Second-home owners: Can I insure my car at my French address?
Insuring a car in France depends on whether the car has been bought in France or exported from the UK. We explain
If you own a car that is kept in France, it must also be insured in France
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Reader question: Can I insure a car in France using the address of my second home there? Also, is it possible to insure month by month or would I have to insure for a full year?
In reply to your first question: yes, it is possible to insure a car at your French address, to keep it in France and use when you are there – in fact, this would be the norm.
However, if you have exported the car from the UK, then you should also have registered it with French numberplates at the address of the second home. DVLA rules do not allow a car to remain with UK plates once it has been taken out of the country for more than 12 months.
If you own a car that is kept in France, it must also be insured in France, though insurers in France will not insure a car registered in the UK.
While the policy will be annual, it will often be paid for on a monthly basis.
One English-speaking French insurance specialist, Angéline Pequeno of Axa Insurance, said: “The registration must be French – since Brexit we do not insure any UK-registered cars.
“We can use the address of the second home.
“That will be the address on the carte grise and it must be the same.”
She added that an option for saving money while away from France is to temporarily reduce the guarantees to just fire and theft, as opposed to comprehensive insurance.
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