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Transport · Germany
Updated September 2026

🚗 My car was hit and the driver drove off — who pays, and who do I contact?

Direct answer

Report it to Polizei — Onlinewache (polizei.de) within 24 hours — for insurance and for the search: cameras, witnesses and paint traces find more drivers than people think. If the driver is never found, Verkehrsopferhilfe e.V. (030 20205858) — the motor guarantee fund for Germany — pays for personal injury and, under conditions, for vehicle damage. Your own comprehensive insurance pays first if you have it; if the insurer refuses or delays, Versicherungsombudsmann (0800 3696000) decides.

Call firstPolizei — Onlinewache
Report toVerkehrsopferhilfe e.V.
If that failsVersicherungsombudsmann

🗣️ What to say

"On [date] at [time] my car [plate] was hit at [place] by [description / plate if known] who left the scene. Damage: [what]. Witnesses: [names]. Photos attached. I want to report this and get the case number for my insurer and the guarantee fund."

🪜 Step by step

  1. ScenePhotos of the damage, the position, paint traces, nearby cameras. Ask bystanders for their number.
  2. Report to Polizei — OnlinewacheWithin 24 hours; online in many countries. The report is required by the fund and the insurer.
  3. InsurerComprehensive covers it; report the claim with the police number. Liability-only: go to the fund.
  4. Guarantee fund: Verkehrsopferhilfe e.V.Personal injury always; vehicle damage usually with conditions (identified vehicle, or injury alongside). Deadlines apply.
  5. Parked car found damagedSame route; report and look for a note or a witness before you drive away.

📇 All contacts

Polizei — OnlinewacheOnline report, reference number immediatelyAlways — the basis for bank, insurer and platform🔗 www.polizei.de/Polizei/DE/Einrichtungen/Onlinewache/onlinewache_node.html
Verkehrsopferhilfe e.V.Compensation for hit-and-run and uninsured vehiclesWhen the driver is unknown or uninsured📞 030 20205858🔗 www.verkehrsopferhilfe.de
VersicherungsombudsmannFree dispute resolution with insurers, binding up to €10,000After the insurer's refusal📞 0800 3696000🔗 www.versicherungsombudsmann.de
WEISSER RINGVictim support: advice, accompaniment, compensationAfter any crime📞 116 006🔗 weisser-ring.de

❓ Frequently asked

Will my premium go up?

A claim on your comprehensive policy for a hit-and-run is usually treated as no-fault; check the policy, and ask Versicherungsombudsmann if the insurer applies a penalty.

The driver left a note — can I trust it?

Contact them and their insurer in writing; if the details are false, report it as hit-and-run.

I was on a bike

Same: police report, then the fund for injury — cyclists and pedestrians are exactly who it is for.

📎 Sources

Last checked: 2026-09-26

🔎 Common searches

Recognise your own search? The answer above covers all of these.

  • “hit and run who pays Germany”
  • “car damaged driver drove off”
  • “motor guarantee fund Germany”
  • “report hit and run police”
  • “parked car hit unknown driver insurance”

🧭 Is this still correct?

We check this information carefully, but phone numbers, websites and rules change — and sometimes we get something wrong. Spotted a mistake or a change? Let us know below.

🔗 Related questions

🛡️Insurer refuses claim→🛞Car breakdown→🚲Bike stolen→🚇Transport card lost→

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