Typklassen — why your EV costs that much (or little) to insure
Two cars, same price, same city, same driver — and one costs twice as much to insure. In Germany, the reason is almost always the Typklasse (type class).
What is a type class?
Every year the German Insurance Association (GDV) evaluates the real claims record of every model registered in Germany: how often a model is involved in accidents, how expensive its repairs are, how often it gets stolen. Each model receives a trio of classes:
- KH (third-party liability): damage you cause to others — classes 10–25.
- TK (partial casco): theft, glass, wildlife, hail — classes 10–33.
- VK (full casco): damage to your own car too — classes 10–34.
The higher the class, the more expensive the model is in the claims statistics — and the higher your premium. Classification is model-specific, not brand-specific: a powerful top trim can sit two classes above the base model of the same line.
Why EVs often rank higher
Not because of accident frequency — because of repair costs. Battery-adjacent body parts, sensors in bumpers and long parts lead times make each individual claim more expensive, which pushes the full-casco class up. Small, lower-powered EVs benefit from the reverse: less power, less claim volume, lower class.
How Evident computes with it
Our insurance line carries the “Calibrated” label: for mapped models we use the real full-casco type class from the official GDV register (as of 09/2025) and translate it into a premium factor with a documented curve (≈ 6 % premium difference per class, centred around VK 22). Models without a register entry get a clearly labelled power-band proxy — never an invented number. The insured value follows the car’s value: a used car is cheaper to insure than the same car new.
Your actual premium also depends on you (no-claims class, region, driver circle) — but the type class decides the level where that calculation starts. For comparing models, it’s the honest lever.
Practical tip: compare models in the compare view before buying — the insurance line in the cost block shows the difference in €/month, not abstract classes.
Continue with real numbers: Cheapest EVs by total cost · Filter all cars · Compare models