Wildlife accident in Germany: which insurance pays and what to do straight away

After a wildlife accident in Germany, partial comprehensive cover (Teilkasko) usually pays for the damage to your own car. The condition is that you collided with Haarwild (furred game), for example a roe deer, wild boar, red deer, fox or hare. According to the German Insurance Association (GDV), around 90 per cent of cars in Germany are insured against wildlife accidents. The GDV reported on 26 October 2026 that there were around 276,000 wildlife accidents in 2025, causing damage of more than 1.2 billion euros. Since the clocks went back on 25 October, rush hour falls into dusk again, the most dangerous time for animals crossing the road.

Key points

• Teilkasko pays for damage from a collision with Haarwild as defined in § 2(1) no. 1 of the Federal Hunting Act (AKB A.2.2.1.4). Vollkasko includes Teilkasko.
• A wildlife accident does not reduce your no-claims bonus. You only pay the excess.
• Birds, pets, farm animals and raccoons are not Haarwild. Teilkasko only pays for them if your policy covers „Tiere aller Art“ (animals of all kinds).
• At the scene: secure the area, call the police, take photos and get a wildlife accident certificate (Wildunfallbescheinigung). Do not take the animal with you.
• In 2025, repairing a car after a wildlife accident cost around 4,400 euros on average, 300 euros more than in 2024.

Which insurance pays for a wildlife accident?

Comprehensive cover (Kasko) pays for your own car, third-party liability (Kfz-Haftpflicht) for damage to others. If you collide with Haarwild, Teilkasko applies. This is laid down in the GDV's model terms (AKB 2015, clause A.2.2.1.4): covered is the "Zusammenstoß des in Fahrt befindlichen Fahrzeugs mit Haarwild", a collision of the moving vehicle with furred game. If you have Vollkasko, you are covered as well, because Vollkasko includes all Teilkasko benefits.

Situation	Who pays	Lose bonus?
Collision with Haarwild	Teilkasko or Vollkasko	no
Collision with another animal	Vollkasko, Teilkasko only with „Tiere aller Art“	Vollkasko: yes
Swerving without a collision	Vollkasko, Teilkasko only as rescue costs	Vollkasko: yes
Damage to another car or people	Kfz-Haftpflicht	yes

Teilkasko has no no-claims classes. That is why a wildlife accident does not affect your bonus, as the GDV also confirms. You only pay the agreed excess (Selbstbeteiligung). An example: with damage of 4,400 euros and an excess of 150 euros, the insurer pays 4,250 euros. How a higher excess affects your premium is shown by the excess calculator.

If you only have Kfz-Haftpflicht, you bear the damage to your own car yourself. Which types of cover make sense is explained on the page Car insurance.

Which animals count as Haarwild?

Haarwild means the 26 species listed in § 2(1) no. 1 of the Federal Hunting Act (Bundesjagdgesetz). Insurance terms refer to this list. Other animals are not included, even if they live in the wild.

• Haarwild: roe deer, red deer, fallow deer, sika deer, wild boar, elk, European bison, chamois, ibex, mouflon, brown hare, mountain hare, wild rabbit, marmot, fox, badger, stone and pine marten, polecat, stoat, least weasel, otter, harbour seal, wildcat, lynx and wolf.
• Not Haarwild: birds (feathered game), raccoon, raccoon dog, coypu, pets such as dogs and cats, and farm animals such as cows, horses and sheep.

The raccoon in particular often leads to disputes, because it is spreading fast in many regions. It is not on the list in the Federal Hunting Act. Without the „Tiere aller Art“ extension, you have to claim a raccoon accident under Vollkasko and lose part of your bonus. Some policies cover collisions with animals of all kinds. Check your policy terms under „Zusammenstoß mit Tieren“ (collision with animals).

You have to prove the collision. Hair, blood or tissue on the car, photos of the scene and the wildlife accident certificate are the most important evidence.

What do you have to do straight after a wildlife accident?

First secure the scene, then call the police, even if the animal has run off. The police notify the local hunter and issue the wildlife accident certificate your insurer asks for. This is how the GDV and ADAC Sachsen describe it.

1. Switch on your hazard lights, put on a high-visibility vest and set up the warning triangle.
2. Call the police on 110, or the emergency services on 112 if anyone is injured.
3. Do not touch the animal. Injured animals can kick out, and dead ones should only be moved with gloves. If the animal ran away, remember which direction it went.
4. Take photos of the scene, the animal, the damage to your car and traces such as hair or blood.
5. Get a Wildunfallbescheinigung from the police or the hunting leaseholder.
6. Report to your insurer before the car is repaired, scrapped or sold. Under AKB E.1.3.2 you must ask for the insurer's instructions before repairs.

Never take the dead animal with you. The right to take game belongs to the person entitled to hunt, and anyone who takes it risks criminal proceedings for poaching (Jagdwilderei) under § 292 StGB. Many insurers also require you to report wildlife damage above a certain amount to the police (AKB E.1.3.3). If you fail to do so, you may in the worst case put your cover at risk.

Does insurance pay if you swerve to avoid an animal?

If you swerve to avoid an animal and end up in a ditch without hitting it, Teilkasko only pays under strict conditions. The damage can then be reimbursed as rescue costs (Rettungskosten) under § 83 VVG, if swerving was meant to prevent impending wildlife damage and you were entitled to consider it necessary. Without a collision, however, you have to prove that an animal was on the road.

For small animals, courts regularly refuse reimbursement. In 2003 the Federal Court of Justice ruled (BGH, judgment of 25 June 2003, IV ZR 276/02) that swerving to avoid a fox was not necessary, because the risk of the manoeuvre is greater than the damage from a collision. Under this case law, swerving riskily for a small animal is grossly negligent, and the insurer may reduce its payment under § 81 VVG. For a roe deer, red deer or wild boar, swerving is more likely to be justified.

The GDV clearly advises against risky evasive manoeuvres, because hitting a tree or another car is usually more dangerous than hitting the animal. If game appears: dip your headlights, brake, sound the horn and keep the steering wheel straight. With Vollkasko, damage from swerving is usually covered, but it will cost you part of your no-claims bonus.

How expensive are wildlife accidents and when do most happen?

Wildlife accidents are not becoming more frequent, but they are getting more expensive. According to the GDV statement of 26 Oct 2026, the number in 2025 stayed almost the same at around 276,000, while the damage rose by 7 per cent to more than 1.2 billion euros. That is more than 750 accidents a day, or statistically almost one every two minutes.

„Sowohl die Preise für Karosserieteile als auch die Stundensätze der Kfz-Werkstätten steigen stärker als die allgemeine Inflation“ (both the prices of body parts and the hourly rates of garages are rising faster than general inflation), says Anja Käfer-Rohrbach, deputy chief executive of the GDV. A repair after a wildlife accident cost around 4,400 euros on average in 2025, 300 euros more than in 2024.

Most accidents happen in April and May and in October and November, especially at dusk. According to ADAC Sachsen, after the clocks go back dusk starts at around 5 pm and coincides with the evening commute. The most dangerous times are between 6 and 9 am and the early evening. In autumn, wild boar and fallow deer are in their mating season and often move in groups: where one animal crosses the road, others often follow.