From instruction to finished report in eight steps – and which documents you should have ready for the appointment.
In short: An appraisal consists of the instruction, the inspection appointment, the write-up and delivery. At the vehicle, the damage is recorded, photographs are taken, component positions are measured and prior damage is separated out. The vehicle does not have to be driveable, and you do not have to be there in person. What matters is only that the condition is documented before any repair begins.
The process is essentially the same at every appraisal firm and falls into eight steps. The first three lie with you and the appraiser; the later ones concern settlement by the insurer.
After a not-at-fault accident you instruct the appraiser yourself. In doing so you enter into a contract with the appraisal firm, not with the other party's insurer. The cost forms part of the recoverable loss under § 249 (2) sentence 1 BGB (German civil code), so far as obtaining the appraisal was necessary and appropriate in order to pursue the claim. The yardstick is the view of a sensible, economically minded injured party at the time of instruction, not a later hindsight.
The worry about having to answer for an excessive fee or for a mistake by the appraiser was largely dispelled by the Federal Court of Justice in 2024. It transferred the principles on the so-called repair shop risk to the appraiser risk. The load-bearing thought: from the moment you place the instruction and hand over the vehicle, your ability to know and to influence matters is limited. You cannot judge from the outside which items of work are appropriate in detail. That risk therefore does not rest with you.
Case law: BGH, judgment of 12 March 2024 – VI ZR 280/22. The principles developed for the repair shop risk apply to the appraiser risk as well, because the injured party's ability to know and to influence matters is limited from the moment the instruction is given and the vehicle handed over.
Two points remain untouched by this. First, the insurer may still dispute the level of the fee and the necessity of the appraisal in the individual case; that is something other than dictating an appraiser to you. The BVSK fee survey is recognised as a basis for assessing a customary fee, regardless of whether the appraiser belongs to that association. Second, all of this applies only to a liability claim. If you claim on your own Kasko (comprehensive) cover, the scope of the benefit follows the contract and the general terms of motor insurance (AKB); there the insurer may as a rule appoint an appraiser of its own, and an appraisal you commission yourself you will generally pay for.
No, your presence is not a requirement. What is required is that the appraiser can get to the vehicle and that the vehicle documents are available. If the vehicle is at a repair shop or on a storage yard, it is often enough to organise access and send the paperwork electronically. Your presence is nevertheless useful where there is prior damage or where questions about how the accident happened remain open, because nobody can supply those details for you.
Nor does the vehicle have to be driveable. A vehicle that is not driveable or not roadworthy is inspected where it stands. Recovery costs are recoverable under § 249 (2) sentence 1 BGB, so far as the removal was necessary and the cost reasonable in amount; there is no fixed standard figure for it.
Careful: Have nothing repaired and nothing disposed of before the inspection. Even an interim clean, knocking out a dent or removing damaged parts can overlay traces that are needed to attribute the damage. Once the condition has been altered, it cannot be reconstructed.
They record the condition in such a way that a third party can follow it later without having seen the vehicle. That is the real purpose of the inspection, because the vehicle will be repaired or sold while the dispute over the figures is still running.
The type, position and extent of the damage are recorded component by component. That includes the assessment of whether a part has to be repaired or replaced, and the question of which concealed areas may be affected. Also recorded are the vehicle identification number, the date of first registration, the odometer reading, the equipment and the general state of preservation, because these feed into the valuation.
The photographs are the part of the report most often worked with later. Insurers' assessment providers regularly judge a report at a desk, from the images and the calculation, without inspecting the vehicle again. What is documented is the vehicle as a whole, the registration plate, the vehicle identification number, the odometer reading, every damaged area individually, and undamaged areas needed for the purpose of separation.
Measurements are taken wherever dimensions decide the type of repair. That includes panel gaps between bolt-on parts, height and diagonal measurements, and the question of whether deformation reaches into load-bearing structures. For assessing the size of the loss that is the difference between a repair and a replacement, and for attributing the damage it is the basis for the statement of whether the damage fits the course of events described.
Prior damage is not looked for in order to catch you out but in order to make your claim hold up. Only the damage from this event is recoverable. If older damage goes unmentioned and comes to light later, the entire schedule of loss is thrown into doubt. If, on the other hand, it is named, separated out and – so far as it was properly repaired – supported by evidence, the rest of the claim stands untouched. Prior damage additionally matters for the market-based diminished value and within the 130 percent assessment, into which only accident-related damage feeds.
Little is strictly required; a great deal is helpful. Missing documents do not prevent the inspection, they delay the write-up or mean that values have to be set more cautiously than would otherwise be necessary.
| Document | What it is needed for | Required or helpful |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle registration certificate part I | Unambiguous identification of the vehicle, first registration, technical data, keeper details | Required |
| Details of the other party and their insurer | Attributing the claim, registering it, sending the report | Required, so far as available |
| Whether you are entitled to deduct input tax | Decides between a gross and a net basis for repair costs and the total loss comparison | Required |
| Details of leasing, financing or security transfer | Clarifies who owns the vehicle and who decides on repair and on receiving payment | Required where relevant |
| Evidence of earlier damage and its repair | Separating old from new damage, proof of a proper repair | Helpful, but in practice the most important point |
| Service record book and workshop invoices | Proof of continuous servicing at a franchised dealer; relevant to whether a referral to a cheaper workshop is reasonable | Helpful |
| Receipts for optional equipment, accessories and retrofits | These feed into the replacement value and are easily overlooked without evidence | Helpful |
| The most recent roadworthiness inspection report | An indication of the condition before the event, for instance defects in tyres or suspension | Helpful |
| Police file reference or accident notification | Identifies the matter and makes the later clarification of events easier | Helpful |
| Vehicle registration certificate part II | Details of previous owners and ownership; on financed vehicles it is often held by the bank | Helpful |
The report contains the vehicle and damage data, the findings on the extent of the damage, the photographs and a repair calculation with labour items, parts, paintwork and the labour rates applied. Added to that are the replacement value, in the case of a total loss the salvage value and the resulting replacement cost, the market-based diminished value, the expected repair and replacement periods, and the vehicle's classification into a group in the loss-of-use table. Statements on prior damage and on the plausibility of the damage pattern belong in it as well.
