Insuring a Vehicle in France: A Practical Guide

How does vehicle insurance work in France, how is it different to what you’re used to, what level of cover do you need, and what will your policy cover?

When I moved to France over two decades ago, everything administrative was, to put it mildly, challenging. Car insurance wa was no exception. I can remember sitting in an office trying to understand the policies and various options available to me. Today, online insurers and the widespread availability of English-speaking brokers have made life much easier. However, it is still essential to understand how. insurance cover works in France, how it differs from the cover you might be used to and exactly what your policy will (or won’t) include.

Insurance is a legal requirement for all vehicles in France, whether they are in use or not, and the definition of vehicles includes not only cars but also motorcycles, scooters, tractors, ride-on mowers and quad bikes. If you get stopped driving an uninsured vehicle, fines start at €500 with an additional charge of 50% so €250) going to a body known as Les Fonds de garantie des assurances obligatoires de dommages (FGAO), which pays out to victims of an accident involving an uninsured driver, meaning that the total fine is €750. Failure to pay within a specified time means that the fine increases to €1,000 with an additional charge of €500, making €1,500 in total.

Trailers and caravans must also be insured with a minimum of third-party cover. Your existing car insurance policy can cover caravans and trailers up to 750kg without the need for a separate contract. However, you must tell the insurer that you plan to tow and check this is covered in your policy. Any caravan, trailer, horsebox or the like that weighs over 750kg must have its own insurance contract.

Which company?

So how do you go about choosing an insurer? There are hundreds of insurance companies in France offering car insurance policies, these include mutuelle insurers (les mutuelles d’assurances, banks and private companies. Deciding which to go with depends on the cover available and the rates.
If you already have a French bank account or other Insurance policies, this is a good starting point as existing clients may be able to negotiate better rates on multiple policies. Equally, you may prefer to do the research and make the calculations yourself and if so, the online comparison sites such as Lelynx, lesFurets and point and usually reveal some competitive prices.

However, not all policies are equal and unless you are really confident in your abilities to understand the small print or even if you just find speaking French a challenge, you may be much better off using an. international insurance broker such as AXA International, Fab French Insurance or Asttral. Not only do these types of companies have English-speaking helplines, they usually provide the documentation in English and can handle claims on your behalf. They are also usually better placed to offer cover for unusual or vintage vehicles.

What level of cover?

You will also need to choose from the three types of cover available. These are third-party (au tiers), third-party, fire and theft dau tiers illimité) arid fully comprehensive (tous risques). Third-party is the legal minimum required for any vehicle in circulation in France and effectively acts as civil liability insurance, meaning you will be covered in the event that your vehicle is responsible for injuring or damaging someone or something. Your own vehicle is not covered which means that cover is c only really suitable for cars with almost zero replacement value. Third-party, fire and theft

gives you more options as you are covered for damage or injury to a third party, as well as fire, theft and possibly other eventualities such optional breakdown coverage or replacement vehicle options. These days there is often little difference in cost between the second option and the final type of policy-tous risques-which which provides provides much mar better cover as it includes damage and injury to yourself, a third party, and your vehicle, including fire and theft. The coverage varies from insurer to insurer, so do check the small print for any exclusions and/or optional extras.

Excess and breakdown cover

You should also take the franchise (excess) into account as this also varies widely with cheaper policies often having higher excesses. This is always a bit of a gamble and the decision needs to be made according to your personal attitude to risk.

However, given that almost everyone gets a chip or crack in their windscreen at some point, it’s probably a good idea to opt for a policy with no for a very low) excess for windscreen replacement You should also consider how your ‘no-claims bonus’ will affect the premium, the type of breakdown cover included, and what the claims process is. And last but not least, check whether the insurance and breakdown cover applies within the EU. Most French Insurance policies do cover this but there may be restrictions or limitations so again, check the small print if you are planning to drive outside France. Premium prices will vary according to the usual factors such as age, driving experience and record, the vehicle and its value, the usage (cars used for business generally attract higher premiums) and the location. Vehicles in what’s considered to be a low-risk region with secure off-road parking will attract lower premiums than vehicles kept on the street in busy cities, for example.

Another factor that will affect premium prices is the annual mileage: policies can be priced according to annual usage, so a policy with a maximum of 10,000km/year will attract a lower premium.

No-Claims Bonus

The final element in the equation is your’no-claims history or bonus malus. Generally, the no-claims protection policies that are common elsewhere are not available in France. However, there are some companies that offer this (sometimes after a certain period of time) so it’s worth looking out for. Equally, making a single claim in France will often not reset your no-claims benefits to zero, you may lose a portion of your bonus, but it depends on the type of accident and who was to blame.

Again, there’s often considerable variation between Insurers, so do read the small print. French car insurance companies will usually accept proof of a no-claims bonus from a foreign country and to maximise your chances of it being accepted, you should ask for proof of your no-claims from your existing insurer before moving to France. Ask them to list the full number of years of no-claims rather than just the last four which is usual in the UK.

Specialist international brokers will often have already made arrangements with Insurers to guard against these types of issues.

Documentation

Although all French insurers have their own application procedures, most allow you to apply and even sign online and the required documentation and information required is likely to be the same.

You can expect to be asked to complete a questionnaire covering personal and vehicle information, where it’s parked and the intended use. You will also need to provide a form of ID, the vehicle registration document (carte grish, a valid driving licence, proof of address ürg. a utility bill that is less than three months old) and details of your insurance history/no-claims bonus. Once you’ve completed the application and it has been accepted, you’ll receive a copy of your insurance policy (attestation d’usnaranar) which you are required to carry with you to prove that the vehicle is insured. Pop this in the car along with the vehicle registration papers and an accident report or constar amioble d’accident that you complete in the event of an incident your insurer cars provide these. It’s always a good idea to keep copies of all documents at home too, just in case something happens to the vehicle.

Unlike the UK where Insurance es the driver only and named drivers mast be added, in France insurance tends to cover the vehicle with regular drivers being nansed on the policy. Some policies will have restrictions as to who can use the car these are often age dependent, with many limiting use to drivers over the age of 25 or with more than three years driving experience. There may come a time when you need to cancel an insurance policy, and in France the procedure is still quite formal. You need to send the company a formal letter of cancellation ovxiliation) via recorded delivery.

After the first year has elapsed, you don’t need to wait for the renewal date and the new provider can act on your behalf in terms of cancelling the existing policy. You can also cancel an you insurance policy at any time if ou sell the vehicle in question providing you provide proof of sale certificat de cession d’une vehicle d’occasion)

Lead photo credit : Villefranche-Sur-Mer, France. Traffic on streets of Monaco, Monte Carlo.