How are you covered at the Nürburgring?
The Nürburgring consists of two main tracks: the Nordschleife and the Grand Prix (GP) track. For many track day drivers, the Nürburgring is THE track, so we naturally get a lot of questions about what's what when it comes to insurance at the “Ring”.
In this article, we go through the various rules and conditions that apply and give you a brief and precise overview of what you need to be aware of when it comes to track day coverage at the Nürburgring.
What are you going to drive?
Depending on the type of track day activity you are participating in, different rules and conditions apply. Therefore, it is important to first look at what kind of activity you are participating in.
Track days at the Nürburgring
These are the same as the track days you know and participate in in your own country. Start by contacting your current insurance company and ask whether your current car insurance covers your car against damage when you participate in a track day at the Nürburgring.
However, it is highly likely that your current car insurance does NOT cover this, so if you want to be covered, you will need track day insurance like ours. Read more about what our insurance covers here.
Public days/Touristenfahrten at the Nürburgring
These are different from regular track days. Public days/Touristenfahrten are usually held on the Nordschleife, but sometimes also on the Grand Prix (GP) track.
During these events, the track is opened to the public, so anyone with a legally registered car can participate and drive.
Driving on the track during a Public Day/Touristenfahrt at the Nürburgring is considered by the German authorities to be equivalent to driving on a public road, which means that German traffic laws apply.
Participants must comply with the provisions of German traffic law, such as driving on the right and overtaking on the left, but they may drive as fast as they wish as long as they are in full control of their vehicles. Read more here.
Although driving on public roads in Germany is covered by your regular car insurance, this does not necessarily mean that it also covers Public Day/Touristenfahrt at the Nürburgring.
There are several reasons for this. Firstly, the Nürburgring is (very often) directly and specifically excluded from standard car insurance policies. Secondly, even if the Nürburgring is not directly excluded, it may still be excluded.
Driving on Public Day/Touristenfahrt at the Nürburgring is considered by the German authorities to be driving on a ‘one-way toll road’, which excludes some insurance companies.
Other insurance companies exclude coverage for damage that has occurred on any road used for racing at any time.
In addition, there are insurance companies that only cover ‘normal road use’ (and it is quite difficult to convince anyone that a lap at the Nürburgring qualifies as normal driving)!
Start by contacting your current insurance company. If they do not cover you and you want your car to be covered against damage when participating in a Public Day/Touristenfahrt, then you will also need track day insurance like ours. Read more about what our insurance covers here.
It can be an expensive affair
An accident at the Nürburgring can cost much more than ‘just’ the damage to your car. There are additional fees for everything from removal and replacement of damaged Armco barriers to track closure fees and tow truck costs. According to estimates from various sources, serious accidents can cost as much as EUR 10,000.
Our additional insurance ‘Armco & Breakdown Cover’ helps you to recover some of these costs in the event of an accident. Read more here.