Partial vs Fully Comprehensive Car Insurance in Germany

Key takeaways

• In Germany, there are three types of car insurance: third-party liability insurance, partial comprehensive insurance, and fully comprehensive insurance.
• Partial comprehensive car insurance doesn’t cover self-inflicted damages. However, fully comprehensive car insurance does.
• Glass breakge is the most common type of claims. The good thing is partial car insurance covers it.
• Sometimes, the cost of fully comprehensive car insurance for drivers with high SF class is the same as partial car insurance.

This is how you do it

• Identify what type of car insurance policy you should get by weighing in the car’s value and insurance cost.
• 3rd party liability car insurance is enough for older cars that have lost most of their value.
• You should consider getting partial comprehensive insurance for cars older than 7 years but still worth more than 4000 €.
• Get fully comprehensive car insurance for new cars in their first 5 to 7 years.
• You must compare different car insurance plans to find the cheapest. Go through Verivox* and Check24* comparison portals to compare car insurance tariffs.

Table of Contents

Different types of car insurance plans in Germany

German car insurance companies offer three types of insurance policies.

• Third-party or car liability insurance (haftpflicht): The car insurer covers the damage to third parties and other vehicles in the event of an accident. But the insurer doesn’t cover repair costs or damage to your car if you are responsible for the accident.
• Partial comprehensive car insurance (teilkasko):It covers third-party liability plus damages to your vehicle in some instances—for example, theft attempts, fire, storm damage, etc. The coverage benefits may vary depending on the car insurance.
• Fully comprehensive car insurance (vollkasko): Under it, the car insurance also covers damage to your vehicle. In full coverage, it doesn’t matter if the accident is your fault. The insurer covers all the costs.

You should not confuse personal liability insurance with car insurance. Personal liability insurance doesn’t pay for the damages caused by your car.

NOTE: Every car in Germany is legally required to have at least 3rd party car insurance. Getting partial or fully comprehensive insurance is optional.

What is the difference between partial and fully comprehensive car insurance?

Understanding the differences between third-party and comprehensive insurance services is critical. It can help you choose the right car insurance in Germany.

The table below summarizes the differences between partial and full comprehensive insurance in Germany.

Damages	Partial comprehensive car insurance (Teilkaskoversicherung)	Fully comprehensive car insurance (Vollkaskoversicherung)
Damage caused by wild animals	✔	✔
Broken glass	✔	✔
Storms/forces of nature	✔	✔
Car Theft	✔	✔
Fire, explosions, and short circuits, including consequential damage	✔	✔
Self-inflicted damage	✘	✔
Hit and run	✘	✔
Vandalism	✘	✔
Gross negligence	✘	✔
Marten bites, including consequential damage	✘ (Some 3rd party insurance covers it)	✔
Transportation damage (ship)	✘	✔

Damages insured under both partial and fully comprehensive car insurance

• Damage caused by wild animals: Damages to your vehicle in an accident with wild animals. According to Bundesjagdgesetz, this includes collisions with furred animals such as deer, foxes, or wild boars.
• Broken glass: Glass breakage is the most common claim in Germany. In 2022, more than 1.9 million claims [1] were made for broken glass. The most common causes of glass breakage are accidents, stone chips, and hail storms. 
• Storms or forces of nature: Car damage caused by storms, heavy rain, and flooding. Typical storm damage to vehicles is from falling roof tiles, branches, or trees. However, car insurance only pays for direct damage to your car. Damages that become apparent later are not covered. For example, damage to the engine became apparent after some time. The car insurance company will not pay for the repair in this case.
• Car theft: If your vehicle is stolen or damaged in an attempted break-in, partial and fully comprehensive car insurance will cover the costs. The car insurance will even replace the stolen items that are part of the car (permanently installed in the car). For example, permanently installed navigation systems, radios, steering wheels, etc.
• Short circuit, fire, and explosion: Suppose your car has a short circuit. Your car insurance covers not only the costs of its repair but also the consequential damages. For example, if a short circuit damages your radio system, the insurer will pay for the short circuit and the radio system. 

