Is my car insured during transport?

What does CMR insurance cover?

The CMR Convention sets the rules for international transport of goods by road, including cars on a transporter. The carrier is liable for loss of or damage to the car from the moment it takes the car over until delivery, and for delay in delivery. CMR insurance is the carrier's insurance for that liability.

The carrier isn't liable for damage it couldn't have avoided, or for damage caused by a defect of the car itself or by the owner's own instructions or fault.

How much does CMR pay for a damaged car?

CMR limits the compensation to 8.33 SDR per kilogram of the car's weight. The SDR is a unit of account set by the International Monetary Fund. These are the limits at the rate of 23 October 2026, when one SDR was worth €1.21:

For many cars that is less than their value. The 8.33 SDR limit comes from the Convention's 1978 Protocol, which most countries on our routes have joined, among them Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Romania and Greece. Bulgaria hasn't joined it, so a claim heard by a Bulgarian court can fall under the Convention's original limit, set in gold francs.

On top of the limit, CMR refunds the carriage charges, customs duties and other charges for the transport: in full if the car is lost, and in proportion to the loss if it is damaged. The limit doesn't apply when the damage was caused by wilful misconduct.

How does our insurance work?

Our CMR insurance with WIENER STÄDTISCHE Versicherung AG (Vienna Insurance Group) covers our liability as your carrier. It pays the claims we are liable for under the CMR, up to the CMR limits and up to €600,000 per incident for all the cars involved. It also covers cases where the CMR limit doesn't apply because of wilful misconduct by our staff or our subcontractors. When a partner's truck carries your car, you still claim from us: we remain your carrier under the CMR.

It insures our liability, not the value of your car. It never pays more than we are liable for, which in almost every case means no more than the CMR limit, and nothing for damage the CMR doesn't make us liable for, such as a defect of the car itself.

What should you do if the car arrives damaged?

1. Before you sign the CMR consignment note, write the damage on it.
2. Take photos of the damage, and of the whole car.
3. Tell us straight away.
4. Damage you couldn't see at delivery: report it to us in writing within 7 days, not counting Sundays and public holidays.

These deadlines come from the CMR Convention. If you sign for the car without noting visible damage, that counts as evidence that it arrived in the condition described on the consignment note. A claim for delay needs a written reservation within 21 days, and a claim must be brought within one year, or three years in the case of wilful misconduct.

Does my own car insurance cover the transport?

It might. Some comprehensive policies cover a car while it is carried as cargo and others don't, so ask your insurer before the transport. If your car is worth more than the CMR limit, your own cover, or a separate transport insurance, is the way to protect its full value.