Car insurance in Germany

Car liability insurance covers only damage you cause to other people, vehicles, or property: it does not cover any damage to your own car.

Partial coverage (Teilkasko) adds protection for your vehicle against theft, fire, storm and hail damage, glass breakage, and animal collisions, but still excludes accidents caused by your own fault.

Comprehensive coverage (Vollkasko) includes everything in partial coverage plus damage to your own car from accidents you cause, vandalism, and hit-and-run incidents where the other driver cannot be identified.

The premium increases with each level of coverage, with liability being the cheapest and comprehensive being the most expensive.

Third-party liability insurance (Kfz-Haftpflichtversicherung) is legally mandatory for all vehicle owners in Germany: you cannot register a car without it.

Beyond the legal minimum, you may choose to upgrade your coverage: partial coverage (Teilkasko) protects against theft, fire, glass damage, and natural disasters, while comprehensive coverage (Vollkasko) adds protection for damage you cause to your own vehicle.

For newer or more valuable cars, we'd recommend comprehensive coverage, while older vehicles with lower value may only need liability or partial coverage.

You should choose your type of car insurance based on:

- Your car's value - Your financial ability to cover repairs out of pocket - And your personal risk tolerance

A deductible (Selbstbeteiligung) is the amount you pay yourself before your insurance covers the remaining cost of a claim.

For example, if you have a €300 deductible and file a claim for €2,000 in damage, you pay €300 and your insurer pays €1,700.

Choosing a higher deductible lowers your monthly premium (common deductibles are €150 for partial coverage and €300-€500 for comprehensive coverage).

Deductibles only apply to partial and comprehensive coverage; liability insurance typically has no deductible since it covers damage to others, not your own vehicle.

In Germany, your SF class (Schadenfreiheitsklasse) class reflects how many consecutive claims-free years you've had car insurance. Most drivers start with SF0 or SF½ if you are unable to prove any auto insurance history. You then move into SF1 once you've had one claim-free year of car insurance, SF2 with two claim-free years, and so on.

Your SF class determines your no-claims bonus (Schadenfreiheitsrabatt, or SFR). For each year you're insured without making a claim, your SF class improves, and your insurance premium becomes cheaper.

You can read more on how the no-claims bonus works for car insurance in Germany here.

Most German car insurance policies have a standard annual term ending on December 31, and you must submit your cancellation notice by November 30 to switch providers for the following year.

However, you have special termination rights (Sonderkündigungsrecht) that allow you to cancel outside this window if your insurer raises your premium, after filing a claim, or if you sell your vehicle.

When using special termination rights, you typically have one month from the triggering event to cancel your policy.

Many drivers review and compare insurance options in October and November, which is known as 'Wechselsaison' (switching season) in Germany.

Some insurers offer to cancel your old car insurance for you, but this isn’t standard in Germany.

With our car insurance, you’ll need to cancel your previous policy yourself. We’ll ask for your old insurer’s details, but we don’t handle the cancellation on your behalf.

The eVB (elektronische Versicherungsbestätigung) is a 7-character alphanumeric code that proves you have valid liability insurance, and it's required to register any vehicle at the vehicle registration office (Zulassungsstelle).

When you apply for our car insurance, we will provide this code as soon as you accept the final offer.

You present the eVB number along with your other registration documents (ID, vehicle papers, proof of ownership), and the registration office electronically verifies your insurance coverage in real-time.

The eVB is valid for a limited time and is single-use, so you'll need a new one if your registration is delayed or if you re-register the vehicle.

Yes, you can take out car insurance in Germany with a foreign driving licence, as long as the licence is valid for driving in Germany.

EU and EEA driving licences are recognised in Germany and usually don’t need to be converted, as long as the licence itself is still valid.

If you hold a non-EU/EEA licence, you can typically drive in Germany for up to six months after becoming a resident. After that, you’ll need to convert your licence to a German one to continue driving. Depending on your home country, this may be possible with or without a driving test.

When you sell your car in Germany, your insurance policy temporarily transfers to the new owner and remains active until formally cancelled or transferred. You must notify your insurer of the sale within immediately, providing the buyer's details and the date of sale. The registration office (Zulassungsstelle) also notifies your insurer when the vehicle is re-registered.

You can cancel the policy and receive a refund for any prepaid premium, or transfer your no-claims bonus (Schadenfreiheitsklasse) to a new vehicle if you're buying another car.

Both you and the buyer have a special right to cancel the policy after the sale. If the buyer takes out their own insurance, your policy for that vehicle ends automatically. Any unused prepaid premium is refunded.

Yes, you can arrange car insurance before your vehicle physically arrives in Germany. This is common when importing a car or buying one from abroad. To get a quote and set up the policy, you’ll need the vehicle’s key details, such as the make, model, year, fuel type, body style, and engine power.

Once the insurance is set up, you’ll receive an eVB number. You can use this to register the vehicle as soon as it’s eligible for registration in Germany (for example, after customs clearance).

Insurance coverage won't start until the car is registered, not before. So you won't be paying for active driving coverage while the car is still in transit or awaiting registration.

Yes. German car insurance includes coverage for driving abroad, but the scope depends on where you’re travelling.

Your liability insurance covers you throughout Europe, with the level of cover adjusted to meet the legal minimum requirements of the country you’re visiting. This applies automatically within the policy’s geographic area.

Partial (Teilkasko) and comprehensive (Vollkasko) coverage applies in the same European countries as liability insurance, while coverage outside Europe is excluded.

For some countries, you may need to carry a Green Card (Grüne Karte) as proof of insurance. This can provided free of charge on request.

Before traveling, it’s important to check your policy documents to confirm which countries are covered and whether a Green Card is required.

You can bring your no-claims history to us from car insurance held in the EU, the UK (including Northern Ireland and Gibraltar), Switzerland, Ukraine, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The required documents and further information can be found here.

We unfortunately cannot accept claims history from countries that don't use a comparable no-claims system or provide verifiable documentation, including the US and Canada. However, at Feather we offer an SF3 starting class for most expats over 23 years old who have no previous claims history in Germany. More information can be found here.