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Car insurance

Required by law, tailored to you — the right cover for your vehicle on Austrian roads.

What is car insurance?

Motor third-party liability insurance is compulsory by law in Austria for every registered vehicle. It protects you against the financial consequences of a road accident — both towards third parties and (with comprehensive cover) for damage to your own vehicle. From compulsory liability to fully comprehensive cover (Vollkasko), you can tailor your protection to your needs.

Why do you need car insurance?

Every vehicle registered in Austria must have at least third-party liability insurance. But there are other good reasons for broader cover:

What does the insurance cover?

Motor third-party liability (Kfz-Haftpflicht)

Legally required cover for personal injury, property damage and financial loss that you cause to third parties with your vehicle.

Partial comprehensive (Teilkasko)

Protects the vehicle against theft, glass breakage, collisions with game, hail, storm and other natural events.

Fully comprehensive (Vollkasko)

Comprehensive protection that also covers accidents you cause yourself and vandalism — in addition to all partial comprehensive benefits.

Driver and passenger accident cover

Additional protection for everyone in the vehicle in an accident — regardless of who was at fault.

Motor legal expenses

Covers lawyers’ and court fees in legal disputes related to road traffic.

Assistance and breakdown cover

Immediate help with breakdowns, towing costs, a replacement car and overnight stays at home and abroad.

What makes up the car insurance premium?

Your annual payment consists of three parts:

  1. The insurance premium for liability and, if applicable, comprehensive cover — depending on the insurer, vehicle, place of residence and claims history. This is where comparing pays off.
  2. Insurance tax of 11% on this premium.
  3. Vehicle tax (motorbezogene Versicherungssteuer) — replaces road tax in Austria, is collected together with the liability premium and is the same with every insurer.

Example 1: petrol car, first registered 2026, 85 kW, 125 g CO₂/km

ComponentCalculationper month
Power(85 − 59) kW × €0.72€18.72
CO₂(125 − 97) g × €0.72€20.16
Vehicle tax€38.88 (€466.56 per year)

Example 2: electric car, first registered 2026, 150 kW, 1800 kg

ComponentCalculationper month
Power35 kW × €0.25 + 25 kW × €0.35 + 45 kW × €0.45€37.75
Weight500 kg × €0.015 + 400 kg × €0.030€19.50
Vehicle tax€57.25 (€687.00 per year)

The vehicle tax is fixed — you can only save on the insurance premium. That is exactly where we compare offers for you. Our comparison calculator gives you a first, non-binding idea.

Calculation based on the tax rates of the Austrian Ministry of Finance (BMF), as of 1 January 2026. You will find your vehicle’s data (kW, CO₂, kerb weight) in the type certificate (Typenschein) or data extract (Datenauszug).

Cancellation and switching insurer

A motor liability contract can basically be ended in two ways:

  • At the main due date (Hauptfälligkeit): once a year, on the anniversary of the start of cover. Written notice must reach the insurer at least one month beforehand (§ 14 KHVG). Example: main due date 1 October — notice by 31 August at the latest.
  • When deregistering the vehicle: the contract ends on the day of deregistration; the premium is settled pro rata. Important: the deregistration confirmation is not sent to the insurer automatically – please send it to the insurer yourself or to us.

There are also special cases: if the insurer increases the premium, you can cancel within one month of being notified (§ 14a KHVG). After a claim, both parties have a right of cancellation (§ 158 VersVG). When you sell the car, the liability insurance passes to the buyer, who can cancel it within one month.

Comprehensive cover is voluntary and may have a different term from liability cover — you will find the dates in your policy.

We keep an eye on the main due date of your contracts and check in good time whether switching pays off.

Legal basis: Austrian Motor Liability Insurance Act (KHVG) §§ 14, 14a; VersVG § 158. As of October 2026.

Who is it especially important for?

Motor liability insurance is compulsory for every vehicle owner in Austria. Comprehensive cover is also especially recommended for:

Which documents are needed?

To take out car insurance

For registration at the registration office (Zulassungsstelle)

For a fair, comparable offer

These details determine the premium: power (kW) and date of first registration, the new value of the vehicle, place of residence, age of the drivers, bonus-malus level and — depending on the insurer — annual mileage. Having them to hand means you get an offer that can really be compared more quickly.

