Vehicle liability insurance is mandatory for motorists in Germany. However, this only covers damage to someone else’s car. If you also want to insure your own car, you need comprehensive insurance. At least partially comprehensive insurance is recommended, not only with regard to accidents, after all, according to the General Association of the German Insurance Industry (GDV), a car with comprehensive insurance is stolen about every 30 minutes. Fully comprehensive insurance is also an option, at least for newer vehicles.
The exact benefits of the respective tariff depend on the insurance company. You should not just limit yourself to the obvious, but inform yourself comprehensively about the possibilities. In addition to standard services, insurers have many extras on offer. Some of them are worth a closer look.
Discount protection
Accident-free driving is also worthwhile in terms of insurance premiums. Every year that drivers are not at fault in an accident means that they:
However, this discount is quickly gone if you are careless and get into a collision. Because then the driver in question will be downgraded by his insurance company – how far depends on the respective insurance company. In some cases, however, an accident can cause those affected to literally fall five years behind.
Depending on the insurer, drivers have several options to prevent this:
- You pay for the damage yourself without claiming your insurance.
- You opt for discount protection.
- You choose a discount saver.
The extent to which the former is worthwhile depends on the tariff. On average, it pays off in the long run To take over damages of up to 1,500 euros with the liability insurance. However, this is not easily feasible for everyone. If you don’t want to dig into your own pocket under any circumstances, you can take advantage of discount protection or a discount saver with some insurance companies. Both extras work on a similar principle:
- discount protection: With this variant, drivers have one accident a year (sometimes even several) free. This means that they will not be downgraded despite their own fault.
- discount saver: A discount rescuer is downgraded, but not to the extent that the insurance premium changes.
Whether one of these variants is worthwhile depends on your own driving behavior, your own no-claims class and the insurance tariff. After all, both come with higher contributions. Also, they are not offered to everyone. If you want to take advantage of discount protection, you usually have to have reached a certain no-claims class and also belong to a certain age group.
Free Mallorca Policy
“Mallorca Police”, that sounds like vacation. In fact, this is an additional benefit that applies when policyholders are traveling abroad, namely with a rental car.
This service is already included in some insurance tariffs. If not, it is worth booking them or thinking about changing insurance. Because if you cause an accident with a rental car while on holiday in a foreign country, you have to reckon with the fact that the foreign insurance will only cover small sums. This is often not sufficient to settle claims for damages.
This is where the Mallorca Police step in. She ensures that:
- the insurance for the rental car is brought up to the same standard as at home and
- Vacationers do not have to pay for damages out of their own pockets.
According to media reports, experts consider the Mallorca policy to be one of the most important insurance benefits for motorists – precisely because many holidaymakers who spontaneously decide to rent a car abroad do not even think about insurance cover. If you want to protect yourself even more effectively, you can also think about protection abroad. This is important if the other party’s insurance is not sufficient to pay for the damage caused. A protection abroad also tops it up to the domestic level.
In any case, neither of these extras is a substitute for careful driving. Especially in foreign countries, it is advisable to take your foot off the gas pedal.
Extended replacement price compensation
For a new car, many people save for years. It is all the more bitter when you have an accident with it after a short time. If this results in a total loss, many vehicle owners have to realize how quickly a new car loses its value. Even if the vehicle is not yet a year old, fully comprehensive insured drivers often receive several thousand euros less than they paid when buying it.
This can be prevented by a new price compensation. This is being offered by more and more insurance companies and is characterized by the following features:
- In the event of a total loss, but also in the event of theft, the original price of the vehicle will be fully reimbursed.
- This applies for a period of up to two, sometimes even three years.
- After expiry of the replacement price compensation, the insurance tariff is reduced accordingly.
Experts advise claiming compensation for new cars for at least 12 months. However, there are some prerequisites:
- The policyholder must be the first owner of the relevant vehicle.
- The car must not have been registered for too long (how long depends on the insurer).
- Comprehensive insurance must be available.
The exact conditions for a new price compensation are decided depending on the provider. As with other extras and the tariffs themselves, it’s worth taking a close look at. If you take the time to compare thoroughly, you can make a lot of bargains.
Conclusion
When you’re looking for car insurance in Mallorca, you’ll want to make sure you have a policy that covers all of your bases. Not only will this include coverage for accidents and damage, but it will also cover things like theft and loss.
In addition to a standard policy, you may want to consider adding extras, like roadside assistance and rental car coverage. This way, you’ll be sure you’re covered if something unexpected happens on your trip.
Finally, be sure to compare rates before you buy. You may be able to get a better deal by shopping around.