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Accident in Cologne: Good vehicle insurance can help here

Photo: Christoph Hardt / Panama Pictures / IMAGO

Car insurers send out their invoices at the turn of the year - and a survey carried out at the end of January now shows that car insurance has become significantly more expensive for the majority of car owners in Germany. The Heidelberg company Verivox said 58 percent of car owners received a direct price increase at the turn of the year.

Verivox relies on an online survey it commissioned from the market research institute Innofact among a total of 1,031 people aged 18 to 79. This is representative of the population in terms of age, gender and federal state affiliation.

Pay attention to the no-claims bonus

A quarter of those surveyed reported that the price of their car insurance remained the same even though they had not reported any damage in the past twelve months. According to Verivox, this should actually be associated with a higher no-claims class (SFK) and therefore a lower premium. Only twelve percent of car owners say their contribution has fallen compared to the previous year.

“Not all price increases are noticeable at first glance,” said Wolfgang Schütz, managing director of insurance comparison at Verivox. "If the insurer does not credit the no-claims bonus or only partially credits it, it is a hidden price increase."

According to Verivox, customers can often avoid price increases. For example, by changing the tariff, updating outdated information on annual mileage, for example. However, at 71 percent, the majority accept the higher contribution. 14 percent said they had changed or wanted to change insurers.

The increased prices are related to high inflation and car manufacturers' price increases for spare parts, which have been complained about in the insurance industry for years. The General Association of the German Insurance Industry (GDV) announced in the summer that the income of its member companies from motor vehicle insurance no longer covered their expenses due to the sharp increase in repair costs.

apr/dpa