How Much Does A Crash At The Nurburgring Cost?

The Nurburgring's touristenfahrten, or tourist drives, are an automotive pilgrimage every gearhead dreams of, but sometimes, they don't go according to plan. Whether it's the pressure of the situation, cocky bravado, or sheer dumb luck, accidents happen to even the best of drivers around the Green Hell. But what happens if you're the unfortunate sod who hits the barriers in your Civic Type R or BMW M3 CS at the world's most iconic circuit?

Well, first things first, you won't have to worry about footage of your crash finding its way onto YouTube, because, as we've already discovered before, it's illegal to publish Nurburgring crash footage, with the crime carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison. But just because you've escaped that embarrassment doesn't mean you're out of the woods...

The first things you need to do all relate to making sure you remain as safe as possible. With protective Armco barriers around the track, one hopes the initial impact will be absorbed well enough that you will escape mostly unscathed. Should this be the case, and should your car remain mostly intact, it's important not to carry on driving as if nothing has happened, as you could spill fluids on the track and endanger the lives of the hundreds of other users on track at more or less the same time as you.

As in the case of a Nurburgring breakdown, you ideally want to get off the track as quickly as possible, preferably to the closest track exit - a gap between the barriers. However, if there isn't one available, getting as far off the track as possible, on the inside of the corner, not the outside, is the next best thing.

Next, you'll want to get out of the car and climb behind the barriers so anyone else who may have a similar incident doesn't hit you.

From here, alerting Nurburgring authorities is vital, so ensure you have the emergency number on hand. Alert them to the situation, and they'll ensure yellow flags are deployed, recovery teams are dispatched, and, if need be, cleaning teams are deployed to clean up oil and coolant leaks.

This is all a best-case scenario, and hopefully, this is all you'll ever have to worry about. The Nurburgring, despite having a huge focus on safety, has highly trained staff that are exceptional at what they do, and the marshals and recovery crews will pretty much handle the initial fallout after this point.

However, you will need to have all your licensing documentation available, or if you've traveled from abroad, things like your passport on hand for identification purposes.

But now that you've escaped without paying the ultimate price, other bills are involved... and no, the Nurburgring is not profiting off your mishaps.

The first thing you need to be aware of is there is no flat fee for a crash at the Nurburgring, as every crash is different, and the ramifications are different. If, for example, you only spill fluid on track and don't damage barriers, you might get off with a relatively light bill, but if you grind along a section of the barriers at speed for a few hundred years, that entire stretch of barrier will need to be replaced, and that will not come cheap.

If you're lucky, you'll hit a tire barrier, and provided you don't destroy it, this is free. But hitting anything else will prove costly, and not just because of the repair fees - you'll be charged for track closure, and you'll be charged for however many hours of the track marshals' time were spent attending to your accident.

Prices fluctuate based on material costs, etc., but when the Nurburgring invoices you for the damages and repairs, the circuit includes copies of the invoices from its suppliers, proving there is no markup and the 'Ring is not making a profit off of your accident.

While these figures do vary, there are strong estimates from as recently as this year for what these repairs may cost you:

• Roadworks setup: $238 - this involves condoning off the area and deploying a roadworks team to commence repairs.
• Removal of damaged guardrail: $28 per meter (3.3 feet)
• Supply and installation of new guardrail: $69 per meter
• Safety car deployment: $69 per half-hour
• Wages for Nurburgring staff: $58 per half-hour
• Complete Nurburgring closure: $1,500 per hour

YouTuber Misha Charoudin recently crashed his Toyota GR86 at the 'Ring after encountering fluid spilled on the track, and in a podcast after the incident, he said he got away with minor repair bills of approximately $530, as only two small portions of barrier needed to be replaced and one upright had to be straightened. Charoudin claimed that this was likely to be his cheapest repair bill and that the average repair cost for most incidents was around $2,100.

So that's what the Nurburgring charges for repairs, but there are other costs, like vehicle recovery, involved. Every year, vehicle recovery companies bid on the rights to being the sole recovery service at the 'Ring.

This is invoiced directly by the company and not the Nurburgring, with the average cost being approximately $320. These companies will have a storage area where your car is taken, and should you request your car to be taken to a private workshop or storage facility, you will be charged extra. You will also be charged if your vehicle is stored at the recovery facility until you can take it elsewhere for repairs or whatever you plan to do with your car post-crash.

Naturally, you are then responsible for the costs of the repairs etc, based on whatever you decide to do.

If, however, you have hired a car from one of the hire companies at the Nurburgring, you have to pay them for the repairs on the cars, with many of them laying down a hefty deposit at the time of booking that covers them for a significant excess.

One such company, RSR Nurburg, lists the maximum excesses for each of the cars in its fleet. Even in the event of a write-off, you will not pay more than this. While you can view the full list on the company's website, here are a few of them:*

• VW Golf GTI: $18,000
• Honda Civic Type R: $26,500
• BMW M2 and M3: $53,000
• Nissan GT-R: $79,500
• Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS: $106,000
• Porsche 911 GT3 RS 992: $212,100

*Excesses from RSR Nurburg are in euros. Prices have been converted to US$ at current exchange rates and rounded to the nearest hundred.

The costs above all assume that you're the only vehicle involved in the accident, but what if there's another car involved? This is where things get more complex, and if you're the car at fault, you will be liable for the costs for the other person. In a multi-car accident, the cops will be called to the scene to take statements and evaluate the crash so they can apportion blame.

It's important to remember that there are strict road rules that must be adhered to on the Nurburgring, as it is a toll road. That means no overtaking on the right-hand side, for example. Doing so will get you black-flagged, but if you cause an accident while doing so, then you'll be held accountable. Over and above this, the cops may fine you for reckless driving, and while publishing Nurburgring crashes may be illegal, footage taken by others involved could be used against you by the police.

Even if you don't crash, but your car leaks fluid on track, and someone else crashes as a result, you will be liable. That's why it's important to prepare your car properly before taking it to the track.

This is an extremely loaded question and one we will not cover in full. Ultimately, different insurance companies cover different things, and the onus is on you to clarify with your insurance company what is and isn't covered before you attend any track day.

German insurance of German-registered cars, for example, may cover the costs and claim an excess from you, but if you do not live in Germany, you may not be so lucky. British insurance companies do not cover Nurburgring accidents, and although you'll seldom find explicit mention of the Nurburgring in British insurance policies, they'll often have fine print declaring that accidents on "one-way toll roads in Germany" will not be covered. Sneaky. But if another car is involved, your insurance may still cover the costs incurred by the other person, just not you.

There are dedicated insurance companies that supply track-day insurance for excursions on the Nurburgring, but these policies don't come cheap. However, accidents do happen, so while you may balk at the cost, it is massively beneficial in the event something goes wrong. As always, insurance is only a waste of money until the day you need it.