Why accurate information matters: an offer is only as good as the information it is based on. Anyone who omits or misstates previous claims, all drivers or the actual use of the vehicle, you risk the insurer withdrawing from the contract or refusing to pay in the event of a claim (§§ 16 ff. VersVG). That is why we prefer to calculate on the basis of complete information — the offer may then not be the cheapest, but you can rely on it.

Deregistration and re-registration

Deregistration — at any registration office in Austria, free of charge. Bring:

  • Official photo ID
  • Registration certificate part I and part II
  • Type certificate or extract from the type-approval database
  • Number plates
  • A power of attorney if the vehicle owner does not come in person

Deregistration ends your liability insurance; the premium is settled pro rata. Important: the deregistration confirmation is not sent to the insurer automatically – please send it to the insurer yourself or to us, and we will take care of the rest. The registration number can be reserved for another vehicle for up to twelve months.

Moving house — what you need to do depends on the number plate:

  • If the district code stays the same but your address changes, the registration certificate (Zulassungsschein) must be updated at the registration office. Then send us a copy – we will forward it to the insurer to change the address.
  • If the code changes but the authority stays the same, the change must be reported within a week; new plates are needed.
  • If both the code and the authority change (e.g. moving from Lower Austria to Vienna), the vehicle is deregistered and re-registered at a registration office in the new district — with the same documents as for registration.

We help with registration, deregistration and re-registration and adjust your insurance straight away.

Sources: oesterreich.gv.at, “Abmeldung eines Kraftfahrzeuges” and “Zulassungsbescheinigung – Namens-/Adressänderung” (as of 2026); § 42 Kraftfahrgesetz.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Every vehicle used on the road in Austria must have at least liability insurance. Without valid liability insurance, a vehicle cannot be registered or driven.

Your no-claims discount is basically retained: the new insurer takes over your bonus-malus level on the basis of a confirmation from your previous insurer (Vorversicherungsbestätigung).

Important: for every liability claim, you are usually moved up three levels – this also applies when you switch insurer, and it makes the premium higher. We will gladly calculate whether switching is still worthwhile.

After a longer break, not every insurer will accept your level: depending on the company, it can only be transferred for 1 to 3 years after deregistration.

In addition, usually only levels actually earned by claim-free driving are transferred – levels granted as a gift (e.g. in new-customer promotions) and insurers’ internal levels usually are not.

Our tip: keep the confirmation from your previous insurer (Vorversicherungsbestätigung) in a safe place – we will gladly check which insurer will recognise your level.

Liability insurance can be cancelled once a year at the main due date (Hauptfälligkeit) — the notice must reach the insurer at least one month beforehand. After the vehicle is deregistered, the contract ends on the day of deregistration. We will gladly check special cases such as a premium increase or a claim for you.

Yes – this is very important: the deregistration confirmation (Abmeldebestätigung) is not passed on automatically to the insurer. Please send it to the insurer yourself or simply to us – we will forward it and make sure the contract ends properly.

That depends on the tariff: some comprehensive tariffs cover the cost of new keys and replacing the locks if the keys are stolen, and some home contents policies pay for lost keys. Simply losing them is often not covered. We will gladly check which of your policies applies.

Yes, that is exactly the difference from partial comprehensive cover: fully comprehensive also covers damage to your own vehicle in accidents you caused yourself, minus the excess.

The key difference: fully comprehensive (Vollkasko) also covers damage that you caused yourself – partial comprehensive (Teilkasko) does not. Partial comprehensive cover also comes in a variant with parking damage and one without.

DamageTeilkasko without parking damageTeilkasko with parking damageVollkasko
Severe weather, hail, storm, fire, theft, glass breakage, collision with game✓✓✓
Parking damage caused by an unknown person–✓✓
Damage to your own car that you caused––✓

Simplified overview – the exact scope depends on the tariff. We will show you which variant suits your car.

The premium depends, among other things, on the vehicle type, engine power and new value. When you change cars, we will gladly calculate the new premium before you decide.

Content reviewed by: Agnieszka Valenta, insurance broker · As of October 2026

Book a free consultation

Send us your current policy or type certificate — we will compare liability and comprehensive cover and tell you before the main due date whether switching pays off.

Personal advice in Breitenwaida – for clients from the Hollabrunn district, the whole Weinviertel region, as well as Vienna and Burgenland. We advise in English, German, Polish, Serbian and Bosnian.

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