Key takeaways

• Partial comprehensive car insurance covers the damages to your car caused by external factors such as storms, hail, theft, etc.
• Partial car insurance doesn’t pay for the damages you caused to your car.
• Whether it’s worth getting partial car insurance depends on the car’s value and the price difference between 3rd party and partial insurance.
• The cost of partial car insurance doesn’t change with higher SF classes.
• For individuals with high SF-Class, fully comprehensive car insurance costs the same as partial car insurance.

This is how you do it

• If you car’ value is between 4000 € and 10,000 €, you should consider getting a partial comprehensive car insurance policy.
• Opt for a deductible of 150 € or 300 € to reduce the car insurance costs by 21% to 28%.
• If major car repairs are no longer worthwhile, switch to 3rd party liability car insurance.
• Go through Verivox* and Check24* comparison portals to compare car insurance tariffs.

Table of Contents

What is partial comprehensive car insurance in Germany (Teilkasko)?

Car insurance companies in Germany offer three types of vehicle insurance policies. The type of insurance is defined based on the coverage it offers.

• 3rd party liability car insurance
• Patrial comprehensive car insurance
• Fully comprehensive car insurance

Partial comprehensive car insurance covers the services offered in liability car insurance plus damages to your vehicle inflicted by external sources. We’ll learn about them in this guide next. 

What does a good partial comprehensive car insurance cover in Germany?

Partial car insurance pays for the damages caused by external factors. This includes

• Storms, lightning strikes, hail and floods
• Glass breakage
• Car theft
• Theft through the use of force, i.e., robbery
• Embezzlement, for example, if you lend out your car and it is not returned to you
• Fire and explosion
• Collisions with wild fur animals like deer, fox, wild board, etc.
• Short circuit in cables and the consequential damages.

Good partial car insurance also covers

• Damages caused by martens biting the car cables and hoses. Partial car insurance also covers the consequential damages of martens bites.
• Gross negligence: Ensure your car insurance company waives its “right to plead gross negligence.” This way, the car insurer will pay for the damages caused by your gross negligence. For example, running the red light, driving too fast, typing on the cell phone, etc. 

What does partial comprehensive car insurance doesn’t cover?

Partial comprehensive car insurance doesn’t cover the following damages.

• Self-inflicted damages: Partial car insurance doesn’t pay for the damages to your car caused by you. 
• Hit-and-run
• Damages caused to your vehicle in vandalism.

When should you get partial comprehensive insurance?

What type of car insurance you should get depends on the car’s value and the insurance cost. In general, partial comprehensive car insurance makes sense in the following situations.

• Your car’s value is between 4000 € and 10,000€
• The extra amount you pay for the partial insurance policy is worth it compared to the car’s value.

There are some expectations to this rule. When you buy a car via leasing or car loan, the bank may require you to get fully comprehensive insurance.

When should you switch from partial to 3rd party liability car insurance?

• 3rd party liability car insurance is often sufficient if major car repairs are no longer worthwhile.
• If your car is older than 14 years and has lost most of its value.

How much does a good partial car insurance cost in Germany?

The cost of partial comprehensive car insurance depends on the following factors.

• Your place of residence. Different regions in Germany have different levels of theft and claims history.
• Driver’s experience: Drivers with more experience pay lower car insurance premiums.
• Number of drivers insured: The insurance premium increases as you insure more drivers.
• Annual mileage: The more mileage you take, the more expensive the car insurance premium.
• Car model: You pay more for car insurance for expensive cars.
• Deductible amount: The car insurance cost decreases by 21% to 28% with a deductible of 150 € to 300 €.

Partial comprehensive car insurance costs between 138 € to 1000 € per annum.

You should compare different car insurance policies before getting one. You can use Verivox* and Check24* comparison portals for the same.

Common partial comprehensive car insurance claims

Here are the common claims in 2022.

• 1.94 million claims of glass breakage
• 265 thousand claims for damage caused by wild animals.
• 249 thousand claims for damage caused by storms, hail, and floods.
• 214 thousand claims of damages by marten bites.
• 61 thousand claims of car thefts.

Source: [1]

Difference between 3rd party, partial, and fully comprehensive car insurance

• 3rd party vehicle liability insurance: It pays if you cause damage to a third party by your car. This includes injuring other people, damaging property, or causing financial loss. Third-party car liability insurance is required by law.
• Partial comprehensive car insurance: It covers the services of third-party car insurance plus damages to your vehicle caused by external factors. 
• Fully comprehensive car insurance: In addition to all partial comprehensive insurance services, it covers damage caused by vandalism and self-inflicted accidents. It also covers the hit-and-run cases.

NOTE: Don’t confuse car insurance with personal liability insurance. Personal liability insurance doesn’t pay for damages caused by your car.

As you can expect, third-party liability insurance is the cheapest, and fully comprehensive insurance is the most expensive. You can decide which car insurance to take based on your car’s value and insurance cost.

Read our guide on how to choose the right type of car insurance to learn more.

How can you find the cheapest car insurance in Germany?

You must compare different car insurance plans to find the cheapest. Go through Verivox* and Check24* comparison portals to compare car insurance tariffs.

References

• https://www.allianz.de/auto/kfz-versicherung/teilkasko/
• https://www.finanztip.de/kfz-versicherung/teilkasko/