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Car insurance is legally required in France
Car insurance is a legal requirement in France, as it is in Britain. Make no mistake about this, because not having car insurance is an offence punishable by six months in prison, and that is not the ideal way to spend your holiday or new life in France! However, although there is a lot of conflicting information out there about car insurance in France, it isn't as complicated as it may at first appear, and you can take heart from the fact that millions of Brits have already managed to sort it out satisfactorily.
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Car insurance options
There are a number of options open to the British driver who wishes to drive in France. The best way forward depends very much on individual circumstances and requirements, and depends to some considerable degree on whether or not you are a resident of France, of another European Union country, or of a non EU country.
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Car hire in France
If you are a short term visitor only, then you may find that a simple car hire agreement is the most straightforward solution for you. Car hire firms may offer special deals, and rates are usually competitive and reasonable. The advantage of doing this is that the car is easily available from your point of arrival in France, and can be dropped off at your point of departure, and you do not have to worry about insurance or “controle techniques” or complex registration processes! Car insurance through car hire firms in France differs as it does in the UK. It would always be best to hire the car through a reputable company, check what fully comprehensive insurance actually covers, and look into the costs of paying extra for collision damage waiver which may not be included initially.
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Long-term solution for your car insurance in France
If, however, you are going to be in France for long periods of time, or on a very regular or permanent basis you will need to take the bull by the horns and finds a long term solution.
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Car insurance for residents of Non European Union Countries
If you are resident of a non EU country such as Canada or the USA, you can take advantage of a great system known as the TT scheme. Citroën run one such scheme, in which you receive a car under temporary ownership at a very low price. Tax, insurance etc. is all taken care of for you, and you can use the car for a minimum of 17 days and a maximum of 180. The cars are fitted with easily recognisable plates, so you are unlikely to get any hassle from the police.
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Car insurance in France using your existing car insurance company
The easiest way to insure your car in France if you are still resident in the UK, is to contact your existing car insurance company, to extend your UK policy to cover France. Usually cars are covered for third party in EU countries, but it would be advisable to increase cover to fully comprehensive. It would be well worth looking into the breakdown insurance that is offered too, as many offer an excellent package with English speaking assistance provided. Check the options on offer as some car insurance companies include everything in one package, while others offer a cheaper initial deal but leave out important cover. It would be worth making sure that the cover includes road-side assistance, replacement parts cover and providing over-night accommodation when necessary. Some will get your car back to the UK, others won’t.
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Green card system
If you have an English registered vehicle which you wish to drive in France, you may wish to take out a Green Card .This is not an insurance policy in itself, but simply an internationally recognised card which guarantees that you have suitable legal insurance from your own country. It is not, strictly necessary for EU drivers in France, but it can be a useful item should you be stopped or, involved in any accident. Your insurer in England should be able to issue this card on request, and there should be no extra cost although some agents charge a small administrative fee. This option, however, is only suitable for those who are UK residents. If you are resident in France the rules are quite different. Please note also, that this is only suitable for those who only need to drive the vehicle in France for less than 90 days per year.
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Car insurance for a second car in France
One option which you may consider is that of keeping a second car in France for use when you are in the country. This is feasible, but you must understand that the legal requirement for insuring such a vehicle is different from the requirement in Britain. In the UK, once you have filled in a SORN form you can legally withdraw insurance payments until such time as you wish to re-use the car. In France, although you must notify your insurer that your car is off the road, as in the UK, you are legally bound to maintain third party insurance on the vehicle at all times. Another factor to consider is the cost of second hand cars in France... if cost is an issue, which it is for many of us! Second hand cars in France are much more expensive, as a rule, than they are in Britain, so this needs to be built in to the planning if you are considering this option.
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Car insurance for French residents
If you are a permanent resident in France you are bound by French law. French law states that if you are resident in France, insurance on your vehicle is part of your "responsibilité civile". If you are a French resident, to comply fully with French law you must register and insure your vehicles within the French system, which means changing your UK plate to a French plate. It is possible to legally drive an English registered vehicle which is insured with a French insurer, but usually only for six months, and only when you are involved in the process of changing the registration of the vehicle to a French plate. (Although some have been told that as a French resident, you have one month to complete the registration unless there is a valid reason that will take you beyond that time.) It will be necessary to go the local Hotel des Impots and ask them for a quittus fiscal certificate. The certificate is free and incorporates your authority to drive your UK vehicle on its foreign plates for a month (or however long agreed by the authorities), whilst you arrange the registration.
