Avéro Achmea · compared independently · advice from Finass
Trade plate insurance through Avéro Achmea
Trade plate insurance (handelaarskentekenverzekering) arranges the compulsory liability cover for every vehicle your business takes onto the road under a green trade plate.
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
A garage business moves vehicles that are not registered in its name every day: collecting a part-exchange, driving a newly bought used car to its inspection, a test drive with a customer, taking a car to auction or to the paint shop. A trade plate allows this without insuring and suspending the registration of each vehicle separately.
The obligation comes from Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM): every motor vehicle used on the road must be insured against liability. The RDW (the Dutch vehicle authority) issues trade plates only to businesses in the motor trade and attaches conditions of use to them. The insurance attaches to the plate and not to a vehicle, and follows whichever car the plate is fitted to.
This policy covers only the damage you cause to others on such a journey. Damage to the vehicle you are driving yourself falls under the trading stock insurance or, if it belongs to a customer, under the customer vehicles insurance.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Basic cover
The basic cover insures the core of your trade plate insurance; we show what Avéro Achmea and other insurers offer within it.
Injury to persons
Property damage to third parties
Employees included
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Extended cover
On top of that to damage to third parties, employers' and product liability and damage during work at the client's premises.
Employers' liability at the client's premises
Product liability
Agency workers, interns & volunteers
Care, custody and control (property in your care)
Complete package
The most complete cover. We compare Avéro Achmea's extended version with the market.
Environmental impairment (unforeseen, limited)
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Higher sums insured
What is covered
What we do
At Finass
Direct with Ansvar
Comparison across several insurers
Yes
No
Advice based on your own situation
Yes
Provided it is declared
One point of contact for claims
Yes
Provided it is declared
Cancellation with your current insurer arranged
Yes
No
We determine whether Ansvar is the best choice
Yes
No
Advice fees for you as a customer
No
No
What we do
What we do
At Finass
Direct with Avéro Achmea
Comparison across several insurers
Yes
No
Advice based on your own situation
Yes
Sometimes
One point of contact for claims
Yes
Sometimes
Cancellation with your current insurer arranged
Yes
No
We determine whether Avéro Achmea is the best choice
Yes
No
Advice fees for you as a customer
No
No
This overview concerns our service, not the cover. What is actually covered is set out in the policy conditions and on the insurer's insurance card (verzekeringskaart); you receive both before you take out cover.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
The cover attaches to the plate
Unlike an ordinary motor policy, this cover is not linked to a registration number but to the trade plate certificate. As long as the plate is fitted to a vehicle in line with the RDW rules, the journey is covered. If your mechanic drives a van, then a car and then a trailer, the cover follows each time. If you use several plates, you insure each one separately; a plate that is not on the policy is driven uninsured.
Who may drive on it, and for what
The RDW permits use only for purposes connected with running the business: driving for the purposes of trade, transport, inspection, repair or a test drive. A customer may take a test drive alone, subject to conditions. What is not permitted is a member of staff taking the car for private use, shopping or a weekend away. If that happens and damage results, the insurer will pay the injured party but will recover the amount from your business.
The exclusions that bite most
There is no cover for driving without a valid driving licence or while disqualified from driving, for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or for taking part in competitions, speed trials or driver training on a circuit. Damage caused deliberately is also excluded under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code. Hiring a vehicle out to a third party does not fall under the trade plate. That requires hire cover in the vehicle's own name.
Journey records and the right of recovery
The WAM always protects the victim: an insurer may not rely on an exclusion against an injured third party. It therefore pays out and then recovers from the policyholder. That makes watertight journey records important. Record for each journey which vehicle, which driver and what purpose, and manage the plates so that they cannot be taken home without permission. If the purpose of a journey is questioned, your own records are the only evidence.
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Retroactive cover (prior risk) Included for your staff during work.
Defence & legal costs
What does your premium depend on?
Number of trade plate certificates. Every plate that can be in use at the same time counts as a separate risk to be insured.
Nature of the business. A dealer with showroom sales, an accident repair centre and an importer have entirely different journey patterns.
Circle of drivers. Whether or not customers are allowed to take test drives alone, and the minimum age of drivers.
Claims history. The number of liability claims over recent years, expressed as a step or a discount.
Area of cover. The Netherlands only, or journeys abroad for buying and auctions as well.
Excess. Often graded by driver, with a higher amount for young or inexperienced drivers.
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.
May a customer take a test drive on the green plate alone?
They may, provided it is done in the context of a sale and you record the journey. Conditions do differ by insurer: some require a member of staff to travel with them, others set a minimum age or a higher excess when the customer is driving. Check this before you hand over keys, and always note the driving licence details and the time of departure.
Is the car itself insured during such a journey?
Not under the basic cover. Trade plate insurance arranges third-party liability towards others. If your employee hits a bollard, damage to your own used car is a matter for trading stock insurance and damage to a customer's car a matter for customer vehicle insurance. Some insurers offer own-damage cover on the vehicle being driven as an additional section.
What happens if the plate is used outside the RDW purposes?
The victim is compensated, because the WAM does not allow an insurer to rely on an exclusion against a third party. The bill then lands with your business through the right of recovery. Also, the RDW can withdraw the trade plate in cases of repeated improper use, which brings your whole operation to a standstill.
Do we still need this if all our stock cars are registered in our name?
If a vehicle has its own registration in the name of the business and the registration is not suspended, it must be insured separately and a trade plate offers no solution. The trade plate is specifically intended for vehicles whose registration is suspended or that are not yet registered in your name. Many businesses therefore combine a suspension policy for their stock with one or more trade plates for journeys.
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.
You will find our licence, KvK and Kifid details and our complaints procedure at the foot of every page.
