If you have not been insured for three years or more, you risk walking away with your insurance as if you were an inexperienced driver. Photo Adobe Stock
In the event of termination or suspension of a car insurance contract, for whatever reason, the bonus (or malus) coefficient applied on the last expiry date of the contract remains acquired. This is listed in Article 9 of the appendix to Article A121-1 of the Insurance Act.
On the other hand, the texts only give details in a very specific case: if you interrupt your insurance over a period of less than three months, it has no influence on the development of the CRM (reduction-increase coefficient) called bonus/penalty .
Bonus lost after three months?
The answer could be yes and no. In the text of the Insurance Act, there is no validity period for the bonus/malus coefficient. The insurance company cannot therefore rely on years without insurance to reset the counters.
In practice, an insurance company will continue to retain the bonus/malus coefficient over a period of between 3 months and a maximum of 36 months. To do this, you must provide the information statement from your most recent contract. This indicates the coefficient that was attributed to you.
After three years without insurance…
After a permanent interruption of the insurance, the conditions for resuming a bonus or penalty may vary from insurance company to insurance company, but after three years the bonus/malus disappears, as you have become used to driving and that you are now among them at risk.
In fact, the Insurance Act prescribes: en liability insurance for cars, the reference premium referred to in Article 2 of the Annex to Article A. 121-1 may give rise, for policyholders with a license for less than three years and for policyholders with a license for three years or more, but which cannot prove effective insurance in the last three years prior to the conclusion of the contract, subject to an additional premium”.
The insurance company can, but is not obliged to, increase the premium at its own discretion. All you have to do is negotiate or switch insurance companies.