Key takeaways
- Three out of five rating agencies in Germany rated Arag*, Auxilia*, and WVG best legal insurance.
- Legal insurance covers the legal costs of a legal dispute, such as lawyer’s fees, court costs, etc.
- It’s recommended that you get legal insurance in Germany.
This is how you do it
- Assess your personal situation to determine which legal areas you need to cover.
- Legal insurance has a waiting period of three to six months. So, don’t wait for a legal dispute to occur to get legal insurance in Germany.
- Compare the top-rated legal protection insurance and pick the one that fits your needs.
Table of Contents
Best legal insurance in Germany (Summary)
Three out of five rating agencies in Germany rate the legal insurance plans from the following companies among the best.
- Arag* (for those who want the best legal protection)
- KS-Auxilia*
- WGV
We looked at the legal insurance ratings from
- five rating agencies,
- Stiftung Warentest
- Franke Bornberg
- Wirtschaftswoche + Morgen & Morgen
- Focus Money + DFSI
- DISQ
- the insurance blog – Finanztip,
- and the insurance broker – Bierl.
Here are the top-rated legal insurance plans in Germany, according to the rating agencies.
Stiftung Warentest | Franke Bornberg | Wirtschaftswoche + Morgen & Morgen | Focus Money + DFSI | DISQ |
WGV – Optimal PBV | Arag* – Aktiv-Premium Flex | KS / Auxilia* – Rechtsschutz | Arag* – Aktiv-Rechtsschutz Premium | KS / Auxilia* |
ADAC – Premium | Arag* – Aktiv-Premium | NRV – All-In Dynmamik | Ergo – Rechtsschutz Best Familie | WGV |
Arag* – Aktiv Premium | Lippische – S-Privat-Schutz Plus | VHV – Klassik-Garant Flexibilität All-In Dynamik | VGH | Roland Rechtsschutz |
Arag* – Aktiv Premium Flex | Provinzial Nord Brandkasse AG – Rundum-Schutz PLUS | Nürnberger – All-In Dynamik | KS / Auxilia* – Jurprivat | Allrecht |
Allianz – RS Privat Premium | ÖRAG – Rundum-Schutz PLUS | DMB – Prestige | WGV – Optimal | Itzehoer |
Finanztip and Bierl rated Arag, WGV, and KS-Auxilia among the best legal insurance providers in Germany.
You can compare the tariffs of top legal insurance companies on Tarifcheck* and Verivox*.
Arag Legal Insurance
- Rated best legal insurance by the top rating agencies in Germany
- Biggest legal insurance provider in Germany
- Free legal consultation
- Offers comprehensive legal coverage
KS/Auxilia Legal Insurance
- Rated best legal insurance by the top rating agencies in Germany
- Free legal consultation
- Offers comprehensive legal coverage
Feather Legal Insurance
- Legal insurance policy starting from €13.51 per month
- Free legal consultation
- English customer support
- Insurance agent and sells Roland’s legal insurance policy
NOTE: Top rating agencies in Germany rated Arag—Aktiv-Premium, WGV—Optimal PBV, and KS / Auxilia—Jurprivat as the best legal insurance plans in Germany.
Comparison between the top 3 legal insurance plans in Germany
WGV: Optimal | Arag: Aktiv Premium | KS-Auxilia: Jurprivat | |
Insurance cost | |||
Deductible | 300 € | 250 € | 250 € |
Annual Premium | 227 to 273 € | 406 € | 324 € |
Services | |||
Tax law | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Social law | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Administrative legal protection | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Suing a university for an admission seat (Studienplatzklagen) | Limited coverage | Limited coverage | ✖️ |
Low-risk capital investment | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Riskier investment | Limited coverage | Limited coverage | ✖️ |
Extended legal advice on family and inheritance law (Only advice, no representation in or out of court) | ✔️ | ✔️ | Limited coverage |
Copyright law | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✖️ |
Revocation of loans and life insurance policies that were taken out after legal protection insurance | ✔️ | ✔️ | Limited coverage |
Legal coverage if a dispute was initiated by the customer before the policy was taken out | ✔️ | ✖️ | ✖️ |
Insured sum in Europe | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Insured sum worldwide | 500k € | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Recommended by | |||
Stiftung Warentest | Good (1.7) | Good (1.9) | Satisfactory (2.8) |
Franke Bornberg The lower the score, the better | FFF (0.8) | FFF+ (0.5) | FFF (1.3) |
Focus Money | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
DISQ The higher the score, the better | Very Good (91) | Good (78.6) | Very Good (96) |
Wirtschaftswoche | ✔️ | ||
Finanztip | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Finanzberatung Bierl | ✔️ | ✔️ |
What is legal insurance?
