A car insurance contract provides coverage for risks related to the “home-work journey”. However, coverage for risks related to the professional use of a personal car depends on the agreement between the insurer and the insured. If the need for professional use arises after the contract has been taken out, you will need to negotiate an extension of the warranty with your insurer.
But you are not alone in this process. Indeed, the employer also has a responsibility in the coverage of a personal vehicle used for professional purposes. Among other things, it is the employer who will have to take charge of any increase in the amount of your contribution. This operation is also regulated by law.
Negotiate with the insurer for the extension of the contract guarantee
Negotiating with the insurer is the first thing to do if you have to use your car for work. Keeping the insurer informed is in both their interest and yours. In practice, the insurer is proposing an increase in the amount of your premium. The ball will then be in your court, you and your employer.
To ensure that the negotiation has a real chance of succeeding, tell your insurer all the details about the professional use of your car. This will allow them to assess the extent to which the risk covered is aggravated.
If the insured agrees to extend the guarantee to professional use, this translates, at a strict minimum, into civil liability cover (compensation for material damage and/or bodily injury suffered by third parties) during the professional use of the car.
In any case, rest assured, since this extension of guarantee goes hand in hand with an increase in the amount of your contribution, your employer will have to take responsibility.
The employer covers the increase in the contribution amount
Using your car for work creates new risks. It is therefore your employer who will cover the increase in the amount of your contribution. In other words, the coverage of any risk related to the professional use of your car will not fall on your head.
In any case, you should always keep your employer informed of the new terms of your contract. Also, inform them of any refusal of an extension of the guarantee by the insurer. In this case, your employer has two options:
- either he struggles to find you another means of transport
- either he works to find you another warranty option
If the professional use of your car is unavoidable, you can then consider changing insurers in the event of a refusal to extend the warranty. Termination before the due date is legal in this situation, by the way. In any case, do your utmost to put all the chances on your side; for example, call on an insurance broker who has experience in negotiating with insurers; you can also find reasonable quotes using an online insurance comparison site.
Otherwise, when looking for a contract that covers the use of a personal car for work, opt for guarantees similar to personal use coverage. The risks are not so different: theft, fire, accident, etc.
One last point, if you feel that things are getting complicated with your insurer, put your emotional state aside and simply refuse to let your car be used for work. It belongs to you, and the authority of your employer does not in any way imply that he would have the right to force you to use it for professional purposes.
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