The A3 is the compact Audi: many examples serve as the household's second car, are parked in the street in town and are driven by more than one person.
The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert. nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
We compare the offerings of several insurers
An adviser checks whether the cover suits your situation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
With the A3, applications rarely come unstuck on the model and almost always on the way it is used. Who actually drives it most, where is the car kept at night and how many kilometres does it cover a year? Those are the details on which the insurer accepts the risk and sets the rate. On a car used by two generations in one family, the question of who the main driver is is no formality.
The A3 is also a car that is often bought used. That raises the question of whether comprehensive cover is still sensible or whether you would do better to move to third-party, fire and theft. We work that out for your particular car and also look at the excess, because in this class that counts for more than the type of cover itself.
The duty to insure stands apart from that choice. As long as the registration is in your name, there must be at least third-party cover under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM), even when the car is not used. If you are not driving it for a while, you suspend the registration. Only then may the cover come off.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Compulsory
Third-party liability
Damage you cause to others.
Required by law
As long as the registration is in your name
Suspend the registration when not in use
Third-party liability plus
Third-party, fire and theft
Causes beyond your control.
Fire and storm
Theft
Windscreen damage
Comprehensive cover
Comprehensive
Including damage you cause yourself.
Own fault
Vandalism
Replacement-as-new period
What is covered
Situation
Third-party liability
Third-party, fire and theft
Comprehensive
Damage to the other party
Yes
Yes
Yes
Theft
No
Yes
Yes
Fire and storm
No
Yes
Yes
Damage you cause yourself
No
No
Yes
Wear and mechanical defects
No
No
No
Driving without a valid licence
No
No
No
This overview is general in nature and is not personal advice. What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) of the insurer; you receive both before you take out cover. Taking out cover without advice? Then read what execution only means for you.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Who is the regular driver?
If the car is registered to a parent while a child drives it every day, the policy is wrong. Insurers ask about the main driver because age and experience set the rate. If that is declared incorrectly, the insurer can reduce or refuse the payout after a claim under Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code. Declare it and accept the higher premium. That is considerably cheaper than a refused claim.
Parking damage with no other party comes back to your own policy
A car parked in the street in town will sooner or later pick up a dent or a scratch whose cause remains unknown. There is then no other party to recover from, so the damage falls under your own own-damage cover. With third party or third party, fire and theft there is no cover. With comprehensive there is, but the claim then counts in your claims record. Always report it to the police and photograph the situation before you drive off.
When third-party, fire and theft becomes the more logical choice
Add your annual premium and the excess together and set that against what the car is worth now. If the value falls to a few times that outlay, comprehensive cover is hard to justify: you are paying a considerable share of the value each year to cover damage you cause yourself. With finance running you do not have that freedom, because the lender usually requires comprehensive cover until the last instalment.
Exclusions that trip people up on a family car
Outside the cover are: driving without a valid licence or while disqualified, driving under the influence or refusing a breath test, and damage during hire or use through a car-sharing platform. Wear and mechanical defects such as a worn clutch or a failed cambelt are never covered either. In this class, an undeclared main driver is the most common reason for a payout being refused.
What does your premium depend on?
Age and experience of the regular driver. The heaviest factor on a car driven by several people.
No-claims years built up. Determines your bonus-malus step; taking over someone else's years is rarely straightforward.
Annual mileage. Commuting and business journeys count, even where it is your second car.
Storage at the home address. Garage, driveway or public road. With street parking it is the parking damage risk that counts most.
Current value of the car. Determines whether own-damage cover is still worthwhile and how much there is to lose on a total loss.
Excess. In this class often a more effective way of steering the premium than changing the type of cover.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
Occasional use is allowed under virtually every policy. If it becomes regular, your child is the main driver and that must appear on the policy. After a claim, insurers look at who actually uses the car most. If that does not match the application, the payout can be reduced or refused. Declaring it costs premium; concealing it may cost you the whole claim.
Is a scratch caused by an unknown person covered?
Only under comprehensive cover. With no other party, there is no one to recover the loss from, so it comes back to your own cover. With third party or third party, fire and theft you pay yourself. Bear in mind that the claim affects your no-claims years; where the amount is small, paying yourself is often cheaper. Do always report it to the police, even if you decide not to claim.
Can I cancel the insurance while the car is not being used?
Not as long as the registration is in your name. Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM) requires third-party cover for every registered motor vehicle, even one that is not being driven. If you are not using it for a longer period, you suspend the registration with the RDW. Only then may the insurance come off. Note that while the registration is suspended the car may not stand on a public road, not even parked.
When do I switch to third-party, fire and theft?
At the point where the premium plus the excess per year takes up a large part of the residual value. Fire, theft, storm and glass damage then remain covered. Only damage you cause yourself do you bear. If you mainly make short journeys in town, that risk is real. With finance running the choice is not free: the lender usually requires comprehensive cover.
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
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