German auto insurance regional class update adjusts ratings for 10 million drivers

Nationwide recalculation for 413 districts

The German Insurance Association (GDV) released its annual regional claims statistics covering all 413 vehicle registration districts in Germany. Under the updated calculation, approximately 5.2 million motorists across 63 districts will receive a more favorable regional class in third-party car liability insurance, while roughly 4.8 million drivers in 46 districts will move to a higher class. For the vast majority of drivers in Germany, the classification remains unchanged, covering 304 registration districts with more than 32 million motorists. Regional classes reflect the claims frequency and repair costs associated with where a vehicle is registered rather than where an accident occurs. While individual premiums depend on additional factors such as vehicle type classes, annual mileage, and general repair expense trends, better regional classifications generally lower insurance costs.

For 5.2 million motorists from 63 registration districts, the regional class improves, for 4.8 million from 46 districts it rises. Where a car is registered makes a substantial difference to the claims balance. Large cities in particular often perform worse than rural regions.

Adjustments across northwestern districts

In Lower Saxony, regional liability classes worsened for approximately 450,000 motorists across six districts, including Hanover city, Delmenhorst, Emden, Oldenburg city, Peine, and Wolfsburg. Conversely, classifications improved for around 600,000 policyholders across seven Lower Saxony districts, including Aurich, Cuxhaven, Gifhorn, Grafschaft Bentheim, Rotenburg (Wümme), Schaumburg, and Wilhelmshaven. In the state of Bremen, all 250,000 drivers in Bremen and Bremerhaven were shifted into higher liability classes. For comprehensive coverage in Lower Saxony, more than 360,000 drivers in eight of 47 districts face worse ratings, whereas 210,000 of the state's 3.9 million comprehensive policyholders in cities such as Göttingen, Osnabrück, Uelzen, and Wolfsburg saw their classifications improve. All partial coverage policyholders in Bremerhaven also received higher regional classes, while Bremen remained unchanged.

Shifts in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt

In eastern German states, local accident claims balances produced mixed outcomes across urban and rural zones. In Saxony, roughly 270,000 drivers in Meißen and Landkreis Leipzig benefit from lower liability classes, while 315,000 policyholders in Chemnitz, Bautzen, Görlitz, and Leipzig gained improved ratings for fully comprehensive insurance. The best liability claims record in Saxony belonged to Landkreis Mittelsachsen, whereas Dresden recorded the worst. In Saxony-Anhalt, 40% of policyholders across five districts (Anhalt-Bitterfeld, Börde, Burgenland, Saalekreis, and Stendal) moved into lower liability brackets. Altmarkkreis Salzwedel achieved the best liability claims result in Saxony-Anhalt, while Magdeburg posted the poorest record.

Thuringian regional classifications

In Thuringia, 30% of registered drivers across seven districts received improved liability ratings, including Jena as well as the Greiz, Saale-Holzland, Saale-Orla, Sömmerda, Sonneberg, and Unstrut-Hainich districts. Counter to the broader regional trend, motorists in Suhl and Weimar moved into higher liability brackets due to poorer accident statistics. Kyffhäuserkreis recorded the best claims performance in the state, whereas Gera recorded the worst. In comprehensive insurance, three Thuringian districts (Ilm-Kreis, Sonneberg district, and Suhl) gained lower classes for fully comprehensive policies, while Weimar saw its rating rise. For partial coverage, classes fell in Greiz, Jena, and Suhl, but rose in Eichsfeld.