Technically reviewed by Maximilian Fromm, independent vehicle expert (B.Sc. in Mechatronics). Last updated: September 2026
Yes. After an accident that was not your fault, you normally hire the expert yourself. A suggestion from the other party's insurer does not bind you. In a claim under your own vehicle insurance (Kaskoschaden), your own insurer settles the claim and often hires the expert itself. Your policy terms show whether you may choose there.
The job title "vehicle expert" is not protected by law in Germany. When you look for an expert after an accident, you need features that you can check yourself. A title alone is not enough.
A recommendation from friends or family does not replace your own check. The next sections show what to check.
This page lists the features that you can check in any report (Gutachten), including one from us. What a vehicle expert determines is explained on the page Tasks of a vehicle expert.
Maximilian Fromm
Founder and Mechatronics Engineer (B.Sc.)
After an accident that was not your fault, you choose the expert. The other party's insurer does not. If the other party calls and suggests its own expert, that is an offer and not a requirement.
A claim under your own vehicle insurance is different. There, your own insurer settles the claim and often hires the expert itself. The policy terms of your contract show whether you may choose.
If you are not sure which situation applies to you, clarify this before the first call with the other party. Questions about enforcing a claim belong with a traffic law lawyer. To see how a report from us is built, read the services page Accident and damage reports.
Anyone can use the job title, so it says little on its own. In practice, four kinds of evidence exist, and their weight depends on the situation. If you can tell them apart, you ask the right question in the first call.
This is not an official title but a job profile. The training and experience behind it matter. They include technical training as a master vehicle mechanic (Kfz-Meister), technician or engineer. They also include experience with accident damage.
An appointment by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) after a separate exam on expert knowledge. It matters in court and in disputed cases. For handling a liability claim (Haftpflichtschaden) outside court, it is not needed. There, a clear repair cost calculation is what matters.
Some professional associations check their members against their own catalog of training, work experience and spot checks of issued reports. A voluntary extra feature, not an official title.
Under DIN EN ISO/IEC 17024, an accredited body checks expertise and practice in a structured procedure. It issues a certificate that must be renewed regularly. This is also voluntary.
A report must be technically correct, and it must also be clear to third parties. You can check the following seven points in the document without prior knowledge.
The page Tasks of a vehicle expert explains what a report contains and what each item is for.
Think of an expert who does no repairs. Only the person whose car was damaged hires this expert. Such an expert has no financial reason to describe the damage differently from how it is. The result only has to pass one test: the technical review.
This does not mean that every other setup gives a wrong result. It means that a clear separation lowers the chance of a conflict of interest from the start. This gives you a simple test: Does the same business also repair cars, or does the office only write reports?
A single signal does not prove poor work. If several signals appear together, ask the office. Decide only after that.
Check three things at the appointment. They show how the expert works, before any document exists.
A normal damage inspection takes 30 to 45 minutes. If the expert stays only five minutes, that is too short for a careful check.
Make sure that the expert takes photos from several angles, checks for earlier damage and, where needed, measures the car.
Notice whether the expert asks how the accident happened, about earlier repairs and about the vehicle history. The expert needs this information for the calculation.
Having an expert nearby is not only about convenience. For the residual value, an office that works in the local market knows the prices for comparable cars in the region. This affects how residual value offers (Restwertangebote) are judged.
A follow-up inspection also saves time when distances are short, for example when more damage appears during the repair. An office with a fixed service area can return to the car faster. An office with a long way to travel needs more time. You can see which places we cover on the page Service areas.
You can check all of these points at any vehicle expert in the region. They are: the qualification, the seven features in the report, the separation of assessment and repair, the steps of the inspection and having an expert nearby in the region.
The same applies to us. Maximilian Fromm is an engineer (B.Sc. in Mechatronics) and an independent vehicle expert for damage and valuation. He is not publicly appointed and sworn in. For handling a liability claim outside court, this is not needed. There, a clear repair cost calculation is what matters. If a court case is possible, a public appointment makes sense. A traffic law lawyer can advise you on this.
Anyone who knows the seven features can check them on any report in their hands, including one from us.
No. In Germany the job title is not protected by law. In principle, anyone can use it, no matter their training. The qualification behind the title says more, for example technical training. A clear report also says more: it has photos, a named calculation basis and a separate value calculation.
Not for handling a liability claim. A public appointment by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce matters mainly for court reports and disputed cases. Outside court, a complete and clear calculation matters more than this title.
An accredited certification body checks experts for expertise and practice in a structured procedure. It issues a personal certificate that must be renewed regularly. This proof is voluntary. It is common in the industry, but it is not an official title.
Look for these signs. Photos are missing or there are too few. There is only one final number without a separate value calculation. The calculation system is not named. Visible earlier damage is not mentioned. The date and place of the inspection are missing. You can check each of these points in the document itself, without expert knowledge.
Someone who determines the damage and also bills the repair has a possible financial conflict of interest. An office that only evaluates and is hired only by the person whose car was damaged has no such reason. This does not rule out good work in other setups. It only lowers the chance of a conflict.
You do, as the person whose car was damaged. A suggestion from the other party's insurer is an offer and not a requirement. Questions about enforcing your choice of expert belong with a traffic law lawyer. We provide the technical side.
In a claim under your own vehicle insurance, your own insurer settles the claim and often hires the expert itself. The policy terms of your contract show whether you may choose. A look at your policy or a question to the insurer gives you clarity.
The suggestion is an offer and not a requirement. You can accept it or hire your own expert. Are you unsure what each choice means in your case? Then ask a traffic law lawyer before you agree.
A normal damage inspection takes 30 to 45 minutes. During this time, the expert takes photos from several angles and checks the car for earlier damage. If needed, the expert also measures the car. If a vehicle lift or a calibration check is added, it takes longer.
An office that works in the local market knows the prices for comparable cars in the region. This affects how residual value offers are judged. If a follow-up inspection becomes necessary, for example during the repair, short distances also save time.
What a vehicle expert determines, which measuring tools the expert uses and where the task ends. Go to page
What options a person whose car was damaged has after an accident that was not their fault, and who can influence what. Go to page
What a vehicle report costs and who pays. This depends on the case: a liability claim, shared fault (Teilschuld) or a claim under your own vehicle insurance. Go to page
How long a vehicle report takes, from the appointment and inspection to delivery. Go to page
All services at a glance: damage reports (Unfallgutachten), condensed reports (Kurzgutachten), valuation reports (Wertgutachten) and report reviews (Gutachtenprüfung). Go to overview
Erlangen, Nuremberg, Fürth and the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region. We usually inspect your vehicle on the same business day or the next one.
CleverCrash is an independent vehicle expert office, not a law firm. This page gives current technical information and does not replace advice for your individual case. For legal questions, please contact a traffic law firm.
Maximilian Fromm
Independent vehicle expert, B.Sc. in Mechatronics
Maximilian Fromm is an independent vehicle expert and the founder of CleverCrash in Erlangen. He studied mechatronics. Since August 2025, he has written damage reports (Unfallgutachten) for private customers, repair shops and lawyers in the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region. He supports his customers until the insurer pays out.
