Car insurance: liability, partial and comprehensive cover

In short: Motor liability insurance is compulsory and pays for damage you cause to others. Partial and comprehensive cover additionally protect your own vehicle.

In more detail: Without insurance cover no vehicle may be registered.

In detail

• Liability: Pays for personal injury, property damage and financial loss to third parties.
• Partial cover: Theft, fire, storm, hail, glass breakage, wildlife damage.
• Comprehensive: Additionally self-inflicted damage and vandalism.
• Excess: A higher excess lowers the premium.
• No-claims class: Accident-free years lower the premium (schadenfreiheitsklasse).
• Type class and regional class: Determine the basic tariff.
• Switching: Usually cancel by 30 November; compare tariffs (kündigungsfrist-und-automatische-verlängerung).
• Sensible: Comprehensive pays off mainly for new or valuable cars (haftpflichtversicherung-und-die-wichtigsten-versicherungen).