Luko (Ex Coya) Pet Insurance: Review
Having a pet also means having a huge responsibility. Similarly to humans, pets need to be insured so you avoid the risk of paying thousands of euros in bills. In Germany, there are two main insurance types for pets, and they are mostly taken out by dog owners. They include pet liability and health insurance. Luko is an English-speaking insurance company that has them both.
Luko offers several insurances for your dog or cat, including pet liability and health insurance. Their services are fully in English and digital.
In Germany, liability and health insurance for pets are mostly used for dogs. It makes the most sense for owners. Cats and smaller pets don’t need it. Read more about pet insurances in Germany in this guide.
Luko (Ex Coya) is the only English-speaking provider in Germany offering comprehensive dog liability and health insurance. You might have heard of German insurance provider Coya, which was acquired by Luko. Now Luko offers similar to Coya policies, just better.
Dog liability insurance and why you need it
In Germany, all dog owners are responsible for their pets and the damage they cause. Owners are liable with their entire assets to an unlimited scope if something goes wrong. If your dog injures another person, costs can go into many thousands of euros.
But luckily, dog liability insurance (Hundehaftpflichtversicherung) will pay for all damages instead of you.
In fact, every year, German dog owners report an average of 100,000 claims for damages caused by their dogs – most of them are compensated by dog liability insurance. Liability insurance is even obligatory for dogs of some breeds and in certain German states.
You can’t get away from signing for dog liability insurance; it’s very inexpensive. Luko offers coverages from a bit more than 5 EUR per month. If you want to check out all providers, use tools like Tarifcheck to compare prices.
Luko dog liability insurance
Luko provides one of the best dog liability insurance in Germany. You can see the pricing comparison above. Luko is perfect for expats living in Germany since their insurances, services, and website are available 100% in English.
Luko’s dog liability is similar to private liability insurance for humans, but for dogs instead. If you don’t have liability insurance for yourself yet, check out their affordable policy.
Generally, Luko’s dog liability insurance covers you against physical or material damages your pet might cause to others. Here are the main features and benefits of Luko’s dog liability insurance:
Breeds | All breeds |
Coverage | Up to 30,00 Mio EUR |
Price | From 5,99 EUR per month |
English website and service | |
Coverage abroad | |
No deductible optional | You can reduce the 20% deductible to 0% |
Cancelation | Flexible, anytime |
Free puppy coverage |
Coverage
What does dog liability from Luko cover?
- Medical injuries
- Broken things
- Financial loss
1. Medical Injuries
It’s all fun and games until someone – in this case, another dog or even a stranger’s kid – gets hurt by your dog. But don’t worry about the financial side of claims. We’ve got you covered up to your insured sum.
2. Broken items
Even most chilled dogs get their zoomies once in a while. So if your dog damages or destroys other people’s stuff while running wild, we’ll cover the damage up to your insured sum.
3. Financial loss
This refers to various situations in which others (third parties) have a financial loss due to your dog’s misbehavior. For example, your dog is leashed outside a shop and scares its customers away. The owner could lose sales and may be eligible for compensation.
Overview of the covered damages :
- Damage caused by the insured dog to buildings, flats, living quarters, and rooms in buildings rented for private purposes;
- Damage during participation in lessons or events as well as claims of participants and figurants arising from this;
- Damage to buildings and floors;
- Damage when walking the dog without a leash or muzzle/loop;
Accidents without the lease
The insurance also covers liability claims against insured persons for damage caused by dogs being walked without a leash or muzzle.
Excluded, however, are claims for financial losses insofar as legal or official regulations are deliberately deviated from
Breeding
Insured are liability claims against insured persons due to damage from the intentional or unintentional mating act.
Whether it’s you, your family, or friends and acquaintances looking after your dog, your dog is covered should something should happen on the road.
Damages abroad
Worldwide coverage (up to 5 years), provided you are registered in Germany with your primary residence.
Additional coverage with dog liability insurance
1. SOS: Dog bite
If another dog bites your dog, Luko reimburses emergency costs up to 500 EUR at the vet.
2. Borrowed items
- Liability claims against insured persons are also insured due to damage to other property which has been rented, borrowed, leased or rented.
- The limit is 5,000 EUR and does not apply to wear and tear, as well as motor vehicles, aircraft, and watercraft.
What isn’t included?
You must know that dog liability insurance doesn’t insure:
- Claims of performance of contracts
- Personal injuries resulting from the transmission of diseases of the insured persons
- Hunting dogs, for which insurance cover is provided by a hunting liability insurance policy
- Insured persons who have caused the damage intentionally
- Damage caused by asbestos, substances or products containing asbestos
Things to keep in mind
- You can insure only one dog per policy
- This insurance doesn’t cover the damage to your own belongings and to those living with you, e.g., a family.
Pet health insurance
Pet health insurance is another insurance provided by Luko and is mainly used for dogs. Why do you need it? It will pay for your visits to the vet. Otherwise, you must pay out of pocket.
Typically you can choose between coverages for dogs (Hundekrankenversicherung), cats (Katzekrankenversicherung), and general pets. Owners of older dogs can particularly benefit from this coverage.
Be aware that standard routine treatments such as vaccinations, castrations, or sterilizations are often not covered by insurance. However, it’s helpful if your pet needs some serious treatment like surgeries, where costs can go easily into thousands.
The price of health insurance can be as low as 20 EUR per month but depend on your dog’s age, race, and sex.
Dog health insurance
Dog health insurance is the most common insurance for pets in Germany. Luko covers both dogs and cats.
