Switching car insurance in Germany by 30 November 2026: deadlines, type classes and how it works

The deadline comes from the policy conditions. Under the GDV model conditions (AKB, section G.2.1), published by the German Insurance Association, you can cancel at the end of the insurance year. The cancellation is only effective if it reaches the insurer at least one month before the end of that year. Otherwise the contract is renewed for another year (G.1.2). For most policies the insurance year is the calendar year, hence 30 November as the deadline.

Key points at a glance

• The 2026 deadline is Monday, 30 November. What counts is when the insurer receives your cancellation, not when you send it.
• Take out the new policy first, then cancel the old one. You do not need to visit the vehicle registration office.
• For 2027, the liability type class rises for around 7.4 million drivers and falls for around 5.1 million.
• If your premium rises, you can cancel within one month of receiving the notice, even after 30 November.
• Your no-claims discount (Schadenfreiheitsklasse, SF class) moves with you; the new insurer requests it from the old one.

By when do you have to cancel your car insurance?

Your cancellation must reach the insurer at least one month before the end of the insurance year. If your insurance year ends on 31 December 2026, that date is 30 November 2026. Receipt counts, not the postmark. A letter you post on 30 November arrives too late.

Not every policy runs on the calendar year. The date that applies to you is shown in your policy document (Versicherungsschein) under main due date (Hauptfälligkeit) or insurance year.

End of insurance year	Cancellation must arrive by	Note
31 Dec 2026	30 Nov 2026	most common case
31 Mar 2027	28 Feb 2027	main due date 1 April
30 Jun 2027	31 May 2027	main due date 1 July

You can cancel by email, through the insurer's customer portal or by letter. What matters is proof of receipt, for example a confirmation of receipt or a registered letter with return receipt (Einschreiben mit Rückschein). Motor liability, comprehensive cover (Kasko) and breakdown cover are legally separate contracts (AKB G.4.1). If you want to switch everything, state all parts explicitly in your cancellation.

How does the switch work step by step?

When switching at the turn of the year, get the order right so that your car is never without liability cover.

1. Compare tariffs: Set the group of drivers, annual mileage, parking place and excess the same in all quotes. Otherwise you are comparing different cover.
2. Take out the new policy: Start date 1 January 2027; have your vehicle registration certificate and your current policy number to hand.
3. Wait for acceptance: Only cancel the old policy once the new insurer has accepted the contract.
4. Cancel the old policy: In good time before the deadline and with proof of receipt.
5. Registration: You do not need to deregister the car or go to the vehicle registration office. According to the ADAC, Germany's largest motoring club, the new insurer reports the change to the registration authority.

You keep your no-claims discount. Under AKB G.4.3, the old insurer must give the new one information on your claims history on request. What is reported is your actual claims history. Special classifications from your old tariff, for example through a discount protection option (Rabattschutz), generally do not count. So check the SF class in your new policy document after switching.

What do the new 2027 type classes mean for your premium?

The type class shows how many claims, and how expensive ones, a car model causes compared with all others. The German Insurance Association (GDV) published the type classes for 2027 on 30 September 2026. In motor liability, around 7.4 million drivers move into a higher class and around 5.1 million into a lower one. For around 30 million, or 71 per cent, the classification stays the same. In partial and fully comprehensive cover (Teilkasko and Vollkasko), around 67 per cent see no change in each case (ADAC, 30 Sep 2026).

The scale runs from class 10 to 25 in liability, from 10 to 33 in partial comprehensive and from 10 to 34 in fully comprehensive cover. The GDV statistics are not binding on insurers. Each insurer sets its own premium, and the type class is one factor alongside the regional class (Regionalklasse), annual mileage and personal characteristics. For existing policies, the new type class takes effect at the start of the next insurance year (AKB J.1), so on 1 January 2027 for calendar-year policies.

Rising classifications are mainly driven by more expensive repairs. According to the GDV, spare parts prices have risen by more than 80 per cent since 2016, and by over 4 per cent from August 2025 to August 2026 alone. GDV chief executive Jörg Asmussen: “Autoreparaturen werden immer teurer” (“Car repairs keep getting more expensive”). Over the same period since 2016, motor liability premiums rose by an average of 2.4 per cent a year.

When can you switch after 30 November?

You can still switch after the deadline if a special right of cancellation applies. The most common one is a premium increase for the new year.

Reason	Deadline	Legal basis
Premium increase, including from type or regional class	1 month from receiving the notice	§ 40 VVG, AKB G.2.7 and J.4
Claim	1 month after the claim is settled	§ 92 VVG
New car	insurer for the new vehicle freely chosen	Guide: changing your car

If your premium rises because the type class, regional class or tariff has changed, you can cancel under AKB J.4 in conjunction with G.2.7. If several factors change at the same time, the total counts: the right of cancellation only exists if the overall premium rises. The insurer must notify you of the increase at least one month before it takes effect and point out your right to cancel. The premium invoice for 2027 often only arrives shortly before the end of the year. So read it carefully, even if 30 November has already passed. More on this in the guides Premium increase and Cancellation after a claim.

No right of cancellation under J.4 arises if the premium only rises because you are downgraded to a worse SF class after a claim, or if you changed something yourself, such as your mileage. After a settled claim, § 92 VVG helps you instead.

What should you look for when comparing?

The cheapest premium is only a good deal if the cover is equivalent. Look out for these points in particular:

• Liability cover amount: Many tariffs are well above the statutory minimum under the Compulsory Insurance Act (Pflichtversicherungsgesetz). Look at the amount per injured person, not just the overall lump sum.
• Gross negligence: Does the insurer waive a reduction in comprehensive cover, for example if you run a red light?
• Approved repairers (Werkstattbindung): Tariffs tied to partner garages are cheaper, but restrict you when you make a claim.
• Excess: A higher excess lowers the premium. Whether that pays off is shown by the excess calculator.
• Wildlife and marten damage: Does cover apply only to certain game animals (Haarwild) or to animals of all kinds, and is consequential damage from marten bites included?

What the individual components cover is explained in the overview of car insurance. You can compare quotes with identical criteria in the car insurance comparison.