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Car insurance for English number plates
Many French insurance companies are not keen to offer a service of insurance for English plated vehicles, but if you shop around you will find one who can. AGF are a company who are usually amenable to this, and are very reasonably priced as well. Do begin the process of changing to a French plate as soon as possible though... like everything that you do in France you will find it takes for ever, requires more paperwork than you ever thought possible and is inevitably more complicated than you expected!
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Car insurance and tax in France
There is another reason too, for changing to a French plate as soon as possible. If you have an English plated vehicle which is based in France, yet you make trips to the UK in that vehicle, you can run into the problem of tax. In France there is no system of tax discs as there is in the UK. This means that unless you continue to pay to maintain a UK tax disc, when you enter the UK you are immediately driving illegally. A fully French registered vehicle in England does not face this problem, as the differences in the systems are recognised and accepted.
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French car insurance
French car insurance is similar to, but different from the British system in certain ways. It is basically three tier, with the minimum legal requirement being third party insurance (au tiers) only. Remember this is essential on all vehicles even if off road. The next level is third party, fire and theft, (au tiers illimité, or au tiers complet) and the third is the fully comprehensive, (tous risques). After this, bespoke packages can be created to suit, with your agent adding cover as required. Generally the cost is considerably less than the cost of similar insurance in the UK. Your no claims can usually be carried over from your British insurance, but you will need to supply... guess what... lots of paperwork! Your insurer will send you a ticket to place on the windscreen to show that the insurance is in place. He will also send you an accident form (constat amiable), which you should carry in your vehicle at all times.
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Driving licences for French residents
And something else to bear in mind is that if you are now a French resident insuring with a French insurer, you may have to get an International driving licence or a French driving licence. It may sound simple but it isn't necessarily so. You have to be resident in France six months before you can apply to change your licence. The form to be filled in is obtainable from the Sous-Prefecture or similar office, and you also need two passport photos, proof of identity (passport) and proof of domicile (EDF or FranceTelecom bill, or better still, a French medical card obtained from a doctor).
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UK driving licences for French residents
However, to avoid having to apply for an International driving licence or French one, it is now possible if you are a French resident, to keep your UK driving licence until it's date of expiry, but you must be aware of a few things. Firstly, this used to be a problem and still is with some French insurers, as many wouldn't accept a UK driving licence. As this is now EU law however, this shouldn't be a problem for much longer. Secondly, you must still have a UK address for your UK driving licence, even if it is your previous UK address. Thirdly, you will still need to follow French law regarding driving licences, eg: age restrictions, validity of licences, medical checks. And finally, if you incur penalty points or road traffic offenses on your licence in France, you will need to change to a French licence. This is more likely to occur if stopped in person by the police.
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How to get French car insurance
There are insurance (assurance) agents in every town... probably several of them. If your French is good enough you could try the straightforward “walk in” approach and see what services they can offer you. (Learning to speak French - Misadventures in a Foreign Tongue). If your French is shaky, however, the tried and tested “word of mouth” system is useful. Talk to other ex-pats in your area, find out what companies they use and what services are offered.
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French car insurance companies AXA and AGF
Failing this, there are two large car insurance companies which are well versed in dealing with British drivers who need to insure vehicles in France. These are AXA and AGF. AXA have UK agents, and both companies have many English speaking staff (although not necessarily in every office). You do not, of course, need to insure with a local agent as everything is done by post, so you can use an English speaking agent from the other end if the country if you can't find one locally. Shop around until you find the package... and the agent... that suits you.
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Final car insurance advice
Insurance is one of those things in life which can seem an expensive hassle until you need it. Then it magically becomes the wisest and best thing you ever did!
Other articles which may be of interest:
French Connections
Introduction to France
Life in France
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About the author
Joanna Simm moved to the Languedoc area of south-west France in October 2004 having found her property through French Property Links.
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your questions...
1. A visitor to the site is looking for a car to buy in south-west France (added 12/2/09)...
Hello - our daughter is now working and living in south-west France. After her green card ran out on the English car (which has now been officially scrapped in France ) she finally found and bought an expensive second-hand Clio which was going great until an accident caused by a third party wrote it off. Now we need to find her a suitable car again with a smaller than hoped insurance settlement on the Clio. Can anyone help direct us to a decent left-hand registered car in this area around 2002-2009 plate - something like a Renault? Many thanks.
