We get this question a lot, Am I insured on the Nordschleife? 

The answer is generally: NO, BUT!

BUT there are many dependencies to the above.

Generally speaking the Nordschleife during Touristfahren is classed as a public (toll) road. This means that in normally German registered cars are insured on the Nordschleife, under the All Risk Coverage (Voll-Kasko).

However, due to the high accident rates and negative news reports, many exclusions have been added to policies over the years. Therefore it is very important to check the exclusions in your policy!

If you need help understanding the wording or finding a policy which covers the Nordschleife, contact us. 

We speak from experience, having been through it ourselves, and being very happy to having it arranged appropriately. 

You will also see lots of foreign plates (UK, NL, BE, France etc.) driving on the Nordschleife. This is where it gets interesting. 

Simply said, these cars are not insured on the Nordschleife! Insurers from these countries have explicitly excluded coverage on the Nurburgring, or if not mentioning it by name directly they will exclude one-way toll roads, racing circuits, prepared courses or something similar like dangerous driving. 

Meaning your standard road insurance policy does not give you Nordschleife insurance, either for the cost of damage to your own car, or third party liability. This last part means, that if you crash into another car, or are the cause of the crash (oil leak) you are liable for the damages of the other car(s). With lots of expensive cars around, you can imagine that the costs of fixing a Porsche GT3RS can be severely high, if you crash your Renault clio into the back of it.

In 2010 the Financial Ombudsman Service ruled that the Nurburgring Norschleife, on tourist driving days, was a prepared course. Additionally, they ruled there was ‘no restriction on the insurance provider’s right to exclude certain matters affecting the policy holder’s own property and person’. As such, these exclusions within your insurance policy mean that your insurer will not pay out for any damage to your own car sustained on the Nordschleife during touristenfahrten.

In the same ruling UK and EU law requires insurers to provide a minimum of third party only cover, even when the car is used in a situation that invalidates their first party cover (such as on the Ring). However, most insurance policies will also include a clause stating the insurer is entitled to reclaim the total pay out value from the policyholder if the settlement was made in a scenario where it was obligated to meet the claim.

So if your insurer has paid out for third party damages as required by law, they can come after you for reimbursement of these costs. This has happened in real life. 

So to answer the question: All non-German cars are considered to be not insured. 

There are many scenario's that can happen at the Nordschleife. 

These are the most common:

Scenario 1: You crash your own car

• You will have to pay for the damages of your own car: This highly depends on the nature of the accident and the car you are driving. Fixing a bumper on a Renault Clio, will cost less than a Porsche GT3RS. You can understand this risk and costs very easily.
• You will have to pay for the damages to the Nordschleife track (+ downtime): This is more difficult to quantify. 
• • Armco barriers (both removal and installation)
  • Armco posts (both removal and installation)
  • Attendance of armco truck
  • Safety car attendance

There are many stories and high bills known within the community. A standard would be EUR 100-200 per meter barrier. 

• You will have to pay for getting your car towed off the track 
• • Tow truck attendance and recovery previously done Bogard now by Lenz is around EUR 350
  • This can be covered if you have ADAC membership! Contact us for more info

Scenario 2: You crash a rental car.

• You will pay like above, only the damage is not to your own car, but for the rental car. Many rental companies do offer a buy-back, to cap the costs at a maximum. These costs can be very high, so read the contract carefully. 
• Damage might also occur due to mechanical problems, as caused by your driving.
• You don’t have to pay the third-party liability risk. Most Nurburgring car rental companies will have full third-party insurance, so in the event of an accident where you’re to blame you will not have to cover third party costs

Scenario 3: Somebody else crashes into your car 

• The damages occurred and paid back, highly depend on the insurance cover of both cars
• Police report will have to be made 
• Court will decide who is at fault
• That person is responsible to pay the costs 

Scenario 4: You crash into somebody else's car 

• Now this is a dangerous one. Now you cause damage to somebody else's car. This could also be due to leaking fluids, causing the other car(s) to crash.
• Third Party Liability is the correct definition. You are now liable for the damages of other people's cars.
• This would mean, you have to pay:
• • Your own car damages
  • The other car damages (A Porsche GT3RS for example)
  • The barrier costs
  • 2x Recovery costs