no claims lost or not????????

[chirpy]

If you have a comprehensive insurance policy in France and say bump your car on a low wall do you loose  part of your no claims or malus ?????????????????after you have had it repaired.thanks in anticipation to your replies.

p.s. If you decide to change insurers is this only done at the end of the 12 months of insurrance?

[Ron Avery]

I don't think it matters if it is a low wall or a high wall that you hit

It is no different to the UK, if you have a protected no claims bonus, (it will be your policy schedule), you can make a claim and keep your bonus, if not, you have a choice of paying for the repair and keeping your NCB. The best thing is to ask your insurance agent.  

Insurance is renewable at the end of each year, you can change your insurer at any time but may not get your premiums back, again ask your agent, they are usually very helpful.

[Will]

Talk to your insurance agent.

I've not heard of protected/non-protected no claims bonuses (as in UK) in France, though that probably indicates my own ignorance rather than the fact that they don't exist.

How it works in our experience is as below, that's with a standard tous risques (i.e. comprehensive) policy, no mention of bonus being protected or not, so a 'protected' bonus may be the norm - or maybe not with all companies (I'm talking AGF here). You will probably have an excess on your policy, e.g. you pay the first 100€ of a claim.

If it an incident is not your fault, and the costs can be reclaimed from a third party (i.e. somebody collides with you, you have all their details, and they are wholly responsible) it won't cost you anything.

If an incident is not your fault, but costs cannot be reclaimed from anybody else (i.e. somebody collides with your car when parked and disappears), you will pay the excess but it won't affect your bonus.

If an incident is your fault (i.e. you drive into a wall) you pay the excess and lose your bonus.

Hope that helps you decide what you tell the insurance people

If you want to change your insurer, you need, generally, to give the existing insurer two months notice of cancellation. The new insurer will normally be only to pleased to do this for you.

[Val_2]

I had a fight with a concrete bollard which did about £300 worth of bodywork damage to my car, all my own stupid fault. Taking into account that I would have had to have paid an excess of well over half the total cost,decided not to bother with insurance claim and paid for it privately. As it was stupidity I couldn't see my insurer letting it go and not taking some of my bonus away. Talking with locals who have had accidents, they all think the same and prefer to leave their vehicles dented if the paintwork hasn't been broken and maintaining a good bonus is far more important when that all-expensive policy comes up for renewal again.

[Pucette<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pucette<FONT><P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">"Qui ne connaît pas la campagne lhiver, ne connaît pas la campagne et ne connaît pas]

 I find it hard to credit but several people have told me that the malus is unaffected by a first accident, only by a second (and subsequent).

http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/F2656.html?n=Transports&l=N18&n=Automobiles%20et%20deux-roues&l=N529&n=Assurance%20des%20v%E9hicules&l=N32&n=Bonus-malus&l=N37

This site explains how the bonus-malus system works, and certainly makes no mention of it being unaffected by any accidents that are your fault.

I suspect that insurers apply the rules with the discretion which is the charm of French bureaucrats, well, the charming ones at least.

You can only terminate your insurance by giving due notice two months before it runs out at the end of August (unless there is a special reason, the car is written off or taken abroad for example).

http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/F2658.html?n=Transports&l=N18&n=Automobiles%20et%20deux-roues&l=N529&n=Assurance%20des%20v%E9hicules&l=N32&n=R%E9siliation%20et%20refus%20d%26%23x27%3Bassurance&l=N38