Legal insurance covers legal costs, such as a lawyer’s fee, court costs, etc., if you are involved in a legal dispute. You can also get legal advice for free from your legal insurance provider.
There are five types of legal insurance in Germany:
- Personal legal insurance
- Professional legal insurance
- Traffic legal insurance
- Tenant legal insurance
- Landlord legal insurance
You can get one or more depending on your life situation.
Why do you need legal insurance in Germany?
You need a lawyer to assert your rights. Unfortunately, lawyers are expensive in Germany. Thus, having legal insurance to cover the lawyer’s fees and court costs makes sense.
What services does a good legal insurance policy cover?
Based on the minimum criteria of the rating agency, here are the services a good legal insurance should cover.
- Insured sum: The insured sum should be at least 5 million euros.
- Scope: Legal protection insurance should apply worldwide for at least six months.
- Bail: Tariff should cover at least 100k €.
- Out of court expenses: Legal insurance should cover be at least 3,000 € per case or 6000 € per year of out-of-court costs.
- Telephone advice: Get legal advice on the phone for free.
- Group of people: If you are married and have children, ensure your legal insurance covers the whole family.
- Advice on family and inheritance law
Best legal insurance as per Stiftung Warentest 2023
Who tested the legal insurance?
Stiftung Warentest examined 83 legal protection plans from 30 insurance companies in February 2023.
The sample customer for the test is
- A 40-year-old employed individual with a family of two kids.
- The customer requires legal protection coverage in the following areas: private life, work, and transport.
- The customer has no previous or pending legal cases.
- The customer didn’t have legal protection insurance in the past.
How did Stiftung Warentest evaluate legal insurance policies?
Stiftung Warentest rated legal insurance plans based on the services they offer. They gave 90% weightage to the insurance services and 10% to how easy it is for the customer to understand the insurance terms and conditions.
All legal protection insurance must offer the following minimum services.
- Worldwide legal protection coverage
- Employment legal protection (Arbeitsrechtsschutz)
- Legal protection in contract and property law, including out-of-court settlements
- Tax legal protection in courts,
- Legal coverage for disputes in the social court (Sozialgerichtsrechtsschutz), such as disputes with health insurers over the rejection of claims.
- Traffic legal protection, such as unjustified fines, overspeeding, etc.
- Disciplinary and professional protection
- Criminal legal protection (Strafrechtsschutz)
- Legal costs coverage for “administrative offenses” (Ordnungswidrigkeitenrechtsschutz), such as unjustified fines.
- Advice on legal protection in family and inheritance law.
Stiftung Warentest also recommends taking out a 150 € deductible when getting legal protection insurance in Germany. A deductible reduces the annual insurance premium.
You can increase the deductible further. However, check if the insurance cost savings are worth it.
NOTE: Stiftung Warentest didn’t consider legal insurance cost when evaluating the insurance policies.
Which legal insurance plans did Stiftung Warentest find best?
The table below lists the top five legal protection insurance plans per Stiftung Warentest. It contains the plan’s rating and costs with different deductibles.
Legal Insurance (Rating) | Legal Insurance Cost per annum Deductible: 150 € | Legal Insurance Cost per annum Deductible: 250 € or 300 € |
WGV – Optimal PBV (1.7) | 289 – 347 € | 227 – 273 € |
ADAC – Premium (1,9) | 365 € | 329 € |
Arag* – Aktiv Premium (1,9) | 478 – 569 € | 406 – 484 € |
Arag* – Aktiv Premium Flex (1,9) | 574 – 683 € | Doesn’t offer a deductible of 250 € or 300 €. |
Allianz – RS Privat Premium (2,1) | 646 – 1061 € | 557 – 916 € |
As you can see, by increasing the deductible, you can reduce the insurance cost. You can read the complete report here (German).
Best legal insurance as per Franke Bornberg 2024
Who tested the legal insurance?
The rating agency Franke Bornberg examined legal insurance tariffs and rated them from FFF+ (Excellent) to F- (Insufficient).