2. A question about keeping a car off-road in France (added 13/8/09)...
Hi there - because of the recession I have to return to New Zealand for 2/3 years. I have have had a French car for about 4 years. I attempted to sell it to the Ford dealer from whom I bought it, and even though the car is 10 years old, and has never gone wrong, they said they could scrap it for me! My problem is, that I have to pay the AXA insurance - which I understand is "obligatoire" - and I don't have the money to do this. I simply want to leave the car in my garage until I return but without paying the insurance - how can I do this? Thank you.
Our reply...
Thanks for contacting us. I'm afraid that you do have to pay some insurance if you own the vehicle, even if it is kept in the garage and not used. But if you inform the insurers that it is off the road the insurance is usually not too expensive.
3. A question about scrapping a car in France (added 13/8/09)...
I've read your webpage with great interest. We have an old UK registered car in France and don't think it will last much longer. Can we scrap it in France? And what is the procedure?
Jo Rhodes, editor of French Property Links replies...
Thanks for contacting us. I have checked with my colleague Joanna in France to see if she knows anything about the scrapping procedure, and she has the following to say:
"We have been trying to scrap an old car for months at our local scrapyard... no success to date so we are still paying insurance on a wreck that hasn't moved for two years! So guess what... it isn't simple... is anything here?
Firstly, you need all the paperwork before they will scrap it. That means carte grise, insurance docs, your passport etc... bill of sale and so on. The problem we are having is that it is a vicious circle... we bought it and found it didn't have an MOT... neither the seller (English) nor we knew at the time that the seller has to MOT it before sale. Hence, when it broke down (immediately!), we couldn't register it in our name because it had no MOT... and we couldn't get an MOT because we couldn't afford the parts needed (try a whole new car!) to fix it. No way it can be scrapped because we aren't officially the owners, as we haven't been able to transfer it officially. We actually went to scrap it with the old owners, but they are no longer officially the owners either... get the picture? And yet, all of us are apparently owners enough to have to pay insurance for the car... which is now residing in a field being a home for squirrels etc. Oh what fun.
So, my advice is...
If it is at all possible to avoid scrapping it in France, please do! Maybe if you have all the paperwork etc you will be ok... though I'm not sure you will get the same scrap value here as in the UK. This you should check out. Also, as you have a UK registered car, this will almost certainly allow them to come up with some complications here in France."
I hope this has been of use. I guess the first place to go is your local scrapyard, see what they say and then go from there. Good luck with it all!
An update from a visitor to the site (added 20/1/10)...
A visitor to our site has kindly forwarded an account of his experience with scrapping his car:
I went through the same process with my old car two years ago and was about to give up when there was a knock at the door. A young local man had noticed the car slowly declining outside my house and wondered if I wanted to sell it for the parts as he had a small business selling car parts. I told him that it was not for sale, but he could have it free of charge as long as it never came back. He was delighted and returned the next day with his father and an old tractor. His father thanked me and gave me a bottle of home-made spirit for my kindness. I have never seen or heard of the car since.
4. A question about cancelling car insurance (added 15/10/09)...
Hi - was wondering if you could help me out with the situation at hand, with regards to a car I purchased in France. I bought the car in France over one year ago now and moved to the UK where I now reside. About seven months ago my French car broke down about three weeks after being here and it was a huge amount of money to fix so I didn't bother. The car was then towed away which I have got proof of from RACV that it got towed back to my home and they suggested I sold it for scrap metal. But I don't have a document to say that. I signed the persons document and we made agreement that he had full ownership and both signed the A4 piece of paper which we both signed on the 12th of April.
The car is most likely scrap metal as it was undriveable and could not be taken back to French soil. Now my French insurance company is saying they won't cancel the insurance policy. They are expecting me to pay for a car I don't have anymore. Which I think is outrageous seeing as I don't even live there anymore and will not be returning. I've sent them proof of the sale and the towing and how it was bought.
Can't they just track the numberplate and see where it was last and they will find out it's no longer in France and insured. And if the car is not in France why would I need to pay for it? Can you explain what I can do?
