Third-party liability
- Damage to other cars and injury
- No cover for your own car
- Compulsory under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM)
- Also needed for a car standing idle
Insurance obligation · types of cover · claims handling
How car insurance works in the Netherlands
Every registration number in the Netherlands has to be insured. What comes on top of that is your own choice. Below is how the system fits together and what happens after a claim.
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Deze pagina in het Nederlands: Hoe autoverzekeringen in Nederland werken.
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- 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
The starting point is the insurance obligation. Under Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM) every motor vehicle with a Dutch registration has to be insured against liability in law, even where it stands idle. The RDW (the Dutch vehicle authority) checks that administratively on the basis of the vehicle register; if no insurance is recorded, a fine follows with no police officer involved. If you want to avoid that obligation, suspending the registration is the only proper route.
On top of that compulsory third-party liability cover there are two forms of own-damage cover. Third-party, fire and theft covers a fixed list of events: theft, break-in, glass damage, fire, storm, hail and a collision with wild animals. Comprehensive cover, known in practice as comprehensive, also covers damage to your own car caused by you or with no known other party. Which form fits depends on the market value of the car and on what you can bear yourself — not on the age of the car.
There are also separate extensions that are often confused with the basic cover: motor vehicle legal expenses for recovering your loss, a personal accident insurance for occupants and breakdown assistance. Those are not automatically included in a policy. Anyone left after a collision with an uninsured other party and without legal expenses cover notices the difference only at that moment.
The three types of cover
Every Dutch car policy is built up from these three layers; you choose where you stop.
Third-party liability + fire and theft
Alongside third-party liability, a fixed list of events for which you are not at fault.
- Theft and burglary damage
- Windscreen damage and windscreen replacement
- Fire, storm and hail damage
- A collision with wild animals on the road
Comprehensive
Also damage to your own car caused by you or without a third party involved.
- Single-vehicle collisions and parking damage
- Damage with no known other party
- Often a replacement value as new or purchase price arrangement
- You can choose your own excess
What is covered
| Situation | Third-party liability | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|
| Damage you cause to someone else | Yes | Yes |
| Injury to a cyclist or pedestrian | Yes | Yes |
| Theft, fire and storm damage to your own car | No | Yes |
| Damage to your own car after a single-vehicle accident | No | Yes |
| Recovering your loss from the other party | Provided that | Provided that |
| A breakdown on the road without a 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.
How it works in practice
Four points where theory and daily practice diverge.
Liability: why third-party cover goes further than you think
After a collision it is first established who is liable; the basis for that is Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code, the tort provision. For collisions with pedestrians and cyclists Article 185 of the Dutch Road Traffic Act (WVW)also applies: the driver of a motor vehicle bears a heavier liability towards non-motorised road users, even where they made a mistake themselves. That is precisely why third-party liability cover is required by law: injury claims can reach amounts a private individual could never bear.
No-claims years determine your premium more than the make of car
Insurers work with a no-claims scale. Every year without an at-fault claim gains a step; an at-fault claim puts you back several steps. Those years are recorded in a central system insurers consult between themselves, so they move with you when you switch and you cannot build them up again by starting elsewhere. A claim where the other party is fully liable does not in principle cost you your step.
What is not covered
Outside every Dutch car policy fall, among other things: wear and tear and mechanical or electronic defects without a collision; taking part in speed, skill or rally events and driving on a circuit, even without timing; damage while driving without a valid licence, with a licence declared invalid or under the influence; hire, shared use and paid passenger transport without a declaration; and damage to a coupled trailer or caravan. a breakdown without a collision also falls outside the cover and calls for separate breakdown assistance. Intent and recklessness are excluded under Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code.
What to do after a claim
Together with the other party, fill in the European Accident Statement even if you disagree about who was at fault; note the disagreement in the remarks. Take photographs of both vehicles and of the situation, and report the claim to your insurer as soon as you reasonably can (Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code). Do not have repairs carried out before the insurer has agreed, unless immediate safety is at stake. Where there is injury or an uninsured other party, legal expenses cover is the difference between recovering your loss and not.
What does your premium depend on?
- Type of cover — third-party liability, third-party, fire and theft, or comprehensive
- No-claims years — these determine your discount step
- List price and power output — determine the premium class
- Age of the regular driver — young drivers weigh heavily
- Postcode area — the risk of theft and damage
- Number of kilometres per year — more kilometres, higher premium
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is why comparing pays off.
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
The questions we are asked most often about this.
Is car insurance compulsory in the Netherlands?
Yes, every motor vehicle with a Dutch registration is subject to an insurance obligation for liability in law under Article 2 WAM. That obligation continues where the car stands idle or is not used. If you want to leave the car uninsured temporarily, you have to have the registration suspended with the RDW.
What happens if my car is not insured?
The RDW checks the vehicle register administratively. If insurance is missing, a fine follows, and on repetition that mounts up and the registration can be taken out of use. If you cause damage while uninsured, it is recovered from you; with injury claims that can involve very high amounts.
What is the difference between third-party, fire and theft and comprehensive cover?
Third-party, fire and theft covers a fixed list of events you had no influence over: theft, glass, fire, storm, hail and wild animals. Comprehensive also covers damage to your own car caused by you, such as a single-vehicle collision or parking damage with no known culprit. So the difference lies in your own fault.
Is legal expenses cover included as standard in my car insurance?
No, that is a separate module. Without that cover you have to recover your loss from the other party yourself or instruct a lawyer to do so. Where there is injury, a dispute about fault or an uninsured other party, this is the module that returns the most.
Am I insured abroad as well?
Within the territorial scope stated on your certificate of insurance you are. The green card states for which countries the cover applies. Own-damage cover can be limited in certain countries and a long stay abroad has to be reported. Check this before you leave, certainly outside the European Union.
Who pays if the other party is liable?
The other party's third-party insurer pays your loss. If you have comprehensive cover yourself, you can choose to have the claim run through your own policy; it then recovers the loss. As long as the other party is fully liable, that does not in principle cost you no-claims years.
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About our service
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.