What auto insurance for professionals?
Car insurance is compulsory, even for professionals. That being said, companies offer auto insurance designed specifically to meet the use of a professional vehicle.
Whatever your status (autoentrepreneur, independent employee, Sarl, liberal profession, ambulance driver, doctor, nurse, shopkeeper, craftsman, farmer, private driver, commercial …), the professional auto insurance contract that you have subscribed will be perfectly suited to your specific situation and to the use you will make of your vehicle.
Warning : The actual use of the insured vehicle must correspond to that declared, otherwise your insurance will be declared void in the event of an out-of-the-way claim …
What guarantees can be expected from professional auto insurance?
Professional auto insurance contracts are, in form, modeled on those of private cars. You will therefore have to choose between one of the three contracts offered, namely professional auto insurance third-party professional auto insurance (sometimes also presented as extended third-party professional auto insurance) and all-risk professional auto insurance.
It is from these 3 main categories that professional auto insurance is different from personal auto insurance.
You will be able and have to adapt the chosen guarantees in line with your specific activity and your specific needs.
- Do you regularly or always transport equipment in the passenger compartment or trunk of your vehicle? Take out a guarantee covering the objects transported if you want them to be covered in the event of theft, accident or disaster (fire, etc.)
- Are you transporting hazardous materials? The transport of dangerous goods option is necessary if you want to be covered in the event of damage caused by your dangerous loads
- Do you transport travelers? To drive people, you must take out a dedicated guarantee (passenger transport insurance), otherwise you will not be covered in the event of damage inflicted on your customers.
- Several employees are likely to drive the company vehicle? Take out a driver’s warranty to protect them all and bring them into compliance with the law in the event of an inspection or damage
- …
Here, the type of vehicle to be insured has a moderate impact on the insurance contract. With the exception of these specific guarantees (non-exhaustive list), professional auto insurance offers, for an equal contract, protection identical to that of a particular contract.
If you want to use your personal vehicle for your business trips, you have the choice between two options:
- Modify your individual contract to add an extension of guarantee including business trips (with an inevitable increase in your insurance premium)
- Ask your employer to cover the additional insurance costs. He will then have to take out what companies call a “mission” insurance contract which will cover you when you get behind the wheel of your vehicle for “missions” of a professional nature.
In order not to risk (very) unpleasant surprises, it is essential to distinguish between professional and personal use. It may seem obvious, but every year, hundreds of people have a bitter experience… which can quickly amount to thousands of euros!
- You drive your vehicle to work : your classic car insurance is enough.
- You meet for a professional meeting during your working hours : your classic insurance may, where applicable, refuse to compensate you in the event of a claim or theft.
If you use your personal vehicle as part of your professional activity, you must inform your insurer so that it can notify it in your insurance contract.
Individual insurance and vehicle fleet contract
If you only have one vehicle to insure in a professional context (autoentrepreneur, one-person business, etc.), you will subscribe an individual auto insurance contract, like a traditional car insurance contract.
But from 3 vehicles to be insured, professional auto insurance contracts are financially more interesting (and materially simpler) under the formula of “automobile fleet”.
In this case, 100% of the company’s vehicles are covered by a single negotiated contract, depending in particular on:
- The number of drivers concerned
- The number of vehicles to be insured
- Models and ages of vehicles
- Of the use made by vehicles
- Parking places
- …
On average, a vehicle fleet contract allows savings of up to 30% compared to the accumulation of several individual contracts. Why hesitate?
Closed fleet contract and open fleet contract
If the number of vehicles you want to insure for your business does not change from year to year, you will choose the closed fleet contract.
But if your company sees its fleet of vehicles increase or fluctuate depending on its growth or the economic situation, the so-called open fleet contract (reserved for companies of a certain size) considerably simplifies the management of your auto insurance professional.
No need to renegotiate the contract for each vehicle more or less: you simply declare the number of cars to be insured at the start and end of the year and the insurance premium is automatically adjusted.
Professional auto insurance: compare to save your business
Insurance companies all offer professional contracts. In addition, prices differ according to multiple criteria: type of vehicle (classic car, ambulance, taxi, etc.), models, brands, age, mileage, parking places, driver profiles.
To find your way around, there is no need to knock on the door of the broker closest to your business or to call all the insurers in the place one by one.
To get a precise idea of the prices and guarantees offered, nothing could be simpler: you just need to connect to an online auto insurance simulation in order to carry out free of charge (without obligation and in a few minutes) all the simulations you want in depending on the fleet of vehicles to be provided and the level of protection desired.
Turbo can advise you without hesitation LeLynx.fr to be sure to scan in complete independence all the offers available at the moment T.