Jo Rhodes, editor of French Property Links replies...
Thanks for contacting us. I have been in touch with my colleague who lives in France who says that this sort of thing is so typical. She says French insurance companies won't cancel policies unless you can provide buckets of paperwork.
You don't say exactly what is needed by the insurance company to cancel your policy with them, but I assume it is the details of the scrappage. Could you not contact the person who took it off your hands and get this from them? Or get a bill of sale sorted between you if this is needed?
Or what about just cancelling further payments from your bank? That would be the easiest option if you are paying on a montly basis. Although if you have paid in full and are seeking a refund from the insurance company, this obviously won't apply.
I'm afraid that is all the advice we can offer from here, but wish you luck in sorting it all out.
5. A question about leaving a car in France (added 12/11/09)...
Hello... I have just been reading about having an UK car in France, thanks for all your info. So... just to check with you, if I don't want to register it in France and I can get my insurance company to say that 90 days in France is acceptable, is that it? Ideally I would like to leave the car here in France from March to September, but think that sounds too long. Do you know any loopholes which can let me leave the car here for longer than 90 days?
Any advice gratefully accepted!
Jo Rhodes, editor of French Property Links replies...
Thanks for contacting us. I have checked with my colleague in France and understand that if you want to have your car in France for longer than your UK insurance company will accept, then your only option really is to insure the car through a French insurance company, maybe trying AXA or AGF. She mentions one she knows of in her neck of the woods who is Philippe Nelkin, AVIVA , Mirepoix (09). If he might be of use, his telephone number is 0561681685 and he apparently speaks good English.
I'm sorry we cannot be of more help.
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your comments...
1. Graham Smith kindly offers additional up-to-date information (added 15/8/07)...
In order to get your English car insured in France, assuming you are now resident in France, the following steps should be taken:
1. Obtain the CoC (Certificate of Conformity) for your car by applying to the British manufacturer / importer. I thought the French dealership for my Honda would have helped, but no, I had to apply to England for it. (Honda didn’t charge for this.) Since it’s valid across Europe, it’s probably best to get the CoC before you come to France.
2. Get the “Quitus Fiscale” for your vehicle. For this, take all your car documents to the nearest Centre d’Impots including Registration Certificate, receipt and any other documents you have. Also take your passport(s) and a couple of utility bills for your French address. There’s no charge for the QF.
3. If your car is over four years old, it needs a Controle Technique (like an MOT) from a garage advertising this service. Note that British MOT certificates aren’t valid in France for the Immatriculation. Even if the car doesn’t need a CT, you’d better change the headlights to ones that dip to the right. This will probably be the most expensive part of the business.
4. Armed with the Certificat de Conformite, Quitus Fiscale, plus all the above documents (don’t forget the passports), go to your local Prefecture to obtain the Certificat d’Immatriculation. This currently costs 155 Euros.
5. Assuming you are a Brit who is now permanently resident in France, you will also need an International driving licence. Your British driving licence is valid only for driving. The French insurers won’t do anything for you if you only have a British licence. To get an International driving licence, as mentioned above, you have to be resident in France for six months before you can apply to change your licence. The form to be filled in is obtainable from the Sous-Prefecture or similar office, and you also need two passport photos, proof of identity (passport) and proof of domicile (EDF or FranceTelecom bill, or better still, a French medical card obtained from a doctor). You should initially get the equivalent of a provisional driving licence, which the insurers will accept.
6. Take all the documents plus your new licence to a French insurer’s office and get your car insured.
And a few more things to add:
a) Going to a Sous-Prefecture to get the Immatriculation means a wait of up to two weeks, whereas if you go to the main Prefecture in the department’s principal city you will get the certificate immediately.
b) I was also advised that if you're desperate for insurance (e.g. if your English insurance has run out or is invalid because you don't have an English address any more) you can apply to the embassy in Paris for a temporary driving permit.
c) Many places advertise insurance (in France) given on your English-registered car, but I have also seen a few people's accounts of their experiences that have shown that such insurance is actually not strictly legal, and worthless! My advice is this, if you are having to wait for the six months till you can get insurance here, keep up your UK road tax and insurance, but tell the insurers that you are temporarily staying with a relative in England, and are on an extended house hunting holiday in France. Give the relative's address to the insurers and your insurance will still be valid. We have done just this, and encountered no problems.
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