Damages insured under fully comprehensive car insurance only

• Self-inflicted damages: Fully comprehensive insurance policies cover damages to your car caused by you unintentionally. This includes scratches caused by you, an accident that was your fault, etc. Depending on the damage, the car insurance provider will reimburse the repair costs or the current value of your car.
• Hit-and-run: Suppose you met with an accident, and the other party ran before sharing the insurance details. In this situation, fully comprehensive car insurance covers the damages to your car. 
• Vandalism of the car:  Damages caused to your car due to vandalism.  Auto insurance providers reimburse the cost of damages. This includes scratches, broken side mirrors, arson, etc.
• Gross negligence: You caused damages in a car accident due to gross negligence. This includes driving at the red light, being too fast, or typing a message on your cell phone when you meet with the accident. The fully comprehensive car insurance pays in such scenarios also.
• Marten bites, including consequential damage: Marten damaging car hoses and cables can lead to expensive damage. 

Damages that even fully comprehensive car insurance doesn’t cover

• Tire damage due to vandalism: If unknown people intentionally puncture your car tires, vehicle insurance providers usually don’t cover the costs. It’s because insurers want to prevent insurance fraud.
• Embezzlement: Suppose you gave your car to someone and didn’t get it back. In this case, there is no theft but embezzlement. Hence, car insurance doesn’t cover the costs.

Most common car insurance claims in Germany

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: [2]

Common fully comprehensive car insurance claims

The top three fully comprehensive insurance claims in Germany are:

• Vandalism: 30%
• Parking and maneuvering damage: 28%
• Collision with object: 6%

Source: [3]

When is Fully comprehensive car insurance worth it in Germany?

What type of car insurance policy you get depends on the following factors.

• Car’s age
• Car’s value
• Your driving experience
• No damage claim class (SF class)
• Cost of car insurance policy

A fully comprehensive car insurance plan makes sense for a new car during its first three to five years. If your car is expensive, you can consider having fully comprehensive insurance up to the first 7 years of the car.

But after that, economically partial comprehensive insurance makes more sense. However, there is an exception to this rule.

Fully comprehensive insurance uses the no-claims class system (SF-Class). In this system, the insurer reduces the insurance premium if you haven’t incurred any damage.

However, this discount isn’t available in partial comprehensive insurance. As a result, fully comprehensive insurance is sometimes cheaper than partial insurance if you have a high SF-Class.

Thus, you should compare partial and fully comprehensive insurance costs before deciding. Read our guide on car insurance to learn more.

Another expectation is if you finance your car through leasing or a loan. In this case, the leasing company or bank usually requires you to take out fully comprehensive car insurance.

When is partial comprehensive car insurance worth it in Germany?

Your car loses value over time, so paying a fully comprehensive car insurance premium is not worth it.  

You must check the difference in the insurance premiums of partial and fully comprehensive insurance plans. Then, check if your car’s value is high enough to pay the higher premium for fully comprehensive insurance. 

For example, suppose the partial car insurance premium is 650 € per annum, while the fully comprehensive insurance costs 1100 € per annum. 

Now, the value of your car will determine if paying 450 € extra each year for fully comprehensive insurance is worth it. So, if your car’s value is below 5k, paying 450 € extra is not worth it.

When is 3rd party car insurance worth it in Germany?

For very old cars valued at 4000 € or below, 3rd party insurance (Haftpflichtversicherung) is enough. It’s because paying high car insurance premiums is not worth it.

For example, in the event of theft, partial comprehensive insurance reimburses the current value of your car. Suppose the car’s value is 2000 €. So, the car insurer will reimburse 2000 € only.

This means you’ll probably pay more in partial comprehensive insurance premiums than you get back in the event of damage.

How can you save on comprehensive car insurance in Germany?

• Deductible: Get a deductible of 150 € or 300 € to reduce the car insurance cost by 21% and 28%, respectively. In short, higher deductibles reduce insurance premiums.
• Workshop commitment: Car insurance companies reduce insurance costs if you repair your car using the insurer’s authorized workshops. 
• Car model: When buying a car, you should also consider the insurance cost. Many times, you can save several hundred euros each year by choosing a different model. For example, you pay higher car insurance premiums for a BMW 3 series than an Audi A4. Both cars fall into the same category, but you pay more for a BMW.

How do 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.allianzdirect.de/kfz-versicherung/vollkasko-oder-teilkasko/
• https://www.finanztip.de/kfz-versicherung/teilkasko-vollkasko/
• https://www.leaseplan.com/de-de/presse/die-haeufigsten-schaeden-in-der-kfz-versicherung-2023/
• https://www.verivox.de/kfz-versicherung/teilkasko-oder-vollkasko/
• https://www.huettener-versicherungsverein.de/informationen-aus-der-versicherungswelt/1540.html