A lso every year: millions of car owners are again on the hunt for cheaper car insurance this fall. Your chances of saving are good this time. Prices are falling for the first time in four years. Up to 30. november, the deadline for cancellation, still leaves time to explore the market.
However, the insurance cover purchased is much more important than the premium, warns bianca boss, spokeswoman for the bdv (bund der versicherten – association of insured persons), to be careful. Because without the best conditions, drivers will pay a lot more if there’s a crash. How generously the insurer pays out always depends on the quality of the tariff, emphasizes sascha straub, insurance expert at verbraucherzentrale bavaria. If you don’t just chase the best price, but also follow the seven-point master plan below, you’ll be well covered.
1. Install a liability buffer
It is crucial to insure as much as possible for motor vehicle liability insurance. The protection is compulsory. It covers, among other things, claims for damages incurred by a third party, such as medical and treatment costs or life-long pensions. The insurer will reimburse the costs of accidental damage caused by the customer up to the agreed sum insured.
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Anything over and above this must be paid for out of your own pocket. In principle, the legislator stipulates a statutory minimum cover of 7.5 million euros for personal injury and one million euros for property damage. "but the minimum requirements are not enough," warns ADAC spokesman jochen oesterle.
In the event of a serious incident, these sums can be used up in no time at all. Relying only on compulsory coverage risks financial ruin in the event of a serious accident. A good tariff should therefore include at least 50, but preferably 100 million euros of coverage. the important extra buffer costs only a few euros more per year.
2. Secure a Majorca policy
The selected liability coverage should also apply to a rental car abroad. The often drastically lower sums insured in foreign countries are not sufficient to meet claims for damages in a serious case. Higher costs must then be borne by yourself, which can be ruinous.
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This gap can also be closed for a few euros extra per year with the so-called "mallorca policy". The coverage is not limited to the island or spain. It is so named because vacationers like to take a rental car on mallorca. Only those who do not rent cars abroad can do without them.
3. Do not be heckled
In the comprehensive insurance area, the insurer should waive the so-called objection of gross negligence. Because: no motorist is immune to gross blunders and mistakes at the wheel. For example, if he runs a red light or a stop sign and has an accident. This can be expensive.
Some cheap tariffs reserve the right to drastically reduce benefits in the event of gross negligence. If you want legal certainty, you should grab this waiver clause. It costs a few euros more per year, but saves a lot of trouble and money in the event of an emergency. Accidents caused by alcohol or drug use are generally not covered. Optional extras such as navigation systems should always be covered free of charge.
4. Discount savers
The personal no-claims bonus should be saved wherever possible. If you have a discount saver, a kind of free shot in the event of a serious incident, you can often avoid having to pay higher premiums after an accident for which you are to blame yourself. It costs an extra 10 to 15 percent of the premium.
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If you already have discount protection, you should make sure you don’t lose it when you change insurers. Downgrading to a lower no-claims class often results in significantly higher premiums, especially for very low-cost policies. A look at the downgrading table of the new provider before the change brings clarity.
5. Protection against all animals
Comprehensive insurance only pays for accidents caused by collisions with deer. Those who collide with farm animals such as sheep, cows or horses go away empty-handed – although the consequences can also be very expensive. That’s why motorists should be insured against collision with as many animals as possible, advises the bdv.
This extended module doesn’t cost the earth, but is worth a lot of money in a serious case. For owners in the countryside, it is often worthwhile not only to have protection against marten bites, but also to insure against consequential damage to hoses and cabling.
6. Fixing the new value
For buyers of brand-new cars, it is important how long the insurer will replace the replacement value if the car is totaled or stolen. Although purchase price compensation is standard in many comprehensive tariffs, it often only applies for six months. After that, the owner only receives compensation for damages in the amount of the replacement value.