Passenger Accident Insurance (Insassenunfallversicherung)
Passenger accident insurance is a supplementary motor insurance cover that financially protects the driver and passengers of a vehicle in the event of an accident, regardless of fault.
Comparison profile
- Trigger
- Fixed sum insured
- Insured interest
- The physical integrity of the driver and passengers of the insured vehicle against the consequences of an accident, regardless of who caused it.
- Rating basis
- Number of seats/seating capacity of the vehicle, Vehicle category, Sum insured chosen per seat, Named-person or per-seat occupancy basis
- Typical limits
- Fixed capital sums per seat for death and disability, the latter frequently graduated by a limb-value or progressive disability scale, often supplemented by a hospital daily allowance.
- Target segments
- Private, SME, Fleet operators
Insured events
- Accidental death of an occupant while the vehicle is in use
- Permanent disability of an occupant following a vehicle accident
- Hospitalisation resulting from a vehicle accident
- Rescue and medical treatment costs following a vehicle accident
- Accidents affecting the driver in single-vehicle collisions
Key exclusions
- Accidents not connected to the use of the insured vehicle
- Intentional self-harm and suicide attempts
- Illness-related events not triggered by an accident (e.g. a heart attack without external cause)
- Driving without a valid licence or under the influence
- Use in races or speed trials
Concept
Passenger accident insurance is a voluntary supplementary cover within motor insurance that financially protects the driver and passengers of an insured vehicle in the event of an accident, regardless of the question of fault. It pays benefits in particular for disability, death, or necessary medical treatment costs resulting from an accident occurring while the vehicle is in use.
Distinction from Motor Liability Insurance
While motor liability insurance only covers claims against the vehicle driver where fault exists toward a third party, and the driver as the party at fault has no claim of their own, passenger accident insurance closes exactly this coverage gap: it pays benefits regardless of who caused the accident, thereby also covering the driver in single-vehicle accidents.
Types of Benefits
Common benefit components include a disability benefit (frequently graduated according to a scale of limb values or a progressive disability scale), a death benefit, a hospital daily allowance, and reimbursement of rescue and medical treatment costs. The sum insured is usually calculated per vehicle seat.
Comparison and delineation
Passenger accident insurance is a narrowly scoped, vehicle-linked alternative to general private accident insurance or group personal accident insurance: it protects only occupants of the insured vehicle and only for the duration of vehicle use, whereas the general covers apply around the clock and across all activities. Fleets and companies that already provide 24-hour group accident insurance to their staff often find the two covers overlap and choose one over the other rather than stacking both; private vehicle owners without such cover typically add passenger accident insurance to close the gap left by compulsory motor liability insurance for at-fault drivers.