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Car insurance

The ‘windscreen mafia’: Drivers in France warned of major repair scam

Scams include offering ‘free gifts’ that never arrive, and charging extortionate prices

Too many drivers in France do not have insurance

‘Driving without insurance is the worst kind of gamble,’ a victims guarantee fund says, after payouts increased by 28% in 2023

Wild animals on French roads: does insurance cover you for accidents?

Find out what to do and where to turn to for help, dependent on your policy

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Why car insurance prices are likely to keep rising in France

Premiums are increasing every year, but experts have tips on how to reduce the cost

End of car insurance stickers in France: what about driving abroad?

The little green windscreen vignettes are disappearing in April

What is new ‘memo’ document all drivers in France will receive?

Traditional green windscreen insurance stickers will disappear from April

End of green car insurance sticker in France: Eight questions answered

From April 1, drivers will no longer have to display vignette on their windscreens

Man sacrifices car in heroic act in France - strangers buy him new one

Hundreds of people stepped in after the man’s insurance company refused to pay out

Car windscreen insurance stickers to disappear in France from April

The switch to digital is aimed at simplifying checks and reducing fraud. It will also save on paper and CO2, said the government

Will drivers in France soon need a health check every 15 years?

The EU is currently discussing the idea, which is already the subject of hot debate in France

Drivers left uninsured in France after promoted firm found to be fake

The American company is not authorised to sell insurance, said the French industry watchdog. It had recently been ‘praised’ in several paid-for media articles

Six tips to reduce the cost of your car insurance in France

Drivers often pay for policy options that they do not need

Save money with French car insurance ‘black box’ that scores driving

The plug-in technology gives your driving style a mark out of 100 and rewards careful drivers with lower premiums

Why are home and car insurance premiums set to rise in France?

Damage during recent riots should not impact the cost of insurance, experts say, but premiums are expected to increase for other reasons

Delay in phasing out green insurance tickets on cars in France

The vignettes are set to be replaced by an online system

Who should pay for my car damage caused by a pothole in a French road?

Use this process and French phrases if you want to claim for car repairs caused by a pothole in France

Toyota Prius tops list of most stolen car model in France in 2021

Over 120,000 cars and motorbikes were stolen last year, the equivalent of 336 every day

Can I transport my car overseas by train?

Your question, answered: do options exist to transport car long distance?

Can I get compensation for a car accident in France?

Your questions, answered: what compensation is there if an uninsured driver bumps me?

Can I add a French resident to my UK car insurance?

The UK leaving the EU’s simple financial passporting system has made it more complex for UK firms to offer services with a cross-border element

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

Pandemic keeps French car and home insurance rises stable - until 2023

Car insurance policies could increase by up to 3% in 2023 after a period of stability linked to Covid

Seven French contracts to renegotiate this September and how to do it

Save money by getting better deals on gas, internet, bank loans and insurance

A guide to French car insurance

If you drive and live in France, your car should have French insurance. Our guide covers the key points: from the 'papillon vert' to the 'constat amiable'

What changes for drivers in France in 2021

Rules take in everything from buying a new car and scrapping an older vehicle to winter tyres, taxes and insurance premiums

France lockdown: Watchdog's second car insurance rebate call

UFC-Que Choisir estimates that car users and motorcyclists in France have effectively overpaid €2.2billion this year

French government increases help-to-buy car scheme

Grants for drivers wanting to buy new cars to replace old ones have been increased by the government in an €8billion package to help the French car industry survive the effects of Covid-19.

French car insurers refuse lockdown refunds

A campaign to press insurance firms to pay back part of motor premiums due to cars not being used during the lockdown has provoked an angry response from the industry.

Coronavirus: road death toll halved during lockdown

While the number of high-speed offences and accidents increased.

Covid-19 car insurance refund in France: What to write

A script of exactly what to write to request a reduction in your car insurance payments due to the Covid-19 crisis has been published by a French consumer association. We explain and provide an English translation.

Drivers in France ‘should get Covid insurance refunds’

Car drivers in France should get money back on their car insurance - worth €2.2 billion - to account for the major drop in vehicle usage during Covid-19 confinement, consumer group UFC-Que Choisir has said.

Car insurance in France rises to €615 yearly average

The cost of car insurance in France is on the rise, with drivers paying an average of €615 per year, as Ile-de-France is named the most expensive region, and Marseille the most expensive city overall.

France offers up to €11,000 for eco-friendly vehicles

Drivers in France are still eligible in 2020 to receive up to €11,000 in grants to help buy a new or second-hand “clean” vehicle to replace an older, more polluting one - under certain conditions.

France's speed cameras can now catch uninsured drivers

Every vehicle caught speeding or running through a red light now automatically checked on insurance database

French city Marseille holds uninsured vehicle record

A record one in five vehicles in the southern city of Marseille is being driven without insurance, it has emerged, just over a week after it was confirmed that speed cameras will now track uninsured vehicles.

Car hire firm Goldcar angers European consumers

More than 1,500 complaints about car hire firm Goldcar Rental were received by consumer network Le Centre Européen des Consommateurs last year, it has said, ahead of a meeting on the issue this week.

France rules out health checks on older drivers

Drivers over the age of 75 in France will not be required to have a medical exam in order to keep their driver’s licence, in contrast to some other Europe countries, it has been confirmed.

France cracks down on driving without insurance

New rules against driving without insurance have come into force in France this week, in a bid to crack down on the 750,000 estimated drivers who are driving uninsured on the country’s roads.

New French drivers swear to be responsible

People who pass their driving tests are now required to sign a “Charter of the responsible driver” online before they are issued with a certificate allowing them to take to the roads.

Car premiums rise to cover uninsured in France

Motorists face rises in insurance premiums as MPs say they need to pay more to cover the rising costs of treating victims of uninsured and hit-and-run drivers.

Is insurance valid during licence swap?

I applied to change my UK driving licence to a French one [which now has to be done in writing to a centre at the Nantes prefecture] and have been waiting months for an attestation acknowledging my application. I am now driving on an expired licence and with no attestation . Is my car insurance still valid? H.F.

Can my unused insurance be refunded?

My car insurance starts on November 1 each year. I sold my car on August 7 and have not bought another car. I cancelled my car insurance and asked the insurers for a refund of the September and October months of the policy but the insurance company says that none is payable. Is this correct? R.B.

Car insurance

The ‘windscreen mafia’: Drivers in France warned of major repair scam

Too many drivers in France do not have insurance

Wild animals on French roads: does insurance cover you for accidents?

Why car insurance prices are likely to keep rising in France

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