Two points are worth a look. Since 16 July 2024 the market-based diminished value must always be calculated from the net sale price, regardless of whether you are entitled to deduct input tax; a figure estimated on a gross basis is to be reduced by the VAT element. And with the salvage value what counts is the regional market accessible to you. You are in principle not obliged to use national online salvage exchanges and may rely on the figure determined by your appraiser; obtaining several offers on the regional market is customary.
No generally valid figure can be given for how long it takes, because that depends on the extent of the damage and is not regulated by law. The inspection itself regularly takes less time than the write-up that follows. It takes longer above all where a total loss is in play and salvage value offers have to be obtained, where prior damage has to be clarified, or where components can only be assessed after being dismantled at the workshop. Ask for an estimate for your own case when you place the instruction.
You do, first, because you are the client. You also decide on every further copy. In practice it goes to the instructed lawyer, who forwards it to the liable insurer together with the notification of the claim, and to the workshop, which repairs in accordance with the report. On leased or financed vehicles the owner needs a copy as well.
As to notification: under § 119 (1) VVG (German insurance contract act) the injured party should report the loss event to the insurer in text form within two weeks of becoming aware of it, and sending it in time is sufficient. It is a duty of co-operation whose breach is governed by § 120 VVG and does not automatically mean losing the claim. Notification has a second effect: under § 115 (2) sentence 3 VVG the limitation period is suspended for as long as the claim is registered with the insurer; the suspension ends only when a decision reaches you in text form. The standard limitation period is otherwise three years and begins, under §§ 195, 199 BGB, at the end of the year in which the claim arose and you learned of the damage and of the party responsible.
You decide how to proceed, and that decision has the greatest consequences of the whole matter. The options are a concrete settlement on the basis of costs actually incurred, and a notional settlement on the basis of the necessary amounts calculated in the report without proof of repair. The two routes must not be mixed within the same head of loss. On a notional settlement the calculation is on a net basis, because under § 249 (2) sentence 2 BGB VAT is only reimbursed if and so far as it has actually been incurred; it can be claimed later if a repair or replacement purchase follows.
Where the repair costs exceed the replacement value, the 130 percent rule comes into play: you may have the vehicle repaired for as long as the repair costs together with the market-based diminished value do not exceed 130 percent of the replacement value. That requires a complete and proper repair in accordance with the report, and continued use of the vehicle for at least six months. If the limit is exceeded even slightly, the claim for repair costs falls away entirely; what is then reimbursed is the replacement cost.
Careful: Do not sell the vehicle hastily, and not to a buyer who approaches you unprompted. A sale below the salvage value stated in the report, and a disposal within the six months following a repair in the 130 percent range, can reduce the recoverable amount considerably.
The insurer then examines the claim. For a domestic claim there is no statutory settlement deadline; a reasonable review period is allowed, and in practice four to six weeks are quoted for straightforward property damage with clear liability and complete documentation, counted from the point at which all the necessary documents are available. Where the insurer cuts amounts, ask for the review report with reasons for each item. Pre-litigation legal fees are regularly recoverable where the other side's liability is undisputed or predominant, because a road accident involving a calculation of loss is as a rule not so straightforward a case that a lawyer would be unnecessary.
No. All that is required is that the appraiser can get to the vehicle and that the vehicle documents are available. If the vehicle is at a repair shop or on a storage yard, organising access is enough. Your presence is useful where there is prior damage or where questions about how the accident happened remain open.
No. A vehicle that is not driveable or not roadworthy is inspected where it stands, whether at the accident scene, on a storage yard or at the workshop. The cost of any necessary removal forms part of the recoverable loss under § 249 (2) sentence 1 BGB, so far as it is reasonable in amount.
That is not advisable. The repair removes the traces from which the extent and attribution of the damage follow. Partial measures such as cleaning, knocking out dents or removing damaged parts also alter the condition. Have the damage documented first; the repair follows afterwards, in accordance with the report.
That depends on the extent of the damage and is not regulated by law. The inspection regularly takes less time than the write-up. It takes longer where a total loss is in play and salvage value offers have to be obtained, where prior damage has to be clarified, or where components can only be assessed after dismantling.
The client first, that is you. You also decide on further copies. Customarily the instructed lawyer, who forwards it to the insurer with the notification of claim, and the repairing workshop each receive one. Where the vehicle is leased or financed, the owner needs a copy as well.
The prior damage is named in the report and separated from the new damage. Only the damage from the current event is recoverable. Produce any repair receipts you have: older damage that is openly named and was properly repaired is unproblematic, whereas damage discovered later calls the entire schedule of loss into question.
The cost forms part of the recoverable loss under § 249 (2) sentence 1 BGB, so far as obtaining the appraisal was necessary and appropriate, and is then borne by the other side's liability insurer. It is different on a comprehensive claim: there the benefit follows the contract, and an appraisal you commission yourself you will generally pay for.
This article reflects the position as at 3 August 2026 and is no substitute for legal advice in an individual case. Written by PKW Gutachter Service GmbH, automotive appraisal firm, Neu Wulmstorf, Germany.
One call will clarify in two minutes which report you need.
