Insurance Compare Germany 2026
In Germany, only three insurances are mandatory by law. Everything else is optional, although some policies are strongly recommended. This hub gives you the overview and routes you to the right comparison for car insurance, health insurance, liability, household and more.
Last updated: May 20, 2026 · meinetarife24 Editorial Team
Key takeaways
- Only three insurances are mandatory by law in Germany: health insurance for every resident, car liability insurance for vehicle owners, and professional liability for certain regulated jobs (lawyers, doctors, tax advisors).
- Private liability insurance (Privathaftpflicht), occupational disability (Berufsunfähigkeit) and term life insurance (Risikolebensversicherung) are strongly recommended. They cover risks you usually cannot pay out of pocket.
- Household, legal protection and residential building insurance make sense depending on your situation. Glasses, mobile phone and most specialty policies are usually optional.
- meinetarife24.de compares tariffs through the Tarifcheck network. The comparison is free, non-binding and GDPR-compliant.
- Insurers based in Germany are supervised by BaFin (Federal Financial Supervisory Authority). The list of approved insurers is available at bafin.de.
Key German insurance terms
Tip for newcomers
Some insurances are required by law, others only strongly recommended. Start with the mandatory ones, add the highly recommended private policies, and review your contracts every one to two years to make sure the tariffs still match your life.
Which insurances are mandatory and which are optional?
This breakdown follows the position of Stiftung Warentest, the Verbraucherzentrale and the BaFin. It helps you separate the useful contracts from the unnecessary ones.
Mandatory by law
Without these, you would be violating German law. They are checked at residents registration, car registration or when you start in regulated professions.
- ·Health insurance (GKV or PKV) — mandatory for every resident, § 193 VVG
- ·Car liability insurance (KFZ-Haftpflicht) — required for every vehicle owner, PflVG
- ·Professional liability insurance in regulated fields (lawyers, doctors, tax advisors, architects)
Strongly recommended: existence-threatening risks
These policies cover losses you usually cannot pay yourself. Stiftung Warentest and the consumer protection agency (Verbraucherzentrale) consistently recommend them.
- ·Personal liability insurance — covers third-party damage claims, typically a few euros per month
- ·Occupational disability insurance (BU) — income replacement if you can no longer work your profession
- ·Term life insurance — protects your family financially if something happens to you
Useful depending on your situation
These contracts make sense as soon as you have valuable belongings or specific risks to cover. Review them yearly to make sure they still match your life.
- ·Household insurance — protects furniture, electronics and valuables, especially in major cities
- ·Legal protection insurance — useful if you might face disputes (rental, work, traffic)
- ·Residential building insurance — mandatory if you own a financed property
Often skippable
Here you pay premiums for losses you could absorb from your household budget. A small emergency fund is usually cheaper than the policy.
- ·Glasses insurance, phone insurance, glass-breakage policies
- ·Travel luggage insurance (often included in credit card packages)
- ·Vehicle passenger accident insurance (usually covered by car liability)
Before you start
What is being compared here?
The comparisons linked here use data from the Tarifcheck network. That covers many but not all German insurance providers. Some direct insurers or regional providers may be missing.
This comparison is suitable for:
- Individuals comparing different insurance types
- Consumers looking for a first market overview
- People considering switching their existing policies
- Newcomers learning the German insurance system
This comparison is NOT suitable for:
- Commercial or business insurance
- When you already have a personal broker
- Very specialized insurance needs
- When you prefer regional providers outside the network
Important note
Insurance contracts are long-term commitments. Read the terms carefully and consult an independent advisor if anything is unclear.
Datenquelle & Transparenz
Die Tarifdaten auf dieser Seite werden in Echtzeit von Tarifcheck bereitgestellt. Wir greifen nicht in die Preise, Rankings oder Darstellung der Ergebnisse ein.
Unsere Rolle:
Wir bieten redaktionelle Erklärungen und Entscheidungshilfen. Die eigentliche Tarifberechnung und Vermittlung erfolgt durch unsere Partner.
Was wir nicht abdecken:
Nicht alle Anbieter am Markt sind in diesem Vergleich enthalten. Regionale Anbieter oder spezialisierte Tarife können fehlen.
Why compare insurance with meinetarife24.de?
Why compare insurance with meinetarife24.de?
Compare tariffs
Multiple providers from the Tarifcheck network in one place
Trilingual guide
Explanations in German, English and Turkish — built for newcomers
BaFin-supervised providers
All insurers operate under federal financial supervision
Transparent data source
We show openly where tariffs come from and how we earn money
GKV or PKV: Which health insurance fits?
Germany has two parallel worlds of health insurance. The statutory system (GKV) is the default, the private system (PKV) is open to specific groups and higher earners.
Statutory health insurance (GKV)
- ·Mandatory for most employees
- ·Contribution scales with gross income
- ·Family insurance: children and spouse can be covered free of charge under certain conditions
- ·Benefits are defined uniformly in SGB V
- ·Health funds differ mainly in additional contribution and service quality
Private health insurance (PKV)
- ·Open to civil servants, the self-employed and employees above the compulsory insurance threshold
- ·Premium depends on age, health and chosen coverage, not income
- ·Benefits can be customized (top specialist, single room, alternative medicine)
- ·Every family member needs a separate contract with its own premium
- ·Returning to GKV is only possible in specific life situations
Switching from GKV to PKV is a long-term decision. In retirement, PKV can become more expensive, and returning to GKV is not always possible. The Verbraucherzentrale recommends independent advice before any switch.
All insurance types at a glance
Pick the insurance that fits your situation
More insurance options
Extra coverage for specific life situations
Your data is safe with us
Your data is safe with us
Data is transmitted via SSL encryption and processed under GDPR rules. meinetarife24.de does not permanently store your input. Personal data is forwarded to an insurer only when you actively send a request. The connected providers are BaFin-supervised and operate under federal financial supervision.
meinetarife24 Editorial Team
Independent EditorialOur independent editorial team carefully reviews all information and regularly updates the content.
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Sources & further reading
The classifications on this page draw on public sources. External links open in a new tab.