Banks in Germany require still interest on the overdraft facilitywhich can only be described as bold. On average it is 11.28 percent – and there is hardly any upper limit. This is shown by a current evaluation by the comparison portal Verivox, which examined more than 6,600 current account models from around 1,100 banks and savings banks. The data basis was a BaFin data set from February 26, 2026.

The most expensive banks for overdrafts

The frontrunner is VR-Bank Landsberg-Ammersee with an overdraft interest rate of 15.31 percent. Close behind: Volksbank Nordharz with 14.77 percent and Sydbank, which is primarily active in Denmark and northern Germany, with 14.55 percent. “The overdraft facility is practical for bridging a financial bottleneck in the short term, but bank customers have to pay dearly for this flexibility,” says Oliver Maier, Managing Director of Verivox Finanzvergleich GmbH.

Remarkable: Almost all of the 20 most expensive providers are from the cooperative world. Eleven cooperative banks and eight savings banks are involved. Sydbank is the only private bank in this inglorious ranking. Volksbanks and savings banks – not listed on the stock exchange – can apparently afford these conditions because there is no competitive and investor pressure that slows down listed institutions at least a little.

Anyone who exceeds their overdraft limit pays even more

If you overdraw your account beyond the agreed overdraft limit, it will become additionally expensive for almost every second account. For 45 percent of all accounts there is an interest surcharge, which averages 4.25 percentage points.

Raiffeisenbank Pfaffenhofen an der Glonn holds the sad record: Anyone who exceeds the limit there pays a whopping 19.75 percent interest. Even the regular overdraft interest rate there is already above average 13.75 percent. Cooperative banks and savings banks also dominate the negative ranking in this category: twelve cooperative institutions, seven savings banks and one private bank.

Manageable in the short term, a problem in the long term

If you only slip into the red for a short time, you don’t have to worry too much. Ten days with 500 euros in the red cost just 1.57 euros with an overdraft interest rate of 11.28 percent.

“When choosing the right current account, consumers should not only pay attention to the overdraft and overdraft interest. But the more often bank customers use the overdraft, the more important favorable conditions are,” says Oliver Maier. “A good account is also characterized by low account management fees and low costs for the associated card and for withdrawing money.”

What you should consider the next time you change your account

The next time you compare current accounts, it’s not enough to look at account management fees and card costs. The overdraft interest rate determines how expensive an account will actually become in an emergency. Anyone who uses their overdraft regularly should take this particularly seriously – and if in doubt, change.