Marten damage to your car: How your insurance protects you from high costs
19 May 2025
6
Minutes
Katrin Straub
CEO at nextsure
A marten bite on your car is annoying and can quickly become expensive, often with repair costs of several hundred euros. Discover which car insurance covers marten damage and how you can best protect yourself. With the right policy, you are protected from the financial consequences.
The topic in brief and concise terms
A third-party, fire and theft insurance or comprehensive insurance is necessary to cover marten damage to the car; motor vehicle liability insurance is not sufficient. [1_2]
Pay special attention to the inclusion and coverage level of consequential damages when taking out your marten car insurance, as these are often expensive. [4_2]
Preventive measures such as engine compartment shields or regular engine cleaning can significantly reduce the risk of damage caused by martens. [5_2]
Instant Overview: The Essentials of Auto Insurance for Martens
A marten damage often occurs unexpectedly and causes average repair costs of around 550 euros. [2_2] Your comprehensive car insurance is your first point of contact here. It generally covers direct damages from marten bites. [1_3] Make sure that consequential damages are also covered, as these can quickly amount to several thousand euros. [1_1] Report any damage to your insurance promptly, usually within seven days. [4_1]
Claims settlement in practice: Which insurance covers what?
Liability insurance for vehicles does not cover marten damage to your own vehicle. [1_2] To be directly covered, you need at least a comprehensive insurance. This covers the costs for damage directly caused by martens, such as chewed ignition cables or coolant hoses. [2_3] A fully comprehensive insurance always includes the benefits of the comprehensive cover and thus also covers marten damage. [1_3] What is often crucial is the extent of coverage for consequential damage. Not every policy automatically includes this or offers unlimited coverage. [4_2] The costs for marten damage can be below 150 Euros if only one cable is affected. [2_5]
Carefully check your policy for the following points:
Are marten damages explicitly included?
Up to what amount are consequential damages covered (often there are limits of 3,000 or 5,000 Euros)? [4_2]
Is there an excess, and how much is it? It is usually around 150 Euros. [1_3]
Does your comprehensive insurance also cover damage to insulation mats and rubber gaiters?
A careful look at the General Terms for Car Insurance is advisable here. This ensures that your marten car insurance provides the desired protection.
Consequential damage caused by marten bites: An often underestimated risk
A bitten coolant hose can lead to overheating and significant engine damage, with repair costs quickly reaching four-digit figures. [1_1] If a marten bites an ignition cable, it can damage the catalytic converter. [2_3] Faulty rubber boots on drive shafts or steering can also lead to expensive repairs due to ingress of dirt and moisture. [2_5] Many insurance policies limit coverage for consequential damage, so a plan offering comprehensive coverage for such damage, ideally with no limit, is highly recommended. [4_4] In electric vehicles, marten bites can be particularly costly if high-voltage cables are affected and the entire wiring harness needs to be replaced; coverage amounts of up to 20,000 euros or more are relevant here. [1_5]
When choosing your marten car insurance, ensure there is adequate coverage for these indirect damages. A difference between third-party, fire and theft, and fully comprehensive insurance often exists in the detail of the contract terms.
Recognise marten damage and act correctly: Step-by-step
Marten damage is not always immediately obvious. Watch for suspicious signs. Paw prints on the bodywork or in the engine compartment are the first indication. [3_3] If you find chewed cables, hoses, or torn insulation mats, caution is advised. [2_1] An irregular engine run, starting problems, or warning lights can also indicate a marten bite. [1_2] In Germany, there were over 235,000 reported marten damages in 2023. [3_3]
Here’s what to do in the event of damage:
Park the vehicle safely: Avoid continuing to drive to minimize consequential damage.
Document the damage: Take photos of the damaged parts.
Inform the insurance: Report the damage to your insurance as soon as possible; a seven-day deadline often applies. [4_1]
Visit a workshop: Have the damage assessed and repaired by a specialist workshop.
Have an engine wash carried out: To remove scent marks that could attract other martens, a professional engine wash is advisable. [5_2]
Quick action can often limit costs and make dealing with your marten car insurance easier. Even in the event of a glass damage to the car, a prompt report is important.
