Insurance rules: Do vehicles not being used need to be insured in France?
Whether a vehicle needs to be insured is not only based on its usage
Rules are based around a vehicle’s roadworthiness
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Insurance costs for vehicles in France have been steadily rising in recent years, alongside more expensive repairs and increased registration costs.
It has led some to think that if they stop using their vehicle, it will not need to be insured.
However, this is not always the case.
Below, we cover the key rules.
Insurance usually required
Whether a vehicle in France needs insurance is not based on how often it is used – or if it is used at all – but whether it is in a roadworthy condition (or not).
If a vehicle is roadworthy (en état de circuler, which means it still functions as a driveable vehicle and not that it has passed its obligatory contrôle technique test), it must be insured.
This is the case whether the vehicle is used or unused, and regardless for how long it has been left untouched – as long as it can otherwise be legally driven, it must be insured.
It applies to all vehicles that must be registered with a certificat d’immatriculation (cars, bikes, licence-free vehicles, trailers, trucks, etc), and the insurance must at minimum cover third-party damage (la responsabilité civile).
Exempt vehicles are those that do not need to be registered, including light mopeds that do not exceed 250w in power, electric scooters, and rideable lawn mowers.
Note that some vehicles in the exempt category do still need to be insured when being used, such as electric scooters and lawnmowers.
Penalties for failing to correctly insure a vehicle are the same whether the vehicle is used or not – up to €3,750 in fines, a potential suspension of your licence, or the confiscation of your vehicle.
Insurance costs are generally cheaper for vehicles that are rarely used, with insurers offering lower fees for this situation.
If your vehicle is not roadworthy, it does not need to be insured as it cannot be legally driven.
In the event that the police run a check on the vehicle and see it is uninsured, you must be able to explain why it is not roadworthy as opposed to simply awaiting a minor repair.
For example, you must be able to clearly show that a key component of the vehicle is missing (wheels, battery, fuel tank, etc) and the vehicle could not be put out onto the road.
