In contrast to third-party liability, comprehensive insurance is not mandatory in Germany. It serves as additional protection and covers you against damage to your vehicle. We distinguish between fully comprehensive and partial comprehensive coverage. Fully comprehensive cover offers the highest level of protection for your vehicle. You're covered for damage to your vehicle – even if you're responsible. Everything covered in third-party liability and partial comprehensive coverage is also included in this tariff.
Fully comprehensive coverage insures all damages covered by partial comprehensive cover (e.g. theft, animal bites, broken glass and fire). It also covers damage to your vehicle that you caused yourself as well as damage caused by vandalism.
Normally, fully comprehensive cover is worth it if your car is not older than five years. It also makes sense if you rely on your car for work or are on the road a lot. Fully comprehensive coverage is also worthwhile for novice drivers who use the family car, as the risk of accidents is highest for novice drivers.
Partial and fully comprehensive insurance are voluntary car insurance policies in Germany. Here is their main difference:
Fully comprehensive coverage covers the costs for damage you cause to your car yourself, as well as damage caused by vandalism. Fully comprehensive coverage is worthwhile if you own your new car that is no more than 5 years old.
In contrast, partial comprehensive coverage protects you against damage to your car that you are not responsible for. This includes broken glass, theft or animal bites, for example. We recommend this coverage if you own a car that is more than 5 years old. Learn more about partial comprehensive coverage here.
How much fully comprehensive coverage costs depends on various factors. For example, your place of residence and age, the bonus-malus class, the type and regional class influence the price of your insurance premium. You can find out exactly how the price of your car insurance is made up in this article. Find out how the price of your car insurance is calculated in this article.
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