage commuter: lean towards comprehensive.

Not sure which side of the line you fall on? A good rule of thumb: if losing the car tomorrow would seriously hurt your finances, insure it more fully.

One thing to weigh with Vollkasko: an at-fault claim usually bumps you into a worse no-claims class (a Rückstufung), pushing up your premium for years. So for small own-fault damage, it's often cheaper to pay out of pocket than to claim.

How much does car insurance cost in Germany?

Premiums vary a lot, because they're calculated from your personal situation, not a fixed price list. As a rough guide for 2026:

(Ranges are indicative for 2026 and vary widely by driver and car; always compare live quotes.)

Several factors move your price up or down:

• Your no-claims class (Schadenfreiheitsklasse, or SF-Klasse): the longer you drive without a claim, the lower your premium. This is often the biggest single factor.
• Where you live: insurers use your registered postcode to judge local accident and theft rates. A driver in central Munich or Hamburg usually pays more than the same driver in rural Bavaria.
• Your car: its type class (Typklasse) reflects how often that model is stolen or involved in claims.
• Your age and annual mileage.
• Your deductible (Selbstbeteiligung): agreeing to pay the first part of a Kasko claim yourself lowers your premium.

Deductibles (Selbstbeteiligung)

The deductible is the share of a Kasko claim you agree to cover yourself, and it's the easiest way to reduce price. As a rough guide, Teilkasko deductibles are often around €150 (frequently €0 for glass repair, more for theft), while Vollkasko deductibles usually sit between €300 and €500. The higher your deductible, the lower your yearly premiu. Picking €300 over €0 can shave a meaningful amount off your quote, so it's worth comparing a couple of options side by side. If keeping the price down matters most, our guide to the cheapest car insurance options walks through where to save.

Why expats often pay more at first

When you move to Germany, your no-claims history from back home isn't automatically recognised. That can mean starting in a lower SF-Klasse and paying more than you did at home (even with years of safe driving behind you).

The fix: ask your new insurer whether they'll take your foreign no-claims record into account. Many will, if you provide a confirmation letter from your previous insurer. It's worth the paperwork, it can cut your premium significantly.

How to choose and sign up

Getting insured is quick once you know the steps:

1. Pick your coverage level using the guidance above.
2. Compare quotes. Prices for the exact same cover vary a lot between insurers.
3. Get your eVB number from the insurer you choose. You need it to register the car.
4. Set up payment and you're covered.

When can you switch?

Most German car insurance policies run for a calendar year, and the standard deadline to cancel is 30 November (for cover ending 31 December). Miss it, and your policy usually renews automatically for another year. Our step-by-step guides cover exactly how to switch provider or cancel your policy.

There's one useful exception. If your insurer raises your premium without adding more cover, you get a special right of termination — so you can cancel outside the normal window, usually within a month of the notice. A price hike can be your chance to shop around.

Conclsuion

Choosing your coverage level is the hard part, the rest is quick. Once you know whether you need liability, partial or fully comprehensive cover, you can compare car insurance in Germany and get a quote in minutes.

Want the bigger picture first? Our full guide to car insurance in Germany walks through everything from registration to claims.