French motor insurance

[AcornEmma Robertson (Vet Nurse)<br>Acorn Kennels<br>E-mail:[email protected]]

I am in the process of changing to French motor insurance but have come across a stumbling block. In order to benefit from the French 'no claims bonus' (the maximum is 50%) I have to prove that I have been insured and not had any claims in the UK or Jersey for the past 13 years! They need me to take along every single Certificate of Motor Insurance issued over the past 13 years. Now, I know I hoard loads of stuff but these documents are not the usual stuff I keep (added to which we had a house fire in Jersey 4 years ago in which everything was lost). I don't know about you but I used to shop around for the ceapest insurance cover each year and their recommended course of action (asking each past insurance company to send an attestation declaring how long I was insured with them and my no-claims situation) is going to be a mammoth task! Any suggestions...?

[Will]

I agree, to do that would be nigh-on impossible, and as UK insurers only seem concerned with (I think) six years rather than 13 it makes things even worse. We got a letter from our last UK insurer to say that we hadn't had a claim for six years (not evidence of bonus, as that doesn't necessarily mean the same thing) which was enough to get us into the system at a decent discount, albeit not the full amount.

We use, and recommend, Mr Sarrazin, the AGF agent in Mortain, who has many English-speaking customers and is therefore familiar with the way things are done outside France - not a common attribute of French agents. He is normally very helpful.

[Ron Avery]

You sure they did not say trois ans?  Treize ans seems over the top for any country let alone France.

Try getting a quote from one of the big boys like AXA or Groupama,  all they want is a UK NCB statement showing you have NCB as this tells them that you have had no blameworthy accidents in the last three years.  I found fully comp very competitive here, and much lower than in the UK.  The NCB system does not operate in France, you get a higher premium the following year if you have a claim and the new premium depends on the value of the claim.

[cheryl]

We got our insurance from Groupama. They just asked me to get a letter from our UK insurer (Direct Line) confirming the percentage NCD, which was (I think) 65%. Groupama then allowed us the maximum 50% discount.

Cheryl

[Motorhead]

It does take 13 years to get full NCB in France, so you need proof of that to get top whack. I only had proof going back 9 years and that gave me a 36% NCB as opposed to the 60% I had in UK. This annoyed me a bit at first until I noticed that even with a lesser NCB my annual bill had gone down from 300 pounds to 247 euros

[Ron Avery]

[quote]We got our insurance from Groupama. They just asked me to get a letter from our UK insurer (Direct Line) confirming the percentage NCD, which was (I think) 65%. Groupama then allowed us the maximum 50...[/quote]

Quite right Cheryl, that was my experience too.  I am puzzled to know the level of discount people are seeking to achieve after 13 years of no claims in France.

Just what % NCB can you achieve?  Is this for company cars, all cars all drivers?

Who are they using who offer such ridiculous terms, its not as though car insurance is that high over here  (unless you have had a claim or drive a foreign gas guzzler of course)  I got the maximum 50% discounted premium straight away with a letter showing 60% NCB from the UK same Cheryl did.

Emma, to find out what your premiuim would be,you can get a devis on line from Groupama, just log on to their site.

The premium is then the premium with Groupama and it can only go up with inflation or local taxes, you will also pay more if you have an accident, in that case it can go as high as 140% of your premium depending on the value of your claim.

[Nick T]

[quote]I agree, to do that would be nigh-on impossible, and as UK insurers only seem concerned with (I think) six years rather than 13 it makes things even worse. We got a letter from our last UK insurer to ...[/quote]

Hello

I wonder if you could give me the contact details for Mr Sarrazin your Insurance agent.

I am trying to obtain insurance for a 125cc scooter which I have ordered from a dealer.

Unfortunately this seems to be proving more difficult than I expected. Ideally I want to be able to have a policy which includes my wife and two sons and has an english translation so I can be sure of what exactly is covered.

Hope you might be able to be assistance.

Thanks in advance.

 

 

 

 

 

[Jonzjob]

I have recommended BIBA quite a few times now British Insurance Brokers Aquitaine. They are British ex-pats who deal with British ex-pats. They are very helpful and if you have any queries they can answer them, technical or not, in English. They deal with French firms and gave me the full 50% NCD over the phone. I forwarded the letter from my last U.K. insurer stating that I had earned 60%. A couple of the people who have tried my recomendation have told me that they were giving better quotes too.

I don't have any connection with them apart from insurance for our car, health top up, and our new house buildings/contents. Need I say more? If you would like more info either PM or e-mail me...

John.

[Will]

Nick T, I don't know where you are in France. The agent I mentioned is in Mortain, 50, so I think you would need to be in the same general area. I mentioned him because I know Acorn, who asked the original question, is nearby. His contact details are:

Noël Sarrazin, Agent General, 5 Rue du Bassin, 50140 Mortain, tel 02 33 59 11 21, e-mail [email protected]

The company mentioned by John looks well worth a try too, and I have heard that AGF agents in other areas have proved helpful and keen to pick up the 'foreign' business.