Going on vacation is the perfect time to ask the question: is your car insurance suitable for the use of carpooling or carsharing services? Many motorists will make their vehicle available to other individuals this summer, whether to make trips together to reduce their travel costs, or to rent it instead of leaving it in the garage during their absence. In both situations, what happens in the event of a breakdown or accident? Is the owner covered? Who gets the penalty?
Blablacar and Drivy, the respective leaders in carpooling and car rental between individuals in France, have planned everything so that users are covered in the event of a problem. The two services have set up partnerships with insurers in order to offer insurance that replaces or is added to that of the owner of the vehicle for the duration of the service. An effective way to remove the last brakes on this growing “sharing economy”.
The carpooling site with 20 million members launched a new insurance product with Axa in May. This insurance covers assistance in the event of immobilization of the vehicle caused by a breakdown, accident, theft or vandalism: arrival at destination is guaranteed for all passengers and the driver, including when they have different destinations . This includes troubleshooting, hosting when needed, and routing.
Blablacar’s insurance also offers a “loan of the wheel” guarantee, which avoids the owner having to take out an insurance policy that covers more than one driver. Knowing that the average route on Blablacar is 330 kilometers, it can be useful. The only criteria required: that each driver has had a license for more than three years, and that the policyholder’s contract authorizes the loan of a steering wheel (no exclusive driving clause). Axa insurance covers the reimbursement of the deductible up to 1500 euros in the event of a responsible claim caused by a passenger to whom you have lent the wheel. Be careful however, the penalty will be applied to the subscriber of the vehicle insurance, and if you are not insured against all risks, in the event of an accident at fault, the damage to your vehicle will not be reimbursed.
Blablacar’s additional insurance does not cost users anything. Its cost is fully borne by the site, which makes up for it by attracting more drivers and passengers. “It’s important for us, because we have to reassure the passengers and the driver a lot,” explains Laure Wagner, spokesperson for Blablacar, to L’Express. This insurance is now available in France and Great Britain, and should soon be launched in other countries.
Namely: the passengers of a vehicle, whether transported free of charge or not, are always covered by the driver’s insurance, even if it is “third-party” insurance. If you “carpool” with a service that does not offer additional insurance, your passengers will be protected, no need to take out special insurance. The only condition: the driver must not derive any financial benefit from it, carpooling being defined as a sharing of costs, not as a source of income.
Peer-to-peer car rental services such as Drivy, Koolicar and Travelercar also offer specific insurance, which allows the owner of the vehicle to keep his bonus in the event of an accident when his tenant is driving, and not to have to pay franchise.
Drivy chose the insurer Allianz in early 2014 to secure its customers’ journeys. It has been offering an insurance product since 2012. “It was central for our business to start”, explains Géraud Hubert, insurance manager at Drivy. Of the 30% commission taken by the site on the amount paid by the tenant, about half corresponds to the insurance premium, he specifies.
The insurance is “all risks”, it covers material damage and bodily injury. It nevertheless includes an excess, paid by the tenant, and variable according to the value of the vehicle at Drivy (800 euros on average, but the tenant can take out an option to reduce it to 150 euros). The insurance is valid in France and Germany, and soon in Spain, where the site is launching this summer.
To know: in no case, the insurances provided by the rental sites between individuals do not allow you to escape the obligation to insure your vehicle, at least to the third party. In addition, the owner must check that the tenant respects the conditions of age and seniority of license established by the site, and to maintain his car. In fact, breakdowns or punctures resulting from a lack of maintenance are not covered by the temporary insurance. Finally, the only case where you may need to change your insurance policy is when you are insured for low mileage.
