Car insurance in the Netherlands
If you have a car in the Netherlands, insurance is mandatory. The more comprehensive the car insurance is, the more expensive it will be. One way to save money on car insurance is to choose the right type of insurance depending on the type of car you have.
For the car, there are mainly three types of insurance:
- Civil Liability (Wettelijke Aansprakelijkheid or WA)
- WA + limited helmet (WA + Beperkt Helmet)
- All risk (All risk or WA+ volledig hull)
Civil Liability (Wettelijke Aansprakelijkheid or WA)
Every car must have, as a minimum, liability insurance (WA) or third party damage insurance. It is the insurance with the least coverage and therefore the cheapest. With WA insurance you are only insured for damage caused to third parties. This means that you are not insured for damage to your own car.
WA + limited helmet (WA + Beperkt Helmet)
This insurance is also called WA+ because the coverage is broader than liability or third party insurance. In addition to damages caused to another person, you are also insured for certain damages to your own car. Such as damage to the windshield and damage in case of theft. It is important to read the policy carefully to know exactly what is covered.
All risk (All risk or WA+ volledig hull)
For a new car, it is best to take out comprehensive insurance. This insurance not only covers damage caused to third parties, but also your own damage. If you as the owner of the car cause an accident, all damages to your own vehicle are also insured.
How to choose car insurance?
To determine what type of insurance to purchase for your own car, you can use the following tables, the first of which shows what is covered by each type of insurance.
| Cause of damage | WA Insurance | WA + limited hull | All risk |
| Damage to third parties/bilateral damage | x | x | x |
| Fire, explosion and lightning | x | x | |
| Theft | x | x | |
| Crashed windshield | x | x | |
| Collision with animals | x | x | |
| Storms and other natural phenomena | x | x | |
| Collisions, skidding and rollovers | x | ||
| Some other damages | x |
A very useful rule of thumb is to base your decision on the age of the car to decide which insurance is more convenient.
| Car age | Car insurance |
| New up to 6 years | All risks |
| From 6 to 10 years old | Limited hull |
| 10 years or more | Third party insurance |
So if you have comprehensive insurance for a 9 year old car, you may want to find out if the insurance can be adjusted.
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Other Car Insurance Savings Tips
- Compare auto insurance on a regular basis. Many people take out auto insurance and never look at it again. Too bad, because premiums change regularly and your car gets older too.
- Pay for small repairs on your own. Making a damage claim affects your claims-free years. And as a result, your premium will increase. Consider paying for small repair costs on your own.
- Pay your insurance premium for the entire year. Usually, you pay your auto insurance premium each month. But if you pay for the whole year at once, you often get a discount from your insurer.
- Examine the coverage carefully. You’ll want to fully insure a brand new car, but for a car more than 10 years old, it may no longer be necessary. Carefully compare whether the premium is worth the compensation you would receive. Lower coverage also means a lower premium.
- Consider a higher deductible. Many insurers offer cheaper auto insurance in exchange for a higher deductible.
- Avoid having double insurance. Do you already have a separate legal protection insurance? Then you don’t need to take out one with your auto insurance.
