Vehicle Damage Expert Fee Table (BVSK 2025) – Decoder

Also known as

Expert fees after an accident · Sachverständigenhonorar · BVSK-Honorartabelle · What does a vehicle damage report cost

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What you have just received — verbatim

When an insurer reduces the fee, it typically reads like this:

"The fee charged by the expert is not locally customary. We are settling on the basis of the BVSK fee corridor HB V."

"The ancillary costs claimed (photographs, written documentation, travel costs) are excessive and will be reduced proportionally."

"A base fee of this amount is not appropriate given the scope of the damage."

Two recurring lines:

• Base fee reduction: "not locally customary / above the corridor"
• Ancillary cost reduction: photo, documentation and travel costs summarily struck

Both are not blanket-permissible under BGH case law.

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What is actually behind it

1. The fee is not an hourly rate — it scales with the damage amount

Unlike workshop invoices, the expert's fee (Sachverständigenhonorar) is benchmarked against the replacement or repair value. This is BVSK standard and is recognised by the courts — a reduction "on a per-hour basis" therefore misses the point entirely.

2. "Locally customary" as a reduction lever

Insurers apply their own, lower fee corridor and call it "locally customary." The injured party (Geschädigter) is entitled to rely on the actually agreed fee — no price comparison is required (BGH).

3. Ancillary costs as easy targets

Photo, documentation and travel costs are independent, reimbursable line items. Blanket cuts are only permissible where the costs are demonstrably well outside the norm — not as a matter of course.

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The fee table — BVSK Honorar by damage amount

Reference values based on the BVSK-Honorarbefragung HB V 2025 (base fee including typical ancillary costs, gross). The exact fee is shown in the expert report.

→ These figures are guidance, not a fixed schedule. Rule of thumb from HB V: damage €5,000 → approx. €700; €15,000 → approx. €1,400; €30,000 → approx. €2,200 in expert fees.

Who pays? In a no-fault accident, the opposing party's liability insurer pays 100% (§ 249 BGB) — you pay €0. If you are at fault, your comprehensive insurance (Vollkasko) covers it (subject to excess); without comprehensive cover, you pay yourself.

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What the case law says

BVSK table is a permissible estimation basis

The BGH has repeatedly held that the BVSK-Honorarbefragung is a suitable basis for estimating the required expert costs under § 287 ZPO (among others: VI ZR 50/15, VI ZR 76/16). A blanket reduction citing "not locally customary" is therefore not automatically permissible.

The injured party bears no price-research risk

The injured party may freely choose their expert and is not required to conduct market research on the lowest available fee. Where the agreed fee does not demonstrably and significantly exceed the norm, it is fully reimbursable.

Ancillary costs are reimbursable

Photo, documentation and travel costs are independent line items. Blanket cuts are the exception, not the rule.

Sicherungsabtretung may not be refused

Via the Sicherungsabtretung (§ 398 BGB — assignment of the fee claim as security), the injured party assigns their fee entitlement to the expert. The insurer may not unilaterally reject the assignment — billing runs directly between expert and insurer.

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What to do now — step by step

💡 The key rule

In a no-fault accident above the minor-damage threshold, commissioning your own expert report is your legal right — and it costs you nothing. Without your own report, the insurer's figures set the baseline.

🛠 Four steps

1. Commission your own BVSK expert Fee according to BVSK HB V — the report itemises base fee and ancillary costs transparently.

2. Sign the Sicherungsabtretung This allows the expert to bill the insurer directly — no upfront payment required from you.

3. Reject any fee reduction in writing For "not locally customary" reductions: cite the BGH line (VI ZR 50/15, VI ZR 76/16) and the absence of any price-research obligation on your part.

4. Instruct a lawyer for any remaining shortfall If a difference remains, our partner law firm recovers it — in a no-fault accident, the insurer bears the legal costs.

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Template letter — reclaiming a reduced expert fee

Dear Sir or Madam,

I refer to your reduction of the expert fee in claim [claim number].

I reject your reduction on the grounds of "not locally customary":

1. The fee follows the BVSK-Honorarbefragung HB V and constitutes
   a permissible estimation basis under settled BGH case law
   (VI ZR 50/15, VI ZR 76/16).
2. As the injured party, I bear no price-research risk; I was
   entitled to rely on the agreed fee.
3. The reduced ancillary costs (photographs, documentation,
   travel costs) are independent, reimbursable line items.

I request full reimbursement of the fee in the amount of
[amount] € within 4 weeks. Should this deadline pass without
payment, default interest will accrue pursuant to § 286 BGB.

Yours faithfully,
[Signature]

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What the insurer will likely do next

Response A — own fee corridor

"Our review finds an appropriate fee of [lower amount] €."

Your response: BVSK HB V is BGH-recognised as the estimation basis; the insurer's own corridor is not the applicable standard.

Response B — ancillary costs cut again

"The ancillary costs remain reduced."

Your response: Photo, documentation and travel costs are independently reimbursable; blanket reductions are the exception.

Response C — challenging the Sicherungsabtretung

"We do not recognise the assignment."

Your response: § 398 BGB; the Sicherungsabtretung is valid and may not be unilaterally rejected.

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Frequently asked questions

What does a vehicle damage expert actually cost? Under BVSK HB V, scaled to the damage amount: typically €550–€2,600. Examples: damage €5,000 → approx. €700; €15,000 → approx. €1,400; €30,000 → approx. €2,200. The exact fee is shown in the expert report.

Who pays for the expert after an accident? In a no-fault accident (damage above approx. €750), the opposing party's liability insurer pays 100% under § 249 BGB. You pay €0. If you are at fault, comprehensive insurance (Vollkasko) covers it (subject to excess); without comprehensive cover, you pay yourself.

What is the minor-damage threshold of €750? Below approx. €750, case law generally does not recognise a right to commission an expert — a repair estimate suffices. The exact threshold varies by appellate court (OLG), ranging from €700 to €1,000. For visually minor damage with potentially hidden structural issues, a closer look is worthwhile.

What is a Sicherungsabtretung? Under § 398 BGB, the injured party assigns their fee entitlement — up to the amount of the expert costs — to the expert. You sign once; the expert bills the insurer directly. No upfront payment, no insolvency risk on your part.

What if the insurer reduces the fee? A common tactic: "not locally customary." The BGH (VI ZR 50/15, VI ZR 76/16) accepts the BVSK table as the estimation basis; blanket "not locally customary" reductions are not permissible. Our partner law firm routinely recovers reduced fees — in a no-fault accident, the insurer bears the legal costs.

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Related topics

• Vehicle Damage Expert Costs (overview) — who pays, the process, the minor-damage threshold
• Expert Costs — your own expert as an essential element of your claim
• Decoder "Our Expert" — the insurer's own-expert strategy
• Decoder "Workshop from Our Network" — a related reduction strategy

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If you are unsure what to do next

Fee reductions are high-volume practice — the gap between the insurer's corridor and the actual fee is often €100–€400. Your own expert report + Sicherungsabtretung + legal recovery: the insurer bears all of it.

→ Start your free claim review

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Sources

• German Civil Code § 249 BGB – gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/__249.html
• German Civil Code § 398 BGB – gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/__398.html
• BGH, judgment of 26 April 2016, VI ZR 50/15 (expert costs / BVSK estimation)
• BGH, judgment of 24 January 2017, VI ZR 76/16 (ancillary costs / locally customary)