Typklasse

The Typklasse is the vehicle-type rating class German insurers use to price a policy for one specific model variant in German vehicle registration and insurance. It reflects how expensive that model has been to insure. Every HSN/TSN combination — the manufacturer and type key printed in the Zulassungsbescheinigung — is graded annually by the GDV using the real claims and repair costs recorded for that model. Liability Typklassen run from 10 to 25, Teilkasko from 10 to 33 and Vollkasko from 10 to 34, with a higher number meaning a higher premium. Powerful sports cars, models with expensive body panels or driver-assistance sensors, and vehicles with a poor theft record land high; slow, cheap-to-repair models land low. Because the classification follows the model rather than the owner, it cannot be improved by driving carefully; it changes only when the GDV revises the table, usually each summer with effect from the next renewal. For an owner comparing two cars, the Typklasse difference is often larger than any discount a broker can negotiate.