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In France, almost 38 million cars are in circulation, and they must be insured in order to drive. In the event of an accident, an uninsured driver must pay to repair the property damage or worse bodily injury themselves
The 3 essential guarantees for your car
The essential guarantees for car insurance:car insurance is mandatory in France since 1958. The insurance obligation only relates to the guarantee” public responsibility », i.e. the damage to third parties and passengers. (required under Article L211-1 of the Insurance Code).
However, it is not always easy to navigate through the various coverage offers that insurance companies offer. What are the essential guarantees that must be included in your car insurance contract? Should you take one third party insurance, all risks? What are the 3 essential warranties for your car?
Motor insurance is compulsory in France. What the law says
Any natural or legal person, other than the State, whose civil liability may be incurred for damages caused to third parties as a result of damage to persons or property in which a vehicle is involved shall to circulate this one should be covered by insurance that guarantees this liability, under the conditions laid down by decree in the Council of State. In this article “vehicle” means any motorized land vehiclethat is, any self-propelled vehicle intended to circulate on the ground and which can be actuated by a mechanical force without being connected to a railway track, as well as any trailer, even uncoupled.
Insurance contracts covering the liability mentioned in the first paragraph of this article must also cover the civil liability of any person who has parental authority or drives, even without authorization, the vehiclewith the exception of professionals in the field of repair, sale and inspection of cars, as well as the civil liability for the passengers in the vehicle covered by the insurance. However, in the event of theft of a vehicle, these contracts do not cover compensation for damages caused by the authors, co-authors or contributors to the theft.
The insurance company enters into the rights that the claimant of the compensation has against the person responsible for the accident when custody or driving of the vehicle is obtained against the will of the owner.
These contracts must be taken out in an insurance company that is authorized to carry out insurance business against accidents resulting from the use of motor vehicles.
The driver’s or the insured’s family members as well as students at an educational institution for driving approved motor vehicles on land, during training or examination, are considered third parties in accordance with subsection of this article.
In summary, at a minimum, all owners of motorized land vehicles must take out car insurance liability insurance. This is the mandatory insurance and the minimum coverage to be able to circulate.
1 – The civil liability guarantee
The minimum coverage in francs. This is protection against damage caused by others. This warranty covers property damage and personal injury caused by third parties of the insured vehicle, but please note that damage caused to the insured vehicle is not covered by civil liability.
This legal minimum level of protection of car insurance is included in all contracts if it isthird party insurance orBack to back insurance.
As this cover is included as standard in all contracts, you are only covered if you do not have car insurance! It is then a lack of insurance, a traffic offense that involves, for any vehicle driving or parking on the public highway, a revocation of the driver’s license and a heavy fine.
Liability insurance compensates material and bodily damage to others , then we are talking about third party car insurance. It does not cover compensation for the responsible driver, except in the case of borrowing the car (the driver is then considered a third party).
In detail it protects
- the passengers in your vehicle
- driver and passengers other cars involved
- other road users, pedestrians and cyclists
- the owners of the property that was damaged by the disaster.
It is mandatory to have at least third party insurance to benefit from the liability coverage even when the vehicle remains stationary for a long time.
With this first mandatory guarantee, material damage and personal injury caused to third parties are covered. However, it is also necessary to cover your own damages, both bodily and material.
2- Coverage for personal injury for the driver
The driver’s personal injury cover covers damages that the driver incurs in the event of an accident. Other optional covers include legal protection, property damage cover, personal injury cover and road accident cover.
The driver’s bodily injury guarantee (GAC) is an essential guarantee in car insurance in France. It covers personal injuries sustained by the driver and his passengers in the event of an accident. It can also cover medical expenses and compensation for loss of income.
3 – Damage to the vehicle
You should also insure your vehicle and different guarantees can be taken out. At a minimum, you must take out collision damage cover, which also reimburses you in the event of a natural disaster, storm or attack.
Other insurance guarantees can be taken out and this depends in particular on the age and value of your car. For a low value vehicle, you can take out a third party warranty, but it won’t reimburse for repairs to your car if no third party is involved.
Remember the collision or all risks warranty is optional, but covers damage caused to your car in the event of an accident. The theft warranty is also optional, but covers damage caused by theft of your car. Other guarantees such as glass breakage guarantee or fire guarantee can also be an option to consider in order to be well insured.
Car liability insurance is compulsory and since 1958 its purpose is primarily to protect others from damage that a driver may involuntarily cause, but it is also to protect against lawsuits if his responsibility is involved in an accident in the event of a very serious claim , involving astronomical sums.
The statutory insurance guarantee fund can intervene and provide compensation to the victims. In 2019, this fund covered more than 28,000 accidents.
Bonus malus has a big impact on your contribution. To be at 50% requires 13 years of driving without a collision, and for each responsible accident a fine of 25% applies! While car insurance can be expensive, being a good driver helps reduce premiums. Good driving also means driving with proper papers, i.e. having your registration certificate with your residential address, your insurance certificate and sticker and MOT if you have a vehicle over four years old.
Some tips and advice for car insurance.
- Check the insurance coverage in case of borrowing or lending a vehicle.
- Do not drive after taking drugs or alcohol.
- Check the territorial limits of your insurance contract before you go abroad.
- Car insurance is mandatory with minimum third-party coverage, which should be supplemented with the possibility of personal guarantees for the driver.
- Before you sign your insurance contract, it is important to familiarize yourself with the risks covered, the exclusions and the deductible amounts.
- To reduce your insurance bill and pay less for your insurance premium, think car insurance per km, car insurance online (make a car insurance quote online), car insurance comparison.
Not having insurance is punishable by a fine of 3,750 euros, a three-year suspension of the driver’s license and confiscation of the vehicle
The e-auto report
Do you know the automatic e-report? e-constat auto is a free program that allows you to enter information about the report via your smartphone. The electronic report makes it possible to record information about the circumstances of an accident. It must be completed by everyone involved in the accident.
He has same legal value than the traditional paper report and allows for faster processing of the file by the insurance company.
The electronic statement allows you to send your insurance company useful information to compensate you. In fact, the insurance company will rely on the elements entered in the report to determine the responsibility of each of the people involved in the accident.