Prevention: How to effectively protect your car from martens
The best marten car insurance is the one you don't need. There are various methods to keep martens away from your vehicle. Regular engine cleaning can help to remove scents left by other martens, as martens react aggressively to the scent marks left by rivals. [5_1] Parking in an enclosed garage offers the safest protection. Engine compartment enclosures, which are available as retrofits for many models, can prevent animals from entering. [5_2] Special hard plastic coatings for vulnerable cables and hoses also provide good protection. [3_2]
Further preventive measures include:
Wire mesh: A fine-mesh grid placed under the engine compartment can deter martens, as they avoid the unstable ground. [5_2]
Ultrasonic devices: These emit sounds inaudible to humans, intended to drive away martens. However, their effectiveness is debated, as animals can become accustomed to them. [1_2]
Electric shock devices: Similar to a fence, these devices give a harmless electric shock on contact. They are considered relatively effective. [5_4]
Bear in mind that the costs of car insurance can also be influenced by such risk factors. Therefore, good protection can pay off twice over.
Expert Knowledge: Legal Aspects and Tariff Details of Marder Car Insurance
In insurance law, a distinction is made between direct marten damage and consequential damage. Direct damage is usually covered without complication by comprehensive insurance, unless excluded in the contract. [2_1] For consequential damages, the coverage is often limited to a certain sum or subject to specific conditions. [4_2] A look at § 2 paragraph 1 no. 1 of the Federal Hunting Act shows that the stone marten counts as game, which may be relevant for defining wildlife damage, but marten bites are usually treated separately as animal bite damage. [3_4] Our expert tip: Look for tariffs that explicitly include "animal bite damage (including martens)" and "consequential damage from animal bites" without low coverage limits. The average cost per marten bite was approximately 304 euros in 2014 but has tended to rise. [3_5] It is also relevant whether the owner and policyholder are different; the insurance cover remains valid.
Some insurers also offer special modules that include extended coverage for marten damage. Check if there is a workshop binding that requires you to have repairs done at a partner workshop. [2_2] A switch in car insurance can be worthwhile if there are gaps in your current tariff. The damage amount from marten bites alone reached 92 million euros in 2021. [4_5]
nextsure: Your partner for comprehensive protection
As a digital insurance portal, it is our mission to offer you tailored and easy-to-understand insurance solutions. A good marten car insurance policy is an important component of your protection. We help you find the right tariff that reliably covers direct damages and costly consequential damages. Our experts analyze your individual situation and provide professional advice.
Request an individual risk analysis now: Have your insurance situation examined free of charge and receive specific optimization suggestions.
More useful links
The German Insurance Association (GDV) provides insights into the development of damages caused by martens to vehicles and their impact on insurance claims.
The GDV offers detailed statistics on marten damage in Germany for the period from 2012 to 2022.
Statista provides current data on damage cases to cars due to marten bites in Germany.
Wikipedia offers comprehensive information on the stone marten, its biology, and its behavior.
Stiftung Warentest highlights the extent to which partial coverage insurance applies to marten damage and what coverage scopes are common.
The Federal Environment Agency provides detailed information on the stone marten and its occurrence in Germany.
kfz-betrieb, a specialist magazine for the automotive industry, reports on rising insurance claims and record damages due to marten bites.
FAQ
What to do in case of marten damage?
Which car parts are particularly vulnerable to marten bites?
Martens prefer soft materials. Often affected are ignition cables, coolant and windscreen washer hoses, power cables, rubber sleeves, bellows, as well as insulating and damping mats. [1_1]
Does the insurance cover the costs for an engine wash after damage caused by a marten?
Whether the cost of an engine wash to remove odour traces is covered depends on the particular insurance policy. It is advisable to clarify this directly with your insurer.
Is there a best season for marten damage?
Marten damage can occur throughout the year. However, an increase is observed in spring and summer during the mating season of martens (approximately March to August), as the animals mark and defend their territories more intensely during this time. [4_3]
Does my marten car insurance also cover damage to an electric car?
Yes, partial and comprehensive insurances also cover marten damage to electric cars. Due to the complex high-voltage technology, repairs can be particularly expensive, so make sure you have sufficiently high coverage for consequential damages. [1_5]
