Written by Maximilian Fromm, independent vehicle expert for damage and valuation (B.Sc. in Mechatronics) · Last updated: November 5, 2026
No, usually not. The insurer's suggestion is an offer. You decide whether you accept it or hire your own independent vehicle expert.
Maximilian Fromm
Founder and engineer (B.Sc. in Mechatronics)
If the other party's insurer has already contacted you, these five steps help.
The term "insurer's expert" can mean three different situations. In each one, a different step makes sense.
Photos of the vehicle in its condition right after the accident show what was damaged. Together with your report, they are an important basis in all three situations, even if the vehicle is repaired later.
Usually not. The suggestion is an offer. In common practice, you decide who assesses the damage for you.
§ 249(2) sentence 1 of the German Civil Code (BGB) gives you, as the person whose car was damaged, a claim to the amount of money needed for the restoration. The claim is limited to this amount. This is a summary in our own words. In common practice, you decide which independent vehicle expert you hire to assess the damage. This is an assessment of common practice and not the wording of the law. A traffic law lawyer assesses how far this goes in the individual case. Examples are minor damage or damage that your own vehicle insurance covers (Kaskoversicherung, the insurance for damage to your own vehicle).
This applies if the other driver is fully liable. If you are at fault yourself to some degree (contributory fault, Mitverschulden), the compensation can be reduced (§ 254(1) BGB). In principle, this also applies to the report costs. A traffic law lawyer can clarify your liability share.
The two reports can come to different results. From a technical point of view, it is possible to check which repair cost calculation is supported by photos, manufacturer specifications and market prices in a way that others can follow. If there is a dispute, a court decides in the end who is right, usually with an expert appointed by the court. The page Choosing a vehicle expert explains what matters when you choose an expert.
According to the wording of the law: information and documents.
§ 119(3) of the Insurance Contract Act (VVG) says that the insurer can ask the person whose car was damaged for information, as far as it is needed to establish the accident and the amount of damage. It can ask for documents, as far as it is reasonable for you to get them. This is a summary in our own words. You can find the exact wording under Sources.
The wording does not expressly mention an inspection. Other duties can result from other rules and from case law. Whether the insurer can ask for an inspection in the individual case, for example because information is not possible without looking at the vehicle, is clarified for your case by a traffic law lawyer.
In addition, you must keep the damage as low as possible. Otherwise your claim for compensation can be reduced (§ 254(2) BGB). If you refuse reasonable cooperation without a good reason, you therefore risk a dispute about follow-up costs that could have been avoided. Examples are a rental car or loss-of-use compensation (Nutzungsausfall, money for the time you cannot use your car). Whether an inspection is reasonable in the individual case is clarified by a traffic law lawyer.
If you breach your duty to give information or documents through your own fault (§ 119(3) VVG), the insurer's payment can be limited. It then pays only the amount it would have had to pay if you had acted properly. Under § 120 VVG, this only applies if you were expressly informed of this consequence in text form beforehand. This is also a summary in our own words.
If you agree to the appointment, four steps help to keep the inspection traceable.
Another inspection by the insurer after your report, the follow-up inspection, is rare in our cases. If it does happen, it should be well organized.
The place, the time and the name of the person who inspects the vehicle belong in an email or a letter. This makes it clear later who was at the vehicle and when.
Leave the vehicle unchanged until the appointment, keep replaced parts and record the condition with photos. Have your report, the vehicle registration certificate (Fahrzeugschein), service records and invoices for prior damage (Vorschaden) ready. Do not repair the vehicle until the damage is documented, because only damage that has not been repaired can still be inspected and documented. A traffic law lawyer can clarify how long it is reasonable to wait.
If we prepared your report, we attend an inspection by the insurer, on request together with your lawyer. You can also invite a person you trust.
Ask for the inspection report or insurer review report with photos. Statements about liability or the amount of damage can have legal consequences. Have a traffic law lawyer check them before you sign.
We answer questions about how an inspection works by phone. You can find the number at the bottom of the page.
Then the vehicle no longer shows the original damage. Photos, the report and the invoice become the focus.
After a repair, the insurer usually relies on photos, the report and the repair shop invoice. During an inspection of the repaired vehicle, an independent vehicle expert documents whether the repair was done in the calculated scope. This is called a repair confirmation (Reparaturbestätigung). Hidden work can only be traced with photos taken during the repair. So ask your repair shop to take photos of the work in progress. The glossary entry Repair confirmation explains what it documents and what it does not.
When the right time to start the repair is, is covered on the page Repair before the payout.
Usually not. The insurer's suggestion is an offer. You decide whether you accept it or hire your own independent vehicle expert. A traffic law lawyer can clarify how far this choice goes in the individual case, for example for minor damage, shared liability or a claim under your own vehicle insurance.
A follow-up inspection is another inspection of the vehicle after your report is available. The insurer can ask for it to check individual items in the repair cost calculation. This is rare in our cases. If an independent vehicle expert inspects the vehicle after the repair to document the scope of the repair, this is called a repair confirmation.
In practice, this is often possible. The cited rules do not name a legal right to it. Tell the insurer in advance who will take part. If we prepared your report, we attend an inspection by the insurer, on request together with your lawyer.
The cited rules do not name a fixed waiting period. How long it is reasonable to wait depends on the individual case and is assessed by a traffic law lawyer. From a technical point of view: the longer the vehicle stays unrepaired, the longer it is out of use. The report states the repair time and determines the rental car class.
Then the insurer can object to or reduce individual items of the repair cost calculation. Whether a reduction is justified is a legal question. An independent vehicle expert can assess from a technical point of view which item is supported by evidence in a way that others can follow. More on this on the page about report review.
Not automatically. For damage to your own vehicle under your own vehicle insurance, your contract is the focus. It can contain duties to allow an inspection and to cooperate. First read your policy terms and, if in doubt, ask a traffic law lawyer. This page covers liability claims (Haftpflichtschaden) where the other driver is fully liable.
How to recognize a good report and what matters when you choose.
Open topic ReviewIf the insurer reduces items: how an independent vehicle expert assesses this.
Open topic EvidenceWhat the inspection after the repair proves and what it does not.
Open topic OverviewThe most important rights after an accident that was not your fault, at a glance.
Open topicOn the phone, we give you an initial assessment of your accident damage. We clarify whether we will assess the damage and tell you which photos and documents you should have ready.
If we prepared your report and the insurer still inspects the vehicle, we attend, on request together with your lawyer. CleverCrash does not accept orders from insurers. We prepare the damage report (Schadengutachten) as part of our accident and damage report service.
We are based in Erlangen and inspect vehicles in the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region. You can find the overview under service areas. Go directly to the pages for Erlangen, Nuremberg and Fürth.
Legal information, not legal advice. This page gives general information about dealing with an expert sent by the other party's insurer. It does not check any individual case. If you have questions about your individual case, please contact a traffic law lawyer.
Last updated: November 5, 2026. The law and case law can change.
Maximilian Fromm
Independent vehicle expert for damage and valuation, B.Sc. in Mechatronics
Maximilian Fromm is an independent vehicle expert for damage and valuation and the founder of CleverCrash in Erlangen. He studied mechatronics. Since August 2025, he has written damage reports (Unfallgutachten) in the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region for people whose car was damaged in an accident. On request, he works together with the repair shop and the lawyer. He supports his customers until the insurer pays out.
