Is it a good idea to change car insurance providers regularly in France?

Changing your car insurance can help you save almost €500 per year, but more than half of people in France have not switched in the past decade, a new poll has found.

Despite the significant savings available, 57% of drivers polled said they had not changed car insurance provider in the past 10 years, shows a new poll by OpinionWay for car insurance comparison site LeLynx.fr. More than a third (34%) said they had never changed providers.

This is despite the website finding that people who switch can save up to €438 per year on average, for the same vehicle and level of coverage.

The poll also found:

• 36% of respondents felt (wrongly) that a cheaper insurance policy would mean they were less protected.

• Younger people aged 18-24 were more likely to be willing to pay less for less coverage (21%), compared to people older (10%).

• Drivers aged 18-24 were more likely to change providers, with 57% having done so in the past six years compared to 30% of those aged over 50.

Fear of complexity and administrative procedures was a main motivator in stopping people from switching providers, the study found. 

• 20% of all respondents said they felt that switching would be too complicated, especially younger people, 50% of whom said they had not switched due to a lack of time.

• 37% said that the "administrative burden” was stopping them from changing providers.

• 41% overall said they felt that the economic benefit of switching would not be worth the complexity.

• 14% said that they would not change insurance for any reason, with the over-65s more likely than average to say this (23%).

Yet, changing insurance companies is not as complicated as some might think, says Arthur Martiano, director of the LeLynx.fr comparison site.

“Since the Hamon law came into effect, the process has been transparent for motorists, as the new insurer takes care of everything from A to Z,” said Mr Martiano.

The ‘loi Hamon’, which came into effect in 2015, enables consumers to switch contracts for whatever reason at any point after the first year. 

Under the same law, insurance companies themselves must do the work to close the client’s old account and get them set up with the new one.

Despite this law having been in place for 10 years, however, the same poll found that only 63% of younger drivers know that they can switch policy fee-free after one year (with 80% of older drivers knowing this).

Across all ages together, 20% of drivers said that they (wrongly) believed they could only switch contracts when their previous one was up for renewal.

Cost and rising premiums

Cost is the main factor when considering a switch in providers, the poll found.

• Of those who have changed providers, price was the main motivator (50%).

• Dissatisfaction with their insurance company was the second most significant motivating factor (45%).

LeLynx.fr has found that car insurance policy prices are still continuing to rise, having increased by 5% so far in 2025.

In 2024, a report by online comparison site Lesfurets.com found that premiums rose to an average of:

• €1,011 for a fully-comprehensive policy (up 5% compared to the year before)

• €639 for a third-party policy (up 4%).

The average amount for a fully-comprehensive plan hit more than €1,000 annually in the same year.

In contrast, the average cost for a policy that covers third-party damage only but has extras such as theft or fire, decreased by 1% to an average of €908.

The main factors affecting a car’s insurance cost include the driver’s age, accident history, type of car, where it is parked, and the vehicle’s usual location.