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Does your previous driving history count?
Just like everything else relating to French administration and paperwork, there’s both good and bad news!
The positive part is that your previous UK or US driving history can help to reduce the cost of car insurance in France. The slight downside is that there’s no ‘universal’ formula to calculate this. As always, paperwork, plus your driving record and the insurer you choose to go with, will all play a part.
Imagine the scenario; you’ve been a careful driver for umpteen years, you haven’t backed into the neighbour’s garden wall or run their cat over, you’ve got a spotless insurance track record, yet your new French insurer wants you to be able to prove all of the above. And to do this, you are going to need to “convert” your driving history into a format they find acceptable.
So how does this work?
You can’t simply swap one official piece of paper for another. The French insurance company will assess your previous insurance history and decide how it reflects on your French contract. This is, of course, entirely separate from exchanging your driving licence or permit. Your licence may or may not remain valid in France and this also needs to be clarified – just because your insurance record is accepted doesn’t mean that your licence is valid.
Assuming you have an existing insurance policy, you should ask your UK or US insurer for a letter before you cancel it. This letter should be dated and should confirm your insurance history, and include your identity, insurance cover dates and periods and any claims made. If claims have been made it should specify whether or not you were responsible. The best approach is to ask the French insurer exactly what information and timescale / dates they require.
So what are insurers looking for when it comes to UK and US records?
UK drivers: your no-claims discount
Proof of your NCD (no-claims discount) is a good starting point for drivers from the UK. Having said that, a renewal notice that merely states “nine years’ NCD” may not be sufficient. You might also need to provide a fuller claims history, particularly if you have had a ‘protected’ no-claims discount, because in this case you may have made a claim even if you have retained the discount.
US drivers: your claims-history letter
For drivers from the US, the best approach is to request a claims-history letter from your insurer. This is because a state driving record may establish licence history or any traffic violations, but doesn’t necessarily show continuous insurance cover or list any claims made.
Depending on the time period that the French insurers want to see cover for and / or if you have changed insurers, you may need to obtain documents from several different companies. If you drove a company car or were a named driver on someone else’s policy ask if supplying that information can be recognised too. And whilst some insurers will accept documents written in English, others may require them to be translated into French too
So how does all this affect your premium?
So how does all this affect your premium? And is it going to act in your favour when it comes to premiums? In general if you can supply a documented insurance history with a good claims record, you should see a substantial difference in the premiums being offered. Without this, you are likely to be offered much less favourable terms, even if you have spent years behind the wheel.
But don’t forget your driving record is only part of the information that insurers use to calculate the eventual premium price. The make and model of the car, postcode, annual mileage and even where it is parked overnight, as well as what the vehicle is normally used for, all play a part.
Before you sign: get it in writing
You should request written confirmation of the starting bonus-malus coefficient and any other commercial discounts – for example a reduction in second vehicle insurance or ‘first two months free’ type offers before making any final decisions.