The final price will depend on the coverage you choose. Rates also differ depending on the breed type, the animal’s age, and your dog’s health history.
There are two types of dog health insurance in Germany:
- Dog health insurance
- Dog surgery insurance
Getting at least a dog surgery insurance will hedge you from some hefty bills. On the other hand, dog health insurance coverage can cost less than 130 EUR per year.
For typical dog health insurance, expect to pay around 20 EUR per month. It usually covers the following areas:
- Outpatient and inpatient treatments
- Checkups
- Medicine
- Diagnostics
- Accommodation in a veterinary clinic
Luko pet health insurance in Germany
With Luko’s pet health insurance, you can insure both cats and dogs. Their coverage includes surgery insurance and starts as low as 5,15 EUR. You can also choose several add-ons and premium covers for your loved animal.
How much do they pay? Luko covers 80% of the costs for your pet’s unexpected, necessary surgical interventions. You can choose between 0% to 20% deductible. The lower the deductible, the more expensive the premium gets.
The big bonus is that insurance covers your dog also abroad, whether you are temporarily living in another country or traveling. Luckily, Luko also doesn’t impose any limitations on breeds. This is very good news for dog owners since some breeds are more vulnerable to various diseases and injuries.
Main features and benefits of pet health insurance from Luko:
Breeds | All |
Coverage | 80% of the cost – up to 20,000 EUR |
Compensation | Pays vet costs up to 3 times the rate of the official fee |
Price | From 5,15 EUR per month |
English website and service | Yes |
Animals with pre-existing conditions | Yes; However, damages associated with previous illness aren’t covered. |
Coverage abroad | Yes |
No deductible optional | You can reduce the 20% deductible to 0% if you wish |
Cancelation | Flexible, anytime |
Animal age | From the 9th week, max. seven years (7 years and 364 days) |
Things to keep in mind
One insurance policy covers one pet. If you have several dogs, for example, you need to take several insurances.
1. Insured amount
Another critical point is how much you can claim with Luko’s per health insurance:
- In the first 12 months, you can only get back up to 1,000 EUR per claim
- In the first 24 months, this amount increases to 2,000 EUR
- And to up to 20,000 EUR per claim after the first 24 months
2. The reimbursement amount
Luko pays three times what German vets are allowed to charge. This regulation is called Gebührenordnung für Tierärzte (Fee Regulations for Veterinarians) and determines how much veterinarians are allowed to charge for treatment.
They can charge one to four times the fee, depending on the length and difficulty of the treatment.
Coverage
What is included in the pet health insurance from Luko? Cost for the following treatments are reimbursed by the insurance company:
- Necessary operations under general anesthetic
- Vet fees are up to 3 times the rate of the Fee Regulations for Veterinarians (GOT)
- Post operation hospital stay up to 20 days per insurance year
- Necessary medication after the operation for a maximum of 20 days per insurance year
- Protection abroad (12 months & worldwide)
- Press contribution for a runaway, insured animal, up to 250 EUR per incident;
- Euthanasia
As a client, you might also get a one-time health bonus for:
- Chip implementation
- Protective vaccinations
- Worming
- Flea and tick control
- Dental prophylaxis
- Castration or sterilization
What else is covered?
- Treatments required by veterinary medicine
- Analgesic dental treatment, including extraction
- Accommodation in a veterinary clinic or veterinary practice
- Medicines, bandages, remedies, and aids, up to the maximum rates applicable in each case as set forth in the German Veterinary Fees Ordinance (GOT)
However, this insurance doesn’t cover
Some exceptions apply to the insurance coverage, where the following cases aren’t insured:
- Treatments that have been started or recommended by veterinary care before the conclusion of the contract
- Treatment or operation to correct congenital, genetic, or developmental abnormalities
- Operations designed to establish the respective breeding or breed standard
Generally, pet health insurance doesn’t pay for:
- Outpatient and inpatient treatments
- Necessary diagnostics such as X-rays, ECG, ultrasound, blood and tissue samples, urine and stool diagnostics
- Laser therapy
- Homeopathy and acupuncture
- Treatments of allergies due to hyposensitization
- Chiropractic and osteopathy
However, you can easily include all these treatments by choosing an add-on when signing up. In that case, Luko covers 80% of the costs for inpatient & outpatient treatment at the veterinarian, such as necessary diagnostics, allergy treatments, laser therapy, and others.
Nonetheless, Luko’s insurance doesn’t pay for these treatments:
- Treatments that are already started or advised before signing the contract
- Treatment or operation for congenital, hereditary, genetic, or developmental abnormalities
- Operations to produce the respective breeding or breed standard
- Treatment for other diseases including Wobbler syndrome, Brachycephalic syndrome
- Congenital malformations such as positional anomaly of the testis, dilatation of the esophagus, prolapse of the nictitating membrane
- Preventive or voluntary examinations and treatments
- Dentures and correction of dental and jaw anomalies
- Treatment of damage caused intentionally
- Although animals with previous illnesses can be insured, damages associated with previous illnesses aren’t covered.
Premium plan
To cover additional treatments, you have to take a premium pet plan that includes:
1. Necessary diagnostics
- X-ray, ECG, ultrasound, blood and tissue samples, urine and stool diagnostics, CT, laser therapy, and much more
2. Veterinary expenses
- Οutpatient treatment costs at the veterinarian up to 3 times the rate according to the scale of fees for veterinarians (GOT)
3. Yearly prevention
- for health checks, chip implementation/tattooing, vaccinations, worming, flea and tick prevention, dental prophylaxis, castration, or sterilization. Max. 100,00€
Read more about pet insurances in this article.