Taking out auto insurance is an important decision that requires time to think about. The formula chosen depends on your profile, but also on certain essential elements, which it is important to check carefully before deciding.
Summary
The level of guarantees
What you want from car insurance is to cover you in the event of an accident, theft or fire. In this regard, you have the choice between several formulas, each of which offers different guarantees.
Third-party insurance covers you in the event of damage caused to another person in an accident. The law requires you to take out at least this basic insurance. Note that it does not cover you if you are responsible for the accident.
Third-party insurance, the prices of which are significantly lower than those of the all-risk formula, may be sufficient if you buy a used car, with a low price on the argus. You can also add additional guarantees, which protect you in the event of theft, fire or glass breakage.
All-risk insurance offers you the maximum guarantees. It covers you in the event of an accident, regardless of your degree of fault. It covers compensation for damage caused, medical expenses incurred or even funeral expenses. The precise nature of the guarantees also varies according to the contracts. You will choose this type of insurance, which is more expensive, if you have a new or valuable car. Choosing good auto insurance means choosing the one that best suits your situation.
Franchises, limits and exclusions of guarantee
Before taking out your car insurance, carefully read the clauses concerning franchises. They represent sums which, in the event of a claim, are not reimbursed by the insurer and therefore remain your responsibility.
This is how the attractive price of your insurance can be partly explained by a high amount of deductible. According to the contracts, it can represent a fixed sum or be calculated according to the amount of the compensation.
If you do not cause an accident, and benefit from a significant bonus, you may, under certain conditions, be exempted from this deductible. In addition, many contracts offer formulas without excess. This very favorable provision leads to a significant increase in the cost of insurance.
The compensation limit is another element to take into account before taking out your car insurance. This is the maximum sum that will be paid by your insurer in the event of an accident.
Finally, all contracts provide for warranty, legal or contractual exclusions. They must appear very clearly in the document. Thus, if you drive without a licence, you will not be able to claim any compensation. This will also be the case, most of the time, if you drive under the influence of alcohol, if you drive at excessive speed or if, in the event of an accident, you are guilty of a crime of leak.
Insurance contracts adapted to your specific situation
The points to check, before taking out your insurance, also depend on your particular profile.
Thus, young drivers who have held a driving license for less than three years will often have to take out specific insurance. Based on their relative inexperience on the road, insurers offer them more expensive formulas. This is why young drivers may have an interest in being satisfied, for a time, with third-party insurance.
Similarly, drivers suffering from a significant penalty must turn to specific insurance formulas. To avoid paying too high a premium, they can indeed choose contracts designed for them. They promise them sufficient guarantees, for affordable prices.
In addition, certain types of insurance are ideal if you drive little. This is the case with insurance per kilometer, which allows you to adapt the amount of your contribution to the distance travelled.
In general, it is your own needs that should encourage you to check certain points before taking out your insurance. If you drive this way over short distances, it may be in your interest to provide the zero kilometer breakdown option. In this way, you are covered, even if you have a mechanical problem when leaving your home.
Similarly, if you drive on secondary roads, far from a station or an airport, a replacement vehicle can, in the event of a breakdown, be of great service to you. And why not add an option to the contract which, in the event of theft, insures the objects left in the car?
Choosing the car insurance that offers you the maximum guarantees, the lowest deductible and the most reasonable rate is not easy. To discover it, the best is to compare the offers and put them in competition. The use of an online comparator can help you.
Read also: The key points for choosing car insurance
