Prices for insurance are almost certain to rise for most people in 2026, with all of the big three – home, car, and health – on a sharp upward trend.
Several factors including measures in the 2026 Social Security budget and a growing risk of natural weather disasters are behind the increases.
However, it is possible to lower the cost of home and car insurance by between 30% and 40%, by accepting a higher franchise, the amount you pay out of your own pocket, according to Samuel Bansard, the director of insurance at the comparison website Meilleurtaux.com.
Franchises, reduced coverage, and other general tips
“Accepting a higher franchise is now the biggest single way of lowering the amount you pay for insurance,” he said.
“But it does mean you carry more risk yourself, so it makes sense to put some money aside if you do so in case you need it.”
For health insurance, Mr Bansard said similar savings could be found by stepping down to lower coverage.
“Most mutuelle insurance companies offer health insurance with two or three different prices and levels of coverage, and if you step down to a cheaper level of coverage the savings are usually at least €100 or so.”
Another way of reducing health insurance is to adjust the cover year by year.
“If for example, you have had a year or two years where you have had a lot of work on your teeth and you and your dentist now feel the worst is over, you might consider lowering the cover for dental work for the next year,” said Mr Bansard.
He said it was now usually possible to do this without changing insurers, because companies like to keep loyal customers.
“It is still possible to save money by switching insurance from one company to another, as the companies have low prices to attract customers,” he said.
“But insurance companies are increasingly offering benefits in kind or in cash to customers who group all their insurance with them and who stay with them, so switching is no longer the way to save a lot of money as it was in the past.”
Other long-standing tips to reduce insurance are still effective, and being aware of price differences sits at the top of the list.
“If you are aware of the prices out there, you will know if you are paying too much, and can ask your insurance agent or broker why,” said Mr Bansard.
Opting for a single annual payment can also reduce bills, with insurance companies sometimes charging administration fees for monthly payments, and people also being able to earn some Euros in interest in savings accounts over the year.
Cheaper vehicle cost for avoiding accidents
For motoring insurance, the system of bonus/malus, similar to no-claims bonuses in the UK, is now well established, so being a good driver is rewarded by lower insurance costs.
Usually a maximum 5% bonus is given for every year without an accident, up to 50% maximum bonus for people who have not had an accident claim for 13 years.
For each accident the malus is likely to raise insurance costs by 25% if you are judged responsible or 12.5% if the fault is shared.
Malus costs are by law limited to 350% of the price you were paying when you took out the insurance.
Other things which can lower the cost of insurance include keeping the vehicle in a lockable garage, instead of on the road or a driveway, and driving a car in a low insurance bracket.
At the moment, coupé/cabriolets are the most expensive to insure in France, followed by SUVs, saloon cars, station wagons, pick-ups or 4x4s, work vans, and with mono-space people carriers the cheapest.
A small, petrol city car will be significantly less expensive to insure than a large powerful diesel SUV.
Home
For home insurance, a survey carried out in April 2025 by the comparison website, found the average price for a 100m2 house in a rural area was €300, but with variations of up to 30% mainly due to the risk of flooding.
The consumer rights association and magazine UFC Que Choisir, reported a national average price for home insurance of €299, in 2024 up from €279 in 2023, a rise of 7.2%.
It said it expected that the full year numbers for 2025 will show people paid between 8% and 11% more.
A factor in the price of home insurance has been the increase in the amount paid for each contract into France’s unique natural catastrophe fund.
This rose from €25 to €42 in 2025 according to figures gathered by UFC Que Choisir.
Health insurance increases 22% in five years
The mutuelles that dominate health insurance said in December they expect individual contracts to rise by 4.3% and company contracts by 4.7%.
The rise follows constant increases in health insurance since 2020, with the Fédération nationale de la mutualité française, (FNMF) recording a 22% rise in mutual insurance prices in five years.
Under the French health system, it has become increasingly hard not to take out mutual health insurance, which serves as a top-up to the state system.
FNMF says €1 billion in extra taxes on mutuelle health companies (€400 for hospital stays and €600 for day treatments,) in the government’s 2026 social security budget, will have to be paid for in their entirety by their customers.
Meilleurtaux.com says the average price of mutuelle insurance for people in the over 55 age group is now between €1,100 and €1,600 a year.
