hTTi

A friend asked my help to register his car, so he can drive it on the road. I would like to understand the consequences:
+ financially do I have to pay additional tax or anything else for owning a second car?
+ if he is caught by the police, and he is not the owner. Will the police call me?
+ if he causes accident, then I am the one liable, right?

vryy wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 11:14 am A friend asked my help to register his car, so he can drive it on the road. I would like to understand the consequences:
+ financially do I have to pay additional tax or anything else for owning a second car?
+ if he is caught by the police, and he is not the owner. Will the police call me?
+ if he causes accident, then I am the one liable, right?

While it is kind of you to help a friend, I would not recommend doing this. You are basically engaging in business with a friend and that is never a good idea.

If the car is registered in your name, you are responsible for the taxes. Each vehicle has a different tax assessment depending on varying factors. Regardless, you are responsible.

Caught by the police for what? This question is too open to answer. For speeding 12km over the limit, the police will not contact you if he was caught by them physically. If a camera caught him, the Strafe will come to you in the post.

If he causes an accident... who is to be the insurance holder? It will be you as the car is in your name. If he causes an accident whilst he is driving, your insurance is to be involved.

Moreover, when you inform your insurance carrier that YOUR car is to be parked at your friends home, this is going to raise eyebrows.

Bottom line: Do not do this.

There are different levels of responsibility, and all these three can technically be different people:

- The driver
- The owner
- The insurer

The owner is responsible of taxes and making sure the car is insured. The owner will receive fines but if the owner was not the driver at the time he/she can pass them to the driver, the owner will have to reply to the authorities informing them he/she was not the driver and include the info of the real driver.

Your friend is probably expecting as well that you buy the insurance under your name, so if he has an accident he will destroy your history and making your own insurances more expensive.

Why can't your friend register the car under his own name? If he can't then he probably does not have a valid driving license here for the long term. I find the whole thing too dangerous, I wouldn't do it myself.

Your questions:

- Yes
- No, as long as he has the car documents
- The insurance will pay and you will be affected.

As others have said, you are responsible for the car tax and the car being road safe and inspected on time. You would most definitely end up with the fine if your friend does not have it inspected.

Possible traffic fines might be mailed to you and you would have to inform them who was driving the car. Parking fines will be mailed to you as well.

If you agree to insure it in your name, your bonus will suffer if there is an accident. It is possible for the car to be insured by a different person than it is registered to.

If something happens and you want to say that you have lent your car to someone, that person better have a valid drivers license.

I would recommend not doing this.

LeonG wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 12:34 pm It is possible for the car to be insured by a different person than it is registered to.

LeonG, I thought on that after I wrote my post.

I could see an insurance company allowing, for example, a husband who owns the car and the wife or child / student insuring it so long as the residence is the same.

But what if person A (registered owner) lives in Munich and person B who is of no relation to person A insurances it and lives in Stuttgart? The insurance company would be ok with that?

To the OP: don't do it.

All questions raised are answered here: https://www.verti.de/ratgeber/kfz-versi ... er-fahrer/

Bayrisch_Dude wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 4:13 pm But what if person A (registered owner) lives in Munich and person B who is of no relation to person A insurances it and lives in Stuttgart? The insurance company would be ok with that?

I know somebody who was in that situation. For some reason his ex-wife was insuring his car and he was sending her money every month. He lived in NS and she lived somewhere in the east. They were not recently divorced and he had re-married. I am sure the insurance company knew about it as he had the car registered here. This is back when you had to change the plate if you moved.

Bayrisch_Dude wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 4:13 pm

LeonG wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 12:34 pm It is possible for the car to be insured by a different person than it is registered to.

LeonG, I thought on that after I wrote my post.

I could see an insurance company allowing, for example, a husband who owns the car and the wife or child / student insuring it so long as the residence is the same.

But what if person A (registered owner) lives in Munich and person B who is of no relation to person A insurances it and lives in Stuttgart? The insurance company would be ok with that?

Yes, it is ok. But you have to add the other driver who is not you to the contract and that makes the insurance expensive. Husband/Wife and children increase as well the price but not that much like unrelated people. I think you probably have to pay the same as with “anyone can drive the car”.

Krieg wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 8:04 pm Yes, it is ok. But you have to add the other driver who is not you to the contract and that makes the insurance expensive. Husband/Wife and children increase as well the price but not that much like unrelated people. I think you probably have to pay the same as with “anyone can drive the car”.

That would be if he is getting the insurance for his friend as well and sometimes it's anyone between 25 and 70 and if you add under 25 it costs more. However, for the longest time, my car was insured by Mirascon, a company that seems to insure military and expats and they did not seem to care at all who drives as long as they are over 18 and have a license nor how many km you drive per year. They don't care about accident free years either though so no bonus for being good.

However, if he's going to be the registered owner while his friend puts the insurance in his name, I wonder if the insurance even has to cover the owner or if it might just cover the driver who has taken out the insurance in his name, although on someone else's car.

Yup, we use Mirascon - the vehicle is insured for any driver.

I would still find the OP's situation uncomfortable. Essentially, why?
Help to understand how to do the whole process, yes, fine. 'Help' as in, please arrange and pay for it in your own name - I think not

kiplette wrote: ↑Mon Apr 15, 2024 9:56 pm
I would still find the OP's situation uncomfortable.

Aye, imagine how it will or will no go when they have a possible friendship-ending argument! Uncomfortable will be an understatement.

Oh yes. I had to mix business with friendships twice before I learned my lesson. Never again.