Car insurance comparison portals in Germany: which one works if you only speak English?
As of 16 September 2026, none of the three big German comparison portals, CHECK24, Verivox and Tarifcheck, offers its car insurance comparison in English. Verivox has an English section, but only for electricity. CheckAlle does not replace these portals: it wraps the German calculator of our partner Tarifcheck in an English guide, so you know what each step asks before you type.
Key Takeaways
- CHECK24, Verivox and Tarifcheck run their car insurance comparisons in German. CHECK24 and Tarifcheck have no English page at all; Verivox's English pages cover electricity only.
- On CheckAlle the explanations are in English, the comparison form itself is in German. Results, the policy and the insurer's letters are German too.
- The calculator identifies your car by HSN and TSN, two key numbers printed in fields 2.1 and 2.2 of your Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I.
- Your starting no-claims class follows the GDV model conditions (AKB 2015): SF 0 without a transferred history, SF 1/2 if you have held an EEA or equivalent licence for at least three years.
The four options at a glance
| Portal | Car insurance comparison | English pages | What that means for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHECK24 | German | None (check24.de/en/ returns a 404) | Usable if you read German comfortably |
| Verivox | German | Electricity only (verivox.de/en/) | The English section does not lead to car insurance |
| Tarifcheck | German | None (tarifcheck.de/en/ returns a 404) | Usable if you read German comfortably |
| CheckAlle | German form from our partner Tarifcheck | Guides, FAQ and this page in English | You get the context in English, then fill in a German form |
We checked the four sites on 16 September 2026 by opening the car insurance pages and the English addresses directly. Things change, so if a portal launches an English car insurance flow, this page will say so with the date.
What "in German" means in practice
The comparison form asks for the same things on every portal: who you are, which car you drive and how long you have been driving without claims. Two items catch most newcomers:
- HSN and TSN. These two key numbers identify your exact car model. They are printed on your Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I (the vehicle registration document): HSN in field 2.1, TSN in field 2.2. If you are buying a car, ask the seller for both numbers before you compare.
- Your no-claims history. German insurers sort every contract into an SF class (Schadenfreiheitsklasse). The class you start in depends on your licence and on whether a previous insurer confirms your claim-free years. The rules are in the section below.
Everything after the form stays German: the offers, the policy document and the insurer's letters. Some insurers answer in English, but that is their own offer, not something a comparison portal can promise. Ask before you sign if English service matters to you.
Your no-claims history from abroad
The GDV model conditions for car insurance (AKB 2015, version of 30 April 2025) set the framework most insurers use:
- A contract that starts without a transferred claims history is placed in SF class 0 (section I.2.1).
- A car contract starts in SF class 1/2 instead if you have held a car or motorcycle licence for at least three years and that licence was issued by an EEA state or is treated as equivalent (section I.2.2.1). A non-EEA licence counts as equivalent if the German licensing rules let you exchange it without a further theory or practical test, or once you have exchanged it (section I.2.5). Which licences qualify is explained in our guide to driving in Germany on a foreign licence.
- A claims history can be taken over when you switch from another insurer (section I.6.1.4). After a gap in cover of up to six months the history is taken over as if there had been no gap; between six and twelve months it is taken over as it stood before the gap; beyond twelve months each further started calendar year costs one claim-free year; after more than seven years the history is not taken over (section I.6.3.1).
- The model conditions do not say how a history from a non-German insurer is treated. Whether and how an insurer credits it is that insurer's decision. Get the credit confirmed in writing before you cancel a policy back home.
The full walkthrough of the SF system, the documents you need and the 30 November switching deadline is on our car insurance comparison page.
So which portal should you use?
If you read German comfortably, all three portals are open to you and this page is not your bottleneck. If you do not, the practical route is: read the English guide, prepare HSN, TSN, your licence date and your previous insurer's confirmation, then fill in the German form. The same partner calculator on CheckAlle also issues the eVB number you need before the registration office will register the car.
Compare car insurance: German form, English guide
Compare car insurance and get an eVB number
Frequently asked questions
Does CHECK24 offer its car insurance comparison in English?
No. On 16 September 2026 the CHECK24 car insurance comparison was available in German only, and check24.de/en/ returned a 404 page.
Does Verivox have an English car insurance comparison?
No. Verivox has an English section at verivox.de/en/, but on 16 September 2026 it covered electricity only; the car insurance pages are German.
Can I use Tarifcheck in English?
No. On 16 September 2026 Tarifcheck had no English page; tarifcheck.de/en/ returned a 404.
Is the calculator on CheckAlle in English?
No. The guides, the FAQ and the explanations around it are English; the comparison form comes from our partner Tarifcheck and is in German, as are the offers and the policy documents.
Will my no-claims years from abroad count in Germany?
The GDV model conditions (AKB 2015) allow a claims history to be taken over when you switch insurers, but they do not spell out histories from non-German insurers. Each insurer decides how it credits them, so ask for written confirmation before you cancel your old policy.
Do I need car insurance before I can register a car in Germany?
Yes. The registration office needs proof of liability insurance, the eVB number, before it registers the car. Our eVB guide explains how to get it.
Sources
The portal pages named above, opened on 16 September 2026, and:
- GDV, Allgemeine Bedingungen für die Kfz-Versicherung (AKB 2015), Stand 30.04.2025, sections I.2.1, I.2.2.1, I.2.5, I.6.1.4, I.6.3.1.
- ADAC, HSN und TSN FAQ