Every year, storms and storms in Germany cause damage in the billions. Last year, more than 450,000 claims totaling 1.7 billion euros were recorded on insured motor vehicles. Around 1.3 billion euros of this was attributable to motor vehicle damage caused by storms, hail and lightning. The remaining 400 million euros were caused by flooding.
In the course of climate change, Jörg Asmussen, General Manager of the General Association of the German Insurance Industry (GDV), expects further costs from storm damage.
On a long-term average, around 390,000 insured vehicles are damaged every year, with the total loss amounting to around 900 million euros. The series of storms in June and the flood disaster in July in the Ahr Valley are responsible for the high level of damage last year. Motor insurers paid almost 400 million euros for 50,000 damage to the Ahr and Erft. “In most cases, the water caused total damage to engines, electronics and the entire vehicle interior,” said Asmussen. After the flood, the car wrecks pile up in the junkyards…
The most common damage caused by forces of nature
- Storm damage
- Heavy rain
- Flood & flood damage
- Flash floods
- Hail
The regional GDV natural hazard balance for 2021 with regard to flooding leads Rhineland-Palatinate, with an average of 4.1 damage reports per 1000 comprehensively insured vehicles. North Rhine-Westphalia follows with 2.9 claims reports. Bremen is at the bottom of this list, where motorists were almost spared from flooding last year.
Damage to motor vehicles due to natural hazards by federal state
| Federal State | Number of claims per 1,000 contracts | number of damages | damage in million |
| Bavaria | 4.9 | 41,500 | 110 |
| Baden-Wuerttemberg | 4.0 | 28,000 | 73 |
| North Rhine-Westphalia | 3.2 | 33,500 | 64 |
| Brandenburg | 2.8 | 4,000 | 8th |
| Saarland | 2.7 | 2,000 | 3 |
| Lower Saxony | 2.4 | 12,500 | 24 |
| Saxony | 2.3 | 5,000 | 10 |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | 2.2 | 6,000 | 12 |
| Thuringia | 2.2 | 2,500 | 6 |
| Saxony-Anhalt | 2.1 | 2,500 | 4 |
| Hesse | 1.9 | 7,000 | 15 |
| Hanseatic City of Hamburg | 1.9 | 1,500 | 3 |
| Berlin | 1.9 | 2,500 | 4 |
| Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 1.8 | 1,500 | 3 |
| Bremen | 1.6 | 500 | 1 |
| Schleswig-Holstein | 1.5 | 3000 | 5 |
| flood damage | 0.03 | 1,500 | 6 |
In southern Germany, storms and hail in particular caused severe damage to motor vehicles. With an average of 19.9 damage reports per 1,000 comprehensively insured vehicles, drivers in Baden-Württemberg were hit hardest. The federal state thus leads the nationwide GDV natural hazard balance sheet with regard to storm, hail and lightning. It is followed by Bavaria with 18.9 claims, with Bremen again bringing up the rear. With 1.6 damage reports per 1000 year-round contracts, motorists got off relatively lightly here.
The series of storms in June caused particularly severe hail damage estimated at 700 million euros. “All in all, it is the fourth largest hail damage for motor vehicle insurers since statistics began,” explains the GDV general manager.
Damage caused by storm, hail, lightning and flooding is covered by comprehensive insurance. In addition to the benefits of partially comprehensive insurance, fully comprehensive insurance replaces further damage to your own car, for example after an accident you caused yourself.
Driving in a storm
When driving in a storm, you should pay attention to the appropriate speed, because this is the only way to have the vehicle under control. If you are caught by a gust, you have to steer in a controlled manner. Watch out for windsocks or signs on bridges and in forest aisles. The risk of being hit by gusts of wind is particularly high here. Trees and bushes also provide information about the respective wind strength. If the wind is very strong, you should avoid driving into forested areas: Trees can fall over or the road can already be blocked.
Be particularly careful when overtaking trucks or buses. While initially driving in the slipstream of the vehicle being overtaken, one is completely caught up in the crosswind after the overtaking manoeuvre. Roof loads such as bicycles or ski boxes significantly increase sensitivity to crosswinds due to the larger impact area. Mobile homes and caravans, as well as buses and trucks, are particularly susceptible to side winds. In the worst case, these vehicles can even tip over.
Homeowner Liable for Storm Damage to Parked Car
When parts of a chimney fall on a parked car during a severe storm, the homeowner usually has to pay for the damage. Poor maintenance or a construction error can be imputed to him. According to the District Court of Berlin-Schoeneberg (Az. 17b C 181/07), at least the first impressions suggest that even with stronger winds in this country, entire parts of the building can only be ripped out if the building was either erected incorrectly or poorly maintained.
The court disagreed that the storm was exceptional. In principle, a building and all of its facilities must be able to withstand the weather. Because a homeowner must also take unusual storms into account and, as part of his obligation to ensure traffic safety, take appropriate precautions for the strength of the building and parts of the building, this applies according to case law up to wind speeds of 12 Beaufort on the wind speed scale, which has been expanded to 17 levels. However, the German Weather Service did not measure any higher values during the devastating night at the site of the damage.
How to proceed
In any case, drivers should immediately report damage after a storm to their insurance company. As a rule, there is no downgrading in the case of partially comprehensive insurance. Under no circumstances should an appraiser be appointed or the damage repaired without consultation with the insurer. In this case, the insured person could bear the costs because the insurer has the right to issue instructions.