Transfer no-claims class: This is how it works

louder than noisy

January 30, 2025

Published November 29, 2024

Important facts about the no-claims class

Your grandmother wants to sell her beloved bright red classic car and give up her driver's license? Perfect, then she can transfer her no-claims class to you right away. This means lower insurance costs for you! But let's start with the basics:

What is a no-claims class anyway?

In motor insurance, your premium depends not only on the type of vehicle but also on the no-claims class. The no-claims class system enables motor insurance companies to assess risks and reward prudent drivers. It provides information about how many years the owners of a vehicle have been on the road without accident damage.

A better no-claims class therefore rewards the insurance company with a higher no-claims discount.

In which insurance can you transfer no-claims classes?

No-claims classes are only available in fully comprehensive and motor vehicle liability insurance, not in partial casco. The reason for this is that partial comprehensive insurance only pays for damage that you do not cause yourself. You can find all the details in our guide to the no-claims class – for example, the answer to the question of when an SF class expires.

What does "no-claims class transfer" mean?

In most cases, the no-claims class is tied to the policyholder. Under certain conditions – see the next sections – insurers allow the SF class to be transferred. If, for example, your child takes over your second car completely after some time, you can transfer the SF class of the second car to the child. Even if you get rid of your vehicle for reasons of age, you can transfer your no-claims class to someone else. The advantage for the recipient: With the transfer of the better SF class, he saves on the insurance premium – but not the same percentage as you. Which brings us to the next question.

What no-claims class applies to the second vehicle?

If you register your second car, which you or your partner use privately, the no-claims class of the first car also counts for the second. At DA Direkt, for example, you will receive a maximum of SF class 30 – depending on how many accident-free years you have driven in a row. And if there are other people besides you using the car? In this case, the no-claims class depends on the year of birth of the youngest driver – only the years that he was able to drive without an accident himself count. You can read about the conditions for the special classification on our product detail page Second car insurance.

By the way: Do you want to insure a motorcycle as a second vehicle? Then it is classified in SF 1/2 if you or your partner already have a car or a motorcycle of SF 1/2 registered. Further requirements for classification in SF class 1/2 and in the special classification SK class 30 can be found here.

No-claims discount: Can the percentages be transferred directly to the car insurance premium?

To make a long story short: No, unfortunately it is not possible to transfer the SF discount directly. One of the reasons for this is that you can only transfer as many claim-free years as the recipient already has a driver's license. So a novice driver cannot have 20 SF years transferred, even if you have been on the road for 40 years without an accident.

Good to know: Even if you read in some texts how to transfer the percentages of the car insurance, who can transfer the no-claims discount and for how long, or which form you need to transfer the no-claims discount – this always means the transfer of the SF class.

You can read exactly how to transfer the no-claims class in the next section.

Transfer no-claims class in four steps

Taking over your SF class from the parents or transferring it to your child is very easy. Here is our four-step guide.

Contact your car insurance company and ask who you can pass on your no-claims class to. A transfer to children and spouses is usually possible without any problems. Some insurers allow you to transfer your SF class to siblings or life partners. Also ask how long you can pass on your no-claims class. Normally, the deadline for this is six to twelve months.
In the next step, check how many years the recipient has had their driver's license and drives. Because it depends on which no-claims class he gets. The following applies: The longer the recipient has their driver's license, the more classes they can take from you.
Apply for the transfer of the SF class from your car insurance company. You can have the application sent to you by post or fill it out directly online.
After that, the recipient of your no-claims class takes out his car insurance at the lower rate.

You will need the following data and documents to transfer your no-claims class:

Your vehicle and contract data
Your Waiver
Vehicle and contract data of the recipient
Recipient's driver's license – a copy of it is usually enough
Explaining the relationship between you and the recipient
Signatures of both parties

Requirements for the transfer of the SF class

You can pass on your no-claims class under these conditions:

The recipient has already driven your car regularly.
A discount can be transferred between spouses or registered partners and partners living in the same household,between parents and children orbetween grandparents and grandchildren living in the same household.
The no-claims discount can only be transferred once and is no longer available to you afterwards.

When is it worthwhile for me to transfer the SF class?

In these cases, it makes sense to pass on the no-claims class:

You no longer need your second car: If, for example, only your daughter uses the second car from now on, she can take over your no-claims class at the same time.
Her grandfather surrenders his driver's license: If relatives give up their driver's license for reasons of age, they can easily transfer their no-claims class to a family member.
Your employer no longer uses the company car: If you have been driving it for years, you can use the no-claims class for your private vehicle.
The prerequisite for this is that your employer agrees to the transfer of the no-claims class.

Here the transfer of the SF class is not worthwhile

In these cases, there are only disadvantages to transferring the no-claims class:

For new drivers without driving experience: Since the no-claims class can be transferred at most up to the time of obtaining the driver's license, this measure is only worthwhile for older novice drivers. Absolute novice drivers do not benefit at all from the transfer of the no-claims class.
If you want to continue to drive your car yourself: If you still want to use your vehicle, it is not worth transferring your SF class. The insurance company would then immediately reclassify you in the lowest no-claims class.

What are the disadvantages of a transfer?

A no-claims discount can only be forwarded once and cannot be split. So if you do register a new car with an eVB number, the insurance company classifies you as if you had never insured a vehicle before.

Passing on no-claims class – special cases

In certain cases, you will need to consider additional regulations. Here we have listed the most important special cases:

Transfer no-claims class – this applies in the event of death

If a policyholder dies, he inherits both his insurance and the no-claims class with the vehicle. Heirs can transfer the SF class of the deceased up to twelve months after his death. The insurance company requires a death certificate for this.

Special case of divorce

In the event of a divorce, the partner who is also the policyholder of the car retains the no-claims discount. It is not possible to split the discount. The divorced spouse usually enters with no-claims class 1/2 when he or she registers a car for the first time.

Transfer no-claims class from your motorcycle to your car

Car and motorcycle insurance differ in their discount systems. Therefore, the transfer of the SF class is not quite so easy here, in principle, but possible. It is best to ask your insurer directly about the exact conditions for this special case. In general, the no-claims scale for motorcycle insurance is significantly shorter than for car insurance. For example, SF35 in passenger cars is currently SF20.

Transfer no-claims class from abroad

If you have lived in another European country and have taken out car insurance there, you can transfer your no-claims class to a German insurer.

To classify the contract in the requested no-claims class, you need a translated certificate from the previous foreign insurer at DA Direkt (does not apply to certificates in English). This certificate must contain the following information:

Insured vehicle type (car, motorcycle, motorhome, truck, ...)
Name and address of the policyholder
Scope of coverage (liability, partial casco, fully comprehensive)
Start and, if applicable, the end of the contract (including preliminary contracts)
Type and date of any damage incurred (liability, partial casco, fully comprehensive)

Without a certificate of the information provided by the previous insurer, no no-claims discount can be credited.

Transfer SF class to another insurance policy

In most cases, you can easily transfer your SF class even if you change insurance. Exceptions to this are special classifications granted to you (e.g. for a second car). If you register your second vehicle with DA Direkt, for example, the SF class of your first car counts under certain conditions – even if it is also insured with another company. You then have one year after the start of the contract to register the first vehicle with us.

source : Transfer no-claims class – it's that easy!