What is auto insurance?

Car insurance is compulsory in France to be able to drive a vehicle legally.

What is it, how does it work, what are the different types of auto insurance? Decryption in this folder.

Auto insurance: a mandatory procedure

Insuring his car is, since 1958, a legal obligation for any driver who wishes to be able to drive on French territory, and more broadly in a specific geographical area (DOM-TOM, Europe, etc.). The main function of automobile insurance is to provide compensation for damage that may be caused to a third party by a driver and/or one of his passengers. It covers the costs incurred during injuries caused to an individual (hospital treatment costs, etc.) and in the event of material damage (to other vehicles, but also to property, etc.).

In France, driving an uninsured vehicle is an offense punishable by law. It can result in a fine, license suspension, or even impoundment of the vehicle involved in the offence.

How to buy car insurance?

Today there are many insurers whose main mission is to offer car insurance to drivers. The auto insurance contract (guarantees offered, options, rates, etc.) varies from one driver to another. The vast majority of insurers take into account the experience of the driver ( young driver or seasoned driver), but also the number of kilometers traveled during the year, the type of vehicle insured (city car, luxury sedan, etc.) , the driver’s liabilities (number of accidents encountered in his life as a driver), etc.

It is therefore very important when choosing car insurance to compare the offers. In recent years, the trend in the field of car insurance is also moving towards a maximum of “tailor-made” to reduce rates for good drivers and increase them for drivers who are not very attentive on the road. It’s a bit like the principle of the “bonus-malus” and even more personalized.

Car insurance: what guarantees?

In addition to the compulsory civil liability guarantee (and different from the civil liability of private life), car insurance can offer different guarantees that are more or less useful depending on your situation. There are classic guarantees such as “glass breakage” or protection against theft and fire, but also other more specific guarantees such as “natural disaster” guarantee.

As with any type of insurance contract, we can only advise you to carefully study the clauses and coverage of these guarantees before subscribing to them.