Third-party liability
- Compulsory under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM)
- No cover for your own car
- The statutory minimum amounts are high
- Also compulsory while parked on the public road
Premium · conditions · driving electric
Changes in car insurance
What is changing in motor insurance lies mainly in the premium and in the conditions, not in the obligation itself. Below is what movements you will see on your policy and what you can do about them.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Veranderingen in autoverzekeringen.
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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
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
One thing does not change: every registration in your name that has not been suspended must have at least third-party liability cover. That obligation is set out in Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM) and has been there for decades. What does move is premiums, acceptance requirements and policy conditions. The cause is the cost of claims: cars are full of cameras, radar sensors and LED lighting, and a collision that used to be a bodywork job now means replacement plus calibration of driver assistance systems. Theft of keyless vehicles also works through into the rates.
The second movement is driving electric. Insurers distinguish between the car, the battery and the charging facilities. With a leased or hired battery the ownership lies elsewhere and the policy has to match that; charging cables and a charge point at home are not automatically covered on the motor policy and sometimes belong on the buildings or home contents policy instead. So ask expressly what happens with battery damage, with a fire during charging and with theft of the charging cable.
The third movement takes place on your own policy schedule. Insurers may change premiums and conditions. If they do so to your disadvantage, you have the right to cancel the policy. Many motor policies can moreover, after the first year, be cancellable daily at short notice. At every renewal, check whether the form of cover still matches the value of the car and whether your no-claims years in Roy-data are correct. That register is decisive when you switch.
Where the changes become visible
The forms of cover themselves are stable. What is in them and what they cost does shift.
Third-party liability + fire and theft
A fixed list of events, the detail of which varies from insurer to insurer.
- Theft, glass, fire, storm and wild animals
- Increasingly, requirements for security
- Glass repair sometimes only at approved firms
- Battery and charging cable not automatically included
Comprehensive
Also damage you cause yourself, with arrangements that differ more from policy to policy than they used to.
- Single-vehicle damage and parking damage
- A replacement-value-as-new or purchase-value arrangement
- Calibration of sensors after repair
- The excess determines part of the premium
What is covered
| Situation | Third-party liability | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|
| Damage you cause to someone else | Yes | Yes |
| Damage to the fixed battery of an electric car | No | Provided that |
| Theft of a charging cable while charging | No | Provided that |
| Calibration of driver assistance after an insured claim | No | Yes |
| Loss of battery value through normal use | No | No |
| A software or update fault with no collision | No | No |
What is actually covered, including exclusions, limits and the excess, is set out in the policy conditions and the insurance card (verzekeringskaart) that you receive before you take out cover.
Four changes you will see on your policy
For each subject, below is what is moving and what action that calls for from you.
Repair costs are rising faster than the damage itself
A windscreen with a camera, a bumper with radar and matrix LED headlights turn a light collision into an expensive repair. After replacement, the systems have to be calibratedagain, otherwise the emergency braking assistance no longer works as intended. That is the main reason own-damage premiums are rising, even if you drive claim-free, and at the same time a reason not to reduce own-damage cover to third-party liability too soon.
Driving electric calls for separate arrangements
Check three things in the conditions: whether the battery falls under own-damage cover and on what value, whether the charging cable and charge point are included, and whether requirements apply to charging. With a hired or leased battery, ownership lies with a third party and that party must be named in the policy. Degradation, that is the gradual fall in capacity, is excluded by virtually every insurer; the manufacturer's warranty is the route for that.
What does not change: the exclusions
Whatever moves in the rates, these items stay outside the cover: wear and tear and mechanical or electronic defects without a collision, taking part in speed and handling events and driving on a circuit, and driving under the influence or without a valid driving licence. Hire and paid passenger transport without notification also fall outside it. For intent and recklessness the exclusion in Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Codeapplies. A wider form of cover changes nothing about that.
Your rights when the policy is changed
If the insurer changes the premium or conditions to your disadvantage, you may end the policy. Many motor policies can be cancelled at any time after the first contract year, subject to one month's notice. If something changes on your side — a different car, a move, a different regular driver or a lot more mileage: report it; when you take out the policy the duty of disclosure in Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code and a breach can reduce or void the payout (Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code). You report a claim as soon as reasonably possible (Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code).
What does your premium depend on?
- Claims burden of the model: repair costs and theft figures
- No-claims years: recorded in Roy-data
- Drivetrain and battery: electric, hybrid or fuel
- Postcode area: regional claims and theft risk
- Mileage and use: private use, commuting or business use
- Type of cover and excess: third-party liability, third-party, fire and theft, or comprehensive
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
- You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, risk and 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.
9.5New policy
9.8Claims handling
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.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Why has my motor premium gone up when I had no claims?
Your personal step is one factor. The other is the cost of claims across the whole portfolio. Repair costs have risen through electronics in bumpers and windscreens, parts prices and hourly rates. Insurers build that into their rates, irrespective of your own claims history. Comparing helps, because companies pass that increase on at different times and to different degrees.
Is anything changing about the obligation to insure?
No. Article 2 WAM requires the registered keeper to have third-party liability cover as long as the registration is in their name and has not been suspended. If you sell the car, the obligation ends on transfer. If you are not using the car for a while, you can suspend the registration with the RDW (the Dutch vehicle authority). That also removes the road tax and the insurance requirement for that period.
May I cancel immediately if the insurer raises the premium?
Where a change is to your disadvantage, you have a right to cancel. The insurer states this in the letter accompanying the change. Apart from that, many motor policies can be cancelled at any time after the first contract year, usually subject to one month's notice. Only cancel once the new policy is in place, so that there is no day without cover.
Is the battery of my electric car covered?
With own-damage cover, usually yes where the damage results from an insured event, such as a collision or fire. Loss of capacity through normal use is excluded. That falls under the warranty. If you hire or lease the battery, report it, because ownership lies with another party and that determines who is paid.
Is insurance premium tax included in the amounts I am comparing?
Insurance premium tax of 21% applies to general insurance. Most insurers show the premium including that tax and including policy charges, but not every comparison site does. Check that before you set two quotations side by side, otherwise you are comparing amounts that are not alike. The tax is the same for every provider and says nothing about the quality of the cover.
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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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This page was written and checked by an adviser at Finass Verzekert. Last updated on .
The information on this page is general in nature and is not personal advice.