Car Insurance in Germany: Haftpflicht, Teilkasko, Vollkasko and eVB

Car insurance in Germany starts with mandatory Kfz-Haftpflichtversicherung. Without this policy, a car cannot be registered, and if there is no valid insurance, the registration authority can deregister the vehicle. Optional cover, Teilkasko and Vollkasko, adds protection for the car itself: against theft, severe weather, collisions with animals, vandalism, and accidents caused by the driver.

The main complexity of Kfz insurance is not the name of the policy, but how the price is calculated. The premium depends on the car, the registration address, driving experience, SF class, annual mileage, the circle of permitted drivers, the deductible, and repair terms. That is why two drivers with the same car can receive completely different offers.

What types of car insurance exist in Germany

In the German system, people usually compare three levels of coverage.

Type of insurance	What it covers	When it is needed
Kfz-Haftpflichtversicherung	Damage to third parties: people, other people’s property, other people’s cars	Mandatory for registering a car
Teilkasko	Theft, fire, hail, storm, glass, animal damage, and other risks covered by the contract	Often suitable for used cars of medium value
Vollkasko	Everything in Teilkasko plus damage to your own car after an at-fault accident and usually vandalism	More often chosen for new, expensive, financed, or leased cars

Comprehensive cover in Germany is available only together with Haftpflicht. In practice, the options are: mandatory liability only, Haftpflicht + Teilkasko, or Haftpflicht + Vollkasko.

Mandatory insurance: Kfz-Haftpflichtversicherung

Kfz-Haftpflichtversicherung protects not the at-fault driver’s car, but the injured parties. If the driver causes damage to another person, another car, a building, road equipment, or other property, the insurer checks the claims, pays justified ones, and rejects unjustified ones.

Under the Pflichtversicherungsgesetz, the owner of a vehicle normally based in Germany must maintain this insurance. The law also sets minimum insured amounts for a single insured event:

7.5 million euros for injury to life and health;
1.3 million euros for property damage;
50,000 euros for pure financial loss not directly connected to bodily injury or property damage.

Many plans offer limits above the minimum, for example up to 100 million euros. When comparing policies, it is important to look not only at the monthly premium, but also at the coverage limit, exclusions, conditions abroad, and claims-handling process.

The at-fault driver’s own losses are not compensated by mandatory Haftpflicht. If the driver damages their own car, repairs will be covered only if Vollkasko is in place and the contract conditions are met.

Teilkasko: partial comprehensive cover

Teilkasko covers risks that usually do not depend on the driving style of a specific driver. A typical package includes:

theft of the car or factory-fitted parts;
fire, explosion, storm, hail, lightning, flooding;
glass damage;
collisions with animals, if covered by the contract;
damage to wiring caused by rodents, if this option is included.

The section on animals deserves especially careful reading. Some contracts mention only Haarwild, while others use broader wording and include “animals of any kind.” After collisions with animals, you usually need photos, a report to the police or forestry service, and proof of the circumstances, otherwise the insurer may refuse the claim.

With Teilkasko, people often choose Selbstbeteiligung, a deductible. If the deductible is 150 euros and hail damage costs 500 euros to repair, the insurer will reimburse 350 euros. The higher the deductible, the lower the premium, but small losses will have to be paid out of pocket.

Vollkasko: full comprehensive cover

Vollkasko includes the risks covered by Teilkasko and additionally protects your own car after an accident caused by the driver. This usually includes:

repairs to your own car after an at-fault accident;
damage while parking;
vandalism;
damage when the person at fault cannot be identified, if the contract covers it.

Vollkasko is especially useful if the car is new, expensive, bought on finance, or leased. When buying a new car on finance, the lender or leasing company often requires full comprehensive cover.

For an older, inexpensive car, Vollkasko may make little economic sense: the annual premium and deductible can sometimes come close to the real value of the car. In that case, people more often compare Teilkasko with Haftpflicht only.

What the cost of Kfz insurance depends on

German insurance premiums are built from many parameters. The most important are the SF class, Typklasse, Regionalklasse, and the selected coverage.

SF class and Schadenfreiheitsrabatt

Schadenfreiheitsklasse shows how many years the policyholder has driven without insurance payouts for accidents they caused. The longer the claim-free history, the lower the percentage of the base premium. A beginner is usually assigned SF0 or a similar starting level, while a driver with a long history receives a substantial discount.