You can read the complete report here (German).
How did Franke Bornberg evaluate legal insurance policies?
- Franke Bornberg evaluated the legal insurance policies separately for families and single individuals.
- They rated the legal insurance plans based on certain criteria, weighing each criterion differently based on its importance. You can read which criteria they used here (German).
- The rating agency also sets certain minimum requirements to achieve a particular rating.
The minimum criteria to get an FFF+ rating are
- Precautionary legal advice is covered
- Tax legal protection, including out-of-court settlements
- Legal coverage for disputes in the social court, such as disputes with the health insurance provider.
- Administrative legal protection, including out-of-court settlements
- Legal protection in family and inheritance law.
- Worldwide legal coverage
Which legal insurance plans did Franke Bornberg find best?
The table below lists only the legal insurance plans that received an FFF+ rating. You can check legal insurance policies with lower ratings on the Franke Bornberg website.
Family | Single |
Arag* – Aktiv-Rechtsschutz Premium Flex | Arag* – Aktiv-Rechtsschutz Premium Flex |
Arag* – Aktiv-Rechtsschutz Premium | Arag* – Aktiv-Rechtsschutz Premium |
Lippische Landesbrandversicherung AG – S-Privat-Schutz Plus | Lippische Landesbrandversicherung AG – S-Privat-Schutz Plus |
Provinzial Nord Brandkasse AG – Rundum-Schutz PLUS | Provinzial Nord Brandkasse AG – Rundum-Schutz PLUS |
ÖRAG Rechtsschutzversicherungs -Rundum-Schutz PLUS | ÖRAG Rechtsschutzversicherungs -Rundum-Schutz PLUS |
Best legal insurance as per Wirschaftswoche 2023
Wirtschaftswoche, together with Morgen & Morgen, analyzed 13 legal insurance policies and rated them. Wirtschaftswoche found the following legal insurance tariffs best.
- KS / Auxilia*
- NRV – All-In Dynmamik
- VHV – Klassik-Garant Flexibilität All-In Dynamik
- Nürnberger – All-In Dynamik
- DMB – Prestige
Best legal insurance per Focus Money + DFSI 2023
DFSI and Focus Money contacted 26 legal insurance companies to participate in the test, but only 14 companies participated.
Focus Money gave 70% weightage to the legal insurance scope and services and 30% to insurance costs. The complete report is available here (German).
The best legal protection insurance as per Focus-Money are:
- Arag – Aktiv-Rechtsschutz Premium
- Ergo – Rechtsschutz Best Familie
- VGH – Privat, Beruf, Verkehr, RechtsschutzPlus Privat, StrafrechtPlus Privat
- KS / Auxilia – Jurprivat
- WGV – Optimal
Best legal insurance as per DISQ 2023
Deutsche Institut für Service-Qualität (DISQ) examined 13 legal protection insurance providers and their basic and premium tariffs.
They gave 60% weightage to the services and coverage the legal insurance plan offers and 40% to the legal insurance cost. You can read the complete report here.
The best legal insurance as per the DISQ are:
- KS / Auxilia*
- WGV
- Roland Rechtsschutz
- Allrecht
- Itzehoer
Best legal insurance as per Finanztip
Finanztip is one of the best-rated blogs on investment and insurance in Germany. According to their analysis, the following legal insurance plans offer the best price performance.
- WGV PBV Optimal,
- Arag* Aktiv Komfort
- Huk-Coburg PBV Plus
Best legal insurance as per insurance broker Finanzberatung Bierl
Finanzberatung Bierl is one of the renowned insurance brokers in Germany. Here are the legal insurance policies that they recommend to their customers.
For most people
- KS / Auxilia Jurprivat*
- Arag* Komfort
For those who want the best coverage on the market
- Arag* – Aktiv-Rechtsschutz Premium
References:
- https://disq.de/2023/20230208-Rechtsschutzversicherungen.html
- https://www.franke-bornberg.de/ratings/kompositversicherung/rechtsschutzversicherung
- https://www.finanzen.de/rechtsschutzversicherung/testsieger#1576233239/tariff/RS/rechner
- https://www.dfsi-institut.de/referenz/280/focus-money-heft-46-2021-rechtsschutzversicherungen
- https://www.test.de/Rechtsschutzversicherung-im-Vergleich-4776988-0/