Skip to content

Warranty calculator: how long can you claim for a defect in Germany?

When you buy from a business in Germany as a consumer, you get a 2-year statutory warranty (Gewährleistung). In the first year, the seller has to prove a defect was not already there. Enter the day you received the item and the calculator shows both dates. Free to use, no account, and nothing is stored.

The calculation runs in your browser. We store nothing you enter.

Your purchase

For purchases from a business. Private sellers, for example on Kleinanzeigen, can exclude the warranty.

What did you buy?
Was the warranty shortened to 1 year?

A line in the small print is not enough. The seller must tell you before you buy and agree it with you expressly and separately.

Does the item have digital elements?

Has a defect already shown up? (optional)

Did the seller repair the defect?

Your result

Enter the day you received the item.

Older rules applied to purchases before 1 January 2022. The 2-year warranty has ended in any case.

Report a defect early and in writing, for example by email, and keep the invoice or receipt. A complaint alone does not always stop the clock.

Source: §§ 203, 204 BGB

Not legal advice. The calculator covers purchases where you buy as a consumer from a business. If something looks off, your local Verbraucherzentrale (consumer advice centre) can help.

Other periods apply, for example

  • 5 years for building materials that were built into a building and caused its defect
  • 3 years from the end of the year you found out, if the seller fraudulently hid the defect
  • Private sales: the warranty can be excluded
  • A guarantee: what the guarantor promises applies

Source: § 438 (1) no. 2 and (3), §§ 195, 199, 443, 444 BGB

How the warranty calculator counts

  • Both periods start on the day you received the item. That day does not count.
  • Presumption: 1 year, 6 months for animals.
  • Warranty: 2 years. For used goods 1 year, if that was validly agreed.
  • If the seller repairs it, contracts from 31 July 2026 get 12 extra months, once.
  • If a defect showed, the period for it ends 4 months later at the earliest. After a repair or replacement, 2 months after you get it back at the earliest.
  • If the day does not exist in the last month, for example 29 February, the last day of that month counts.

Sources: §§ 437, 438, 439, 443, 474 to 477, 479, §§ 186 to 188, 193 BGB, Art. 229 § 72 EGBGB, Art. 229 § 58 EGBGB, as of 2 November 2026 on gesetze-im-internet.de.

FAQ

How long does the statutory warranty last in Germany?

2 years from the day you received the item. For used goods, the seller can shorten it to 1 year, but only if they told you separately before you bought and you agreed it expressly and separately. Building materials that were built into a building and caused its defect get 5 years.

Source: § 438 (1) and (2) BGB, § 476 (2) BGB

What is the difference between a guarantee and the statutory warranty?

The statutory warranty (Gewährleistung) is your legal right against the seller you bought from. A guarantee (Garantie) is an extra, voluntary promise, often from the manufacturer. It does not replace the warranty; both apply side by side. What the guarantee covers and for how long is in the guarantee statement, which must also point you to your statutory rights.

Source: § 443 BGB, § 479 (1) BGB

What does the reversed burden of proof mean?

If a defect shows within 1 year of handover, it is presumed it was already there. The seller then has to prove otherwise. After that year, you have to show the defect existed at handover. For animals the presumption lasts 6 months.

Source: § 477 (1) BGB

What can I ask for if there is a defect?

First a cure: you choose a repair or a replacement, and the seller pays the costs. If that fails, for example if the defect shows up again after a repair attempt, you can withdraw from the purchase or reduce the price.

Source: § 437, § 439, § 440 BGB, § 475d BGB

Does a repair extend the warranty?

Yes, for contracts made on or after 31 July 2026: if the seller repairs the item under the warranty, the period is extended once by 12 months. A replacement does not add the 12 months. After any repair or replacement you also have at least 2 months from getting the item back for that defect.

Source: § 475e (4) and (5) BGB, Art. 229 § 72 EGBGB

What if the defect shows just before the warranty ends?

If a defect shows while the warranty is still running, the warranty for that defect ends 4 months later at the earliest. Still report it straight away and in writing.

Source: § 475e (3) BGB

Does the warranty apply to private sales?

The rules in this calculator apply when you buy from a business. A private seller can exclude the warranty, for example with "sold as seen". That does not protect them if they fraudulently hid a defect.

Source: § 474 (1) BGB, § 444 BGB

Read next:

So your warranty doesn't run out unnoticed.

With Guardian, our paid plan, Notenz emails you a reminder, for example 1 month or 1 week before. See pricing

Start free