It is important to distinguish between two values:

the real SF class: confirmed insurance history that can be transferred to a new insurer;
Sondereinstufung: a preferential internal rating of a specific company, for example for a new customer or an immigrant with foreign driving history.

The contract may show an entry such as SF-Klasse / reale SF-Klasse. When changing insurers, the real class is often what matters. If the previous company gave a bonus rating, the new one is not obliged to adopt it in full.

After an at-fault accident, the SF class may be downgraded for the next insurance year. Some contracts allow you to “buy out” a small claim yourself or include Rabattschutz to avoid a sharp premium increase. The conditions need to be checked before signing.

Typklasse: risk of a specific model

Typklasse reflects the claims statistics for a specific car model. The more often costly insurance claims occur for that model, the higher the class and, potentially, the more expensive the policy. GDV publishes non-binding type statistics every year; insurers use them as guidance, but each company calculates its own tariffs.

It is better to check the class using the data in the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I, not only by the model name. Useful details for the search include:

HSN: manufacturer code;
TSN: model/variant code;
date of first registration (Erstzulassung).

This information can be found in vehicle documents. If the wrong vehicle variant is entered during the application, the insurer may recalculate the price after receiving data from the registration office.

Example of comparing model risk: higher classes usually mean a more expensive policy.

Example of a car with low classes: such models often lead to a calmer insurance calculation.

In the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I, you need to look for HSN, TSN, and the date of first registration.

Regionalklasse: registration address

Regionalklasse depends on claims statistics in the registration district. According to GDV, regional classes are calculated every year for more than 400 registration districts and exist separately for Haftpflicht, Vollkasko, and Teilkasko. For 2026, 12 classes are used in Haftpflicht, 9 in Vollkasko, and 16 in Teilkasko.

In Haftpflicht, the accident statistics of the district matter: the number and amount of caused losses relative to the number of registered vehicles. In Kasko, theft, hail, storms, wild animals, and other types of damage are also taken into account.

The vehicle owner’s address must be reported correctly to the insurer. If someone moves from a small town to a large city and does not update the data, this can lead to recalculation, additional charges, or problems when settling a claim.

Additional tariff parameters

Deductible: Selbstbeteiligung

The deductible applies in Kasko. Common reference points are 150 euros for Teilkasko and 300 euros for Vollkasko, but this is not a rule. Sometimes it is better to choose a higher amount if the driver is ready to pay for minor damage themselves.

Payment frequency

Annual payment is often cheaper than monthly or quarterly payments. The difference depends on the insurer and the plan, so it must be checked in the specific offer.

Annual mileage

The higher the declared mileage, the higher the risk and the premium. You should give a realistic figure. If it becomes clear in the middle of the year that the mileage will be significantly higher, it is better to inform the insurer in advance and pay the difference than to face questions after a claim.

Circle of drivers

A policy covering only the owner is usually cheaper than one with an open circle of drivers. If the car is driven by a spouse, an adult child, or a young driver, this must be declared. An undeclared driver can create problems with claim payments.

Werkstattbindung

A plan with Werkstattbindung means that in the event of a claim, the insurer will send the car to a partner repair shop. This can lower the premium, but it limits your choice of workshop. For a new car still under warranty, it is worth checking in advance whether this conflicts with the manufacturer’s or leasing company’s requirements.

Telematics

Telematics evaluates driving style through an app or a device in the car. Careful acceleration, braking, speed, and travel times can lead to a discount. Before signing up, you need to understand what data is collected and how it affects the tariff.

Garage and parking

A closed garage or underground parking can sometimes reduce the risk of theft and weather damage. The insurer may take this into account in the tariff, but the size of the discount depends on the company.

How to take out car insurance and get an eVB

To register a car, you need an eVB number, an electronic proof of insurance. Without an eVB, the registration office will not register the vehicle.

The usual process looks like this:

Choose the type of coverage: Haftpflicht, Teilkasko, or Vollkasko.
Prepare personal details, address, driving history, and vehicle data.
Get a quote and check the contract terms.
Request an eVB from the insurer or broker.
Register the vehicle at the registration office.
Receive the policy and invoice or SEPA debit after the registration data has been transmitted.

