Water damage, a collision in a parking lot, a prolonged sick leave: each situation involves a different contract, with its own guarantees, deductibles, and exclusions. Choosing the right insurance requires understanding what each policy actually covers, and especially what it does not cover. Here are some concrete guidelines to help you sort through them.
Natural disaster surcharge: a cost that comparison does not reduce
Have you noticed a line “cat. nat.” on your premium notice? This surcharge is set by the state, not by your insurer. Therefore, comparing offers does not allow you to eliminate or negotiate it.
Since January 1, 2025, this surcharge has significantly increased. It has risen from 12% to 20% for contracts covering property damage, and from 6% to 9% for auto insurance. This increase stems from the decree of December 22, 2023, and applies uniformly to all insurers in the market.
In practical terms, the natural disaster surcharge increases your premium without any way to avoid it. It represents an unnegotiable base on which neither loyalty nor changing contracts has any effect. However, the rest of the premium (guarantees, deductibles, options) remains negotiable, and this is where comparison becomes meaningful.
To better understand the overall functioning of contracts and optimization levers, the insurances on Planet Argent detail each category with accessible explanations.
Deductible and compensation ceiling: two sliders to adjust together
The deductible is the amount you are responsible for after a claim. The compensation ceiling is the maximum amount the insurer will pay. These two parameters work in tandem, and adjusting them separately can lead to unpleasant surprises.
Let’s take a simple example. You increase your auto deductible to lower your monthly premium. The premium decreases, but if an accident occurs, you pay more out of pocket. A high deductible is only suitable for a driver who can absorb this cost without difficulty.
The compensation ceiling poses the opposite problem. A cheap home insurance policy sometimes has low ceilings on furniture or valuable items. In the event of a burglary, the compensation only covers a fraction of the actual losses.
Check the depreciation clauses
Depreciation refers to the decrease in value of your belongings over time. A sofa purchased five years ago will not be reimbursed at its new price. Some contracts offer a “replacement at new” option that limits this depreciation, for a moderate additional cost.
The 2025 home insurance report published by France Assureurs shows that the frequency of claims has decreased while their average cost has increased. This means that the ceilings, deductibles, and depreciation rules weigh more heavily than the gross price of the contract.
Insurer’s duty to advise: what has changed since 2024
Previously, the duty to advise mainly applied at the time of subscription. The insurer had to ensure that the contract matched your situation. Once signed, follow-up remained limited.
Recommendation 2024-R-03 from the ACPR, published on November 21, 2024, has broadened this obligation. The duty to advise now extends throughout the duration of the contract. The distributor must take into account the evolution of your situation and needs, not just your initial profile.
In practice, this means that your insurer must alert you if your coverage becomes inadequate, for example after a move, a vehicle change, or the arrival of a child. If this is not done, you have leverage in case of a dispute.
Affinity insurance: the trap of the phone
Affinity insurances are those offered at the time of purchasing a product, often a phone or electronic device. They require particular vigilance: exclusions are common (breakage outside warranty, theft without forced entry), and reimbursement times can be long.
Before subscribing, check if your home insurance or bank card already covers the same risk. A duplicate affinity insurance is an unnecessary cost that is easy to avoid.
Auto and home contracts: concrete comparison criteria
Comparing contracts requires looking beyond the premium amount. Here are the points to consider for each quote:
- The amount of the deductible by type of claim (water damage, theft, glass breakage), as it often varies from one guarantee to another within the same contract.
- The compensation ceilings for furniture, valuable items, and electrical damage, checking if a depreciation coefficient applies.
- The specific exclusions: some policies exclude technological disasters, acts of vandalism without a police report, or undeclared secondary drivers.
- The presence or absence of a “replacement at new” option and its annual cost.
For auto insurance, add a criterion that is often overlooked: the compensation scale in case of total loss of the vehicle. Some insurers apply the Argus value, while others use their own scale, which may be less favorable.
Termination and changing insurer: simplified instructions
Since the Hamon law, you can terminate an auto or home contract at any time after the first year, without reason or penalty. The new insurer takes care of the procedures with the old one.
This option should not be used to change every year for a few euros difference. It makes sense when a contract has insufficient guarantees or excessively high deductibles compared to your current situation.
- Check the anniversary date of your contract: this is the reference point for anticipating an annual comparison.
- Request a statement of information from your current insurer: this document summarizes your claims history and your bonus-malus, necessary for obtaining a reliable quote.
- Read the specific conditions of the new contract before signing, not just the guarantee table.
The continuous rise in premiums, driven in particular by the natural disaster surcharge and the increase in the average cost of claims, makes this comparison exercise more useful than ever. A contract signed three years ago probably no longer corresponds to your needs or the current market.
