Motorcycle Insurance in Germany 2026

Yes. Liability insurance (Haftpflichtversicherung) is required by law (Pflichtversicherungsgesetz, PflVG) for every motorcycle, scooter, and moped registered in Germany. Without it, you cannot get plates from the Zulassungsstelle. As a rule an insurer must accept your application, but § 5 PflVG allows a refusal in specific cases, for example where material or geographic limits in the insurer's business plan apply, or where an earlier contract with that same insurer ended over unpaid premiums or fraudulent misrepresentation. Partial and comprehensive coverage are optional.

It depends on the bike, your age, riding history, and where you live. A small scooter with liability only can run under 100 EUR per year. A large touring bike with full coverage costs several hundred. The best way to find your price is to run a comparison with your actual data.

A Saisonkennzeichen (seasonal plate) lets you register your bike for specific months. Under § 10 FZV the period must cover at least two and at most eleven full months, and April through October is a common choice. Tax and premium are charged proportionally for those months only. During the off-season a free dormant policy covers theft, fire and storm damage while the bike sits on private property. How much you save depends on the season length, the model and the insurer: Allianz puts the saving at around 30 percent in its own example for an eight-month season.

Teilkasko (partial coverage) covers theft, fire, storm damage, hail, glass breakage, and wildlife collisions. Vollkasko (comprehensive) adds self-caused accident damage, vandalism, and hit-and-run. For newer or expensive bikes, Vollkasko makes sense. For older bikes, Teilkasko is usually enough.

Small scooters and mopeds up to 50cc and 45 km/h top speed use a Versicherungskennzeichen (insurance plate) instead of regular registration. It runs from March 1 to the end of February the following year. The colour follows a three-year cycle: 2025/26 was green, 2026/27 is black, and 2027/28 will be blue. With cheaper providers, liability-only cover starts at roughly 28 to 39 EUR a year; liability plus Teilkasko usually lands between 50 and 73 EUR. You buy the plate straight from an insurer, with no Zulassungsstelle visit. Vehicles over 50cc or faster than 45 km/h need a regular plate instead: light motorcycles up to 125cc are notified to the Zulassungsstelle, larger machines are fully registered. For electric scooters, see our e-scooter coverage guide.

Yes. Your Schadenfreiheitsklasse (no-claims class) transfers between insurers. The SF-Klasse is tracked separately for car and motorcycle policies: cars can reach SF 50, while the motorcycle scale ends at SF 20 with many insurers. If you bring, say, 24 accident-free years from a car policy, they still count as car SF 24, and your motorcycle policy is limited to the motorcycle maximum. No-claims history from abroad is credited through a Schadenverlaufsbescheinigung, but reliably only from within the European Economic Area. For countries outside the EEA each insurer decides for itself and you have no claim to recognition, so check before you rely on it.

Secure the scene, call 112 for injuries. Take photos of everything. Exchange insurance details with the other party. Report the accident to your insurer within a week. Do not admit fault at the scene. If the bike is stolen, file a police report immediately.

Not automatically. Some policies include gear coverage (helmet, jacket, boots) as an add-on, usually up to a fixed amount. Check the policy details or ask when comparing. If you have expensive gear, it is worth looking for a tariff that includes it.