It is not worth using the eVB until the terms have been checked. Once the vehicle is registered, the contract effectively starts, and changing the insurer or tariff quickly may become impossible. If there were mistakes in the application, for example an incorrect HSN/TSN, address, or SF class, the insurer will recalculate the price after receiving the data from the registration office.

Internationale Versicherungskarte

The policy may come with an Internationale Versicherungskarte für den Kraftverkehr. It used to be called the Green Card because of the green paper, but now it can be a normal black-and-white document. The card lists the countries where insurance cover applies. Before traveling abroad, you need to check that the country you need is not excluded.

Example of an international insurance card. Country coverage depends on the specific policy.

If a car is uninsured

A vehicle normally based in Germany must have valid Haftpflicht insurance. If the insurance ends because of non-payment or cancellation, the insurer reports this to the registration office. The car may be deregistered, and using it without mandatory insurance is a violation of the Pflichtversicherungsgesetz and can lead to a fine or criminal-law consequences.

Why the price can change after taking out the policy

Recalculation can happen not only because of annual tariff updates. Common reasons include:

an incorrect address, mileage, circle of drivers, or vehicle data was entered in the application;
foreign driving history was not recognized as a German SF class;
the insurer received the real data from the registration office and recalculated the vehicle;
the owner moved to a region with a different Regionalklasse;
the SF class dropped after a claim;
for the new insurance year, the type classes, regional classes, repair costs, or the insurer’s tariff policy changed.

That is why it is better to report any changes affecting risk in writing or through the customer account.

How to switch car insurance

Most Kfz insurance contracts are tied to the calendar year. If the insurance year ends on December 31, the ordinary cancellation deadline is November 30. That is why insurers actively publish new tariffs in autumn.

Before switching, it is important to check:

which real SF class the old company will transfer;
whether the discount was only an internal Sondereinstufung;
whether the coverage limits and Kasko terms match;
whether there is Werkstattbindung, Rabattschutz, Schutzbrief, or abroad coverage;
how young drivers, mileage, and parking are taken into account;
what happens to the deductible and claim payouts after an accident.

Comparing only the annual price is risky. A cheap plan may exclude important options or impose an inconvenient repair process.

Additional options

Kfz-Schutzbrief

Kfz-Schutzbrief helps in the event of a breakdown on the road: tow truck, towing to a workshop, on-the-spot assistance, and sometimes hotel accommodation, a rental car, or a trip home. It is not a substitute for Kasko, but a service package for breakdown situations.

On the German autobahn, if the car breaks down, you first need to switch on the hazard lights, put on a high-visibility vest, place the warning triangle, and go behind the guardrail. After that, you call the assistance service listed in the policy or a car club. A Schutzbrief is usually tied to the specific vehicle, while club membership is tied to a person or family.

Kfz-Unfallversicherung

Kfz-Unfallversicherung pays compensation after an accident involving the driver or passengers. Before buying it, it is worth comparing it with insurance you already have: private accident insurance, disability insurance, and the protection passengers receive through Haftpflicht.

Fahrerschutz

Fahrerschutz covers an important gap: a driver who caused the accident does not receive compensation for their own injuries from their own Haftpflicht. This option can cover loss of income, treatment costs, home adaptations, or payments to dependents if the contract provides for it.

Verkehrsrechtsschutz

In a disputed accident, you may need a lawyer, expert assessment, and court proceedings. Verkehrsrechtsschutz covers legal costs in traffic disputes under the terms of the contract. Ordinary legal expenses insurance does not always include the road-traffic module, so this needs to be checked separately. If you need a specialist, you can use Contact a lawyer, but it is worth clarifying the payment terms and insurance coverage in advance.

Short checklist before signing

Check HSN, TSN, and Erstzulassung in the vehicle documents.
Compare Haftpflicht limits, Kasko coverage, and the deductible.
Clarify the real SF class and whether foreign driving history can be credited.
Provide the correct address, mileage, and all drivers.
Decide whether you need Werkstattbindung.
Check Schutzbrief, abroad coverage, Rabattschutz, and Verkehrsrechtsschutz.
Do not activate the eVB until you have checked the terms.
Keep the policy, eVB, invoice, and international insurance card.