By The French insurance market in 60 seconds
Four families of insurers
- Traditional : AXA, MAIF, Macif, Allianz. Physical agencies, decades of track record, slower digital experience.
- Bancassureurs : Crédit Agricole Assurances, BNP Paribas Cardif, Crédit Mutuel Assurances. Sold via the bank, bundled with current accounts and loans.
- Neo-insurers : Luko, Lemonade, Acheel, Lovys. App-first, transparent pricing, faster claims, but newer.
- Brokers : April, Fab French Insurance, ECA. Distribute multiple insurers' contracts, often the path for expat-specific products.
How to choose
- Trust + claim track record → traditional.
- Already a customer of a French bank → bancassureur for the bundled discount.
- App-first, English support, lowest price → neo-insurers.
- Expat-specific products (international health, foreign-licence car cover) → brokers.