Motor insurance

Motor insurance is compulsory for all motor vehicles in France, including cars and motorbikes, whether in use or not. Driving without insurance is a criminal offense and can lead to fines, vehicle impoundment, and driver’s license penalties. 

The legal minimum is third-party liability insurance (assurance au tiers), which covers damage or injury caused to others. More comprehensive policies (for example, third-party plus, or fully comprehensive tous risques) are optional.

It is customary to insure the vehicle rather than the driver – motor insurance policies are linked to the vehicle and usually cover any authorized driver, not solely the policyholder. The owner purchases the policy, and additional regular drivers may need to be formally listed, while occasional drivers are generally covered. Liability insurance follows the vehicle, which explains why third-party coverage is mandatory even when the car is seldom used.

For more on driving in France, see Chapter 21.

What should you expect to pay for car insurance in France?

Many factors affect a car’s insurance cost - including driver age, accident history, type of car, where it is parked, and its location.

The most recent barometer by leading online comparison site Lesfurets.com found that premiums rose in 2025 to an average of €1,124 for a fully-comprehensive policy (up 4% compared to 2024), and €636 for a third-party policy (roughly stable). 

The barometer also considered average prices per region. Brittany was the cheapest, with €798 being the average cost of insuring a vehicle, all options included. In contrast, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur was the most expensive, at €1,176. Other costly regions included Île-de-France (€1,082), Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (€1,005), and Hauts-de-France (€939). The differences in rates between the regions are mainly explained by the claims ratio in each - car insurance rates are higher in regions with a higher rate of accidents, and/or thefts.

The type of vehicle can also make a significant difference, including the make, model, year of registration, and engine type. For example, the barometer found that insuring a hybrid car costs an average of €1,144, compared with €1,079 for a fully-electric car.

A driver’s no-claims bonus (part of the bonus-malus system - see Chapter 21 on driving) can also have considerable influence on the price of insurance. In practical terms, the system adjusts car insurance premiums annually, rewarding claim-free drivers with discounts and penalising at-fault accidents by increasing costs via a regulated coefficient.

Age too plays a factor - typically, younger drivers pay the most, with the amount gradually decreasing in each age bracket barring a minor exception for older drivers aged 66 and over.

If you want to change car insurance policy, know that since the introduction of the loi Hamon (Hamon law) in 2015, policyholders in France have been able to do so for any reason at any time, as long as they have held the policy for at least a year - in this instance, the new insurer is required to take care of the cancellation and switchover between providers.

Q&A

Reader Question: Another driver leaving a party I was attending scraped the side of my car with his. He did not give his details but told me to ask the host for them and said he would pay for the repair. He is now refusing to pay or contact his insurer. What should I do?

In events such as this you should always ask for the relevant information directly, without relying on a third party. Do this regardless of what the other person might say. As you have seen there is always a risk they will not follow up on their promises. 

You should keep a blank constat amiable – a standardized form available in multiple languages – in your car, which you and other drivers can complete immediately after an accident.

Although you do not have a copy of this form from the driver (note: carbon copies are allowed), you can still fill it in yourself and send it off to your insurer, even if you do not have their contact details. In the ‘observations’ section provide as much information as you have about the other party and note they did not complete their form when asked to. If you have details of witnesses to the incident that you can contact for eyewitness reports, send these too to support your claim.

Is it illegal to not sign a constat amiable?

It is not illegal for a driver to refuse to sign a constat amiable. It is illegal, however, for a driver not to provide their contact details after an accident, including information about their insurance policy. As you only have partial contact details – that you had to request through a third party – and the other person is still withholding their insurance information, you should remind them of this. 

Once your side of the constat amiable is signed, there are several possible options. 

Firstly, the driver of the other vehicle is contacted by his insurer, and eventually files his own report. If the other driver will not accept full responsibility, and the two insurers cannot agree, it is possible they will accept shared responsibility. Each driver in this case would have to pay half of the excess, and each would have a small increase in their next premium, but less than if deemed wholly responsible. 

If the driver still refuses to fill out a report even after being contacted by their insurer, they will be deemed 100% responsible. However, you may see your premium costs rise the following year. 

Finally, if there is no way to contact the other driver’s insurer (or they continue to ignore you), this is equivalent to a hit and run (délit de fuite), which is illegal. In this situation, your insurer may contact the Fonds de garantie des assurances obligatoires de dommages which helps pay for damages caused by uninsured drivers. You can also contact them yourself.

Cut out and keep bilingual accident form xxx [use doc on file at The Connexion - see Sarah] xxx