A second car is simply necessary for some families. And that costs a lot of money. The mere acquisition costs are not enough; there are running costs for maintenance and insurance. And the smaller the no-claims class (SF class), the more expensive it is.
In principle, you can first ask the insurance company for your first vehicle what a second policy will cost there. However, this does not have to be the cheapest solution; another company can also be considered. So compare.
When does it make sense to insure a car as a second car?
Every car owner who has to insure another car in addition to his first vehicle needs second car insurance. In the simplest case, this is the car fan who buys a sports car for the weekend in addition to his everyday vehicle.
However, this single driver with two vehicles is likely to be the exception. Second car insurance comes into play much more often when families or couples are considering buying an additional car.
Basically, the new owner could the car this also sign the same yourself and insure, but the insurance company then is almost always more expensive than in the approval as a second car: Who in the car insurance can prove no claim-free years, begins with the expensive class 0 to.
In the simplest form of a second car regulation, the primary insurer offers to insure the second car in the no-claims class SF class ½, and thus somewhat cheaper than in class 0. The prerequisite for classification in the SF class ½ is that you have your own First car that has already reached at least this SF class.
Many insurers, however, deviate from the customary classification in the SF class ½ and offer even more favorable regulations. This is also shown by a Finanztip analysis of 28 car insurance tariffs from October 2017. You can find information on the improved second car regulations of individual providers here.
Season vehicles
With the so-called seasonal registrations, there is no problem at all if the summer and winter car share the calendar months and the no-claims discount. If, however, convertibles or sports cars are added to the fleet, they should be registered for at least six calendar months per year so that the no-claims discount does not come to an end.
What types of second car insurance are there?
If you have already driven accident-free for a few years, you will receive at least SF class ½ for the second car. In addition, many insurers offer what is known as an improved second car regulation – but only if you meet a few additional conditions. As a rule of thumb, the lower the risk of an accident, the better the offers. Therefore, keep the group of drivers small and only let experienced drivers behind the wheel of your car.
In addition, there are insurers who offer a second vehicle scheme even though the first vehicle is not insured with them.
Improved second car regulations
An improved second car regulation includes all classifications that are better than SF class ½. They range from SF class 2 to the damage-free class of the first vehicle. If you have been driving accident-free for a long time and find an insurer with a very affordable second car policy, you can also get your SF class 20 or 25 for the second car. The first vehicle can also be a camper van or motorcycle.
For better classification, the insurance companies want to know, among other things:
- Who is allowed to drive the car: everyone, only the policyholder or only the policyholder and his partner?
- Do the drivers of the first and second cars live in one household (“domestic community”)?
- Is the owner of the first and second car identical?
- How old is the policyholder?
- How old are the other drivers?
- Is the insurance for the first car with the same insurer or a subsidiary?
- What is the no- claims discount on the initial contract?
- How long has the policyholder had his driver’s license?
How do you find the right insurance?
If you are now looking for the right insurance for your second car, you should first clarify two further questions – regardless of the size of your additional vehicle:
- Where and with which SF class is the first vehicle insured?
- What type of class does the second car have?
Then inquire with the insurer of your first vehicle about the conditions under which they would insure your second vehicle.
The quick way to insurance
If you want to register and insure the vehicle quickly, ask your primary insurer to give you an electronic insurance confirmation (eVB number). You can use it to drive directly to the registration office.
Make sure that the provisional coverage also applies to the comprehensive insurance and that you are already insured from the date of registration if you cause an accident on the way back from the registration office and also damage your new car. This is especially important with a new car, regardless of whether you lease it, finance it, or pay in cash.
You will then take out insurance with this company, but you can cancel the contract within 14 days of receiving the insurance policy. This also costs a premium for this time, but in the end, you can get it back with another, cheaper insurance. In this way, you will give yourself enough time to find a particularly inexpensive second car insurance. You then only need a new UVB number.
Compare for cheap offers on online portals
If you are looking for a cheap offer, it is best to use comparison portals:
| Company | Best for |
|---|---|
| Gabi | Quote comparison |
| Liberty Mutual | Customer service |
| Progressive | Flexibility |
| Allstate | Discounts |
| Esurance | Easy application |
| State Farm | Fast claims |
| Metromile | Pay-per-mile insurance |
| USAA | Military members |
| Geico | College students |
Which tariffs for the car for the youngsters did we notice?
If the small second car is intended for your children, you should definitely change the group of drivers for the first car, i.e. no longer let your child drive it. Because insurance for the first car costs less if no driver under the age of 25 is allowed to drive. The opposite applies: As soon as the group of drivers increases, the number of offers to insure the second car at low-cost decreases. Two offers caught our eye.
Axa: In order to ensure your child’s car cheaply, the Axa, for example, offers an SF class 3, provided that you have your own contract there and secondly, it is classified as at least SF class 3. However, the offer is linked to the times your child still lives at home. It doesn’t matter who the car is registered for or who drives it.
Verti: The Verti offer is only valid if your child already has his own apartment. Regardless of where the parents’ contract exists, Verti will credit the child’s contract with the no-claims discount that corresponds to the length of time they have held a driving license. However, your offspring must first be named as a driver in your insurance contract.
What do you have to consider when changing insurance?
Some of the regulations for classifying the second car are only special initial classifications. If you change insurer, you will only be able to take with you from your no-claims discount what you have learned in no-claims years in the course of the contract. Nevertheless, we recommend that you take any available discount with you when you insure your second car for the first time in order to save on premiums.
In the best-case scenario, it will take care of itself that you will be insured with the new car where you will find a good offer for your first car at the next opportunity to change. Note: Some prescribe second car rules that you the next opportunity with the first car to these vendors have to change. But that doesn’t work in the middle of the year, but only at the end of the motor insurance year on December 31st.
The best thing to do is to prove to the new insurer that you intend to change by filling out and signing the application for the new season. Do not forget to cancel with the previous insurer and do not cheat on the information. The insurers look very carefully to see whether you meet the requirements for the classification and change your contracts if conditions are no longer applicable.
If you cannot switch to the new insurance company straight away with your first car but would like to do so, then you only have one trick: if you sell, vehicle owners can change insurance immediately. This also applies to the family. You will have to re-register the vehicle to someone else, which costs an average of 29 euros. The insurance, however, moves with the car to the buyer, who can terminate it immediately.
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