You pay an amount each month for your car insurance. This is your insurance premium. Of course, this amount does not come out of the blue. How much premium you pay for your car depends on several factors.
Your coverage determines in which situations you are insured. The more extensive the coverage, the higher the premium. Which coverage you choose, is up to you. The insurance you choose mainly depends on the value of the car. Even a car that is, for example, 6 or 7 years old can still be worth a lot. You can also take into account how much risk you can bear yourself. You can change your coverage at any time.
In the Netherlands, it is compulsory to take out at least third-party cover for your car. This cheapest cover covers the damage you cause with your car to another person's vehicle. So damage to your own car is not covered.
You can also opt for Third-party Liability + Limited cover. Like third-party cover, it covers damage to others, but also, for example, damage to your own car due to a collision with an animal, someone breaking into your car or theft.
With the Third-party Liability + Comprehensive cover, you are comprehensively insured so also for damage you cause yourself to your own car. For this, you will also pay the highest premium of the 3 types of cover.
You can expand your basic coverage with additional coverage. See which coverage suits your situation and which does not. The more additional coverage, the higher your premium.
When you apply for insurance, you need to specify how many kilometres you expect to drive in a year. This is not for nothing. Statistically, the risk of damage is higher if you are on the road more often. On average, we drive 12,000 to 15,000 kilometres a year in the Netherlands.
For a more expensive car, you usually pay more premium than for a cheaper car. After all, should something happen, it is more expensive for the insurer to repair the damage to a more expensive car.
The weight of your car also matters when calculating your premium. This is especially important for the third-party part of your insurance. In other words, the damage you cause to others in a collision. This is because, with a heavier car, the expected damage is greater than with a lighter model.
The chances of something happening to your car are not the same everywhere in the Netherlands. In big cities, the risk of damage or theft is generally higher than in rural areas. You will also see this reflected in your premium.
