Car insurance: how does the expertise work?

Expertise is not mandatory in the field of car insurance.

But the law may require the use of expertise in certain cases. For example, the law provides that expert appraisal is mandatory for claims technological disaster which cause significant damage.

Apart from cases where the law makes the expert appraisal mandatory, it is the insurer who decides, following a declaration of claim, whether an expert appraisal is necessary or not.

In practice, the insurer uses expertise when it believes that it will be difficult to reach an amicable agreement on the amount of compensation or when the value of the damage exceeds a certain threshold.

The insurer can offer direct compensation without expertise when the damage is small and easily justifiable (invoice, photos).

If the insurer decides to use the expertise or if it uses the expertise to comply with a legal obligation, it will choose the expert.

But the judge can also order an expert report when the dispute over compensation is brought to court. In that case, the judge chooses the expert. It is then a question of forensic expert.

If you feel that your vehicle is undervalued after an accident, you can ask for the intervention of your own expert. The car expert is an approved professional and registered on a national list.

The auto insurance expert is a person who:

• has in-depth technical knowledge of vehicles
• and masters the legal rules applicable to insurance contracts and compensation mechanisms.

He must hold a license issued by the State.

It is on a national list of automotive experts.

The role of the expert is to ascertain facts or situations, to investigate the causes of the loss and to assess the damage.

At the end of the assignment, the insurer must submit an expert report to the insurer, which must include the following:

• Circumstances of the loss (events, date, time, persons present, witnesses, etc.)
• Causes of the accident (collision with another vehicle, brake failure, speeding etc.)
• Damage observed (body blows, broken windows, broken tires etc.)
• Links between the loss and the damage found (e.g. bumper already cracked before the accident)
• Damage assessment (possibility to repair or not the vehicle, cost of repair).

The expert may also classify the vehicle in a specific procedure (economically irreparable or dangerous vehicle).

The timeliness of the report depends on the severity of the disaster and the complexity of the mission.

There is no legal time limit to appoint an expert, but insurance companies choose the expert on average within 15 days of the claim being declared.

The expert usually travels to the garage where the damaged vehicle is located or to the scene of the accident, to make the findings.

But he can also work from photos, without personally going to the site of the disaster or to the garage in case of a low-severity disaster.

The expert informs you of his visit to the garage and you must make arrangements for him to have access to the vehicle.

You must also provide him with all the supporting documents that can allow him to assess the damage. For example, invoices for the last repairs, warranty vouchers or photos of items missing in the disaster.

You may be present at the expert examination to make your observations.

Yes, the expert chosen by your insurer has the obligation to send you a copy of his report.

This obligation is specific to automotive expertise.

The report allows you to check the vehicle's evaluation and conclusions.

If you do not agree with the conclusions of the expert appointed by the insurance, you can request a counter-expert.

For example, if the expert indicates that the responsibilities should be shared between you and the other party involved in the accident, when you believe that no responsibility lies with you.

In this case, you must call on an expert other than the one designated by your insurer.

You can choose this expert from the national list of automotive experts.

The 2nd expert must carry out an amicable expertise contradictory with the insurer's expert. You're the one who has to take care of his fees.

If the two experts cannot reach an agreement, a new expert must be appointed to carry out a third-party expert assessment.

The 3rd expert must be appointed by mutual agreement between the two parties. Its fees must be shared equally between you and the insurer.

In case of disagreement, the 3rd expert will be appointed by the president of the judicial court or by the president of the commercial court of the place of the loss.

The insurer pays the expert it has appointed.

If you ask for a counter-expertise, the costs are in principle at your expense.

In case of 3rd expert, the costs are shared.

If the expert is appointed by the judge, the decision specifies who pays.

The average cost of an automotive expertise varies between €70 and €400.

After the assessment, several situations may arise depending on the condition of the vehicle:

• If the vehicle is repairable, the insurer can offer the coverage of repairs, according to the guarantees of the contract.
• If the cost of repairs exceeds the value of the vehicle, it can be declared economically irreparable. The insurer then offers you compensation based on the value of the vehicle before the claim.
• If the vehicle is dangerous, it may be prohibited from driving and subject to a specific procedure before being put back into service.

If you dispute the expert's conclusions or the amount of compensation, you can first submit a claim to your insurer.

You can also request a counter-expertise by calling on an independent automotive expert.

If the disagreement persists, you can enter the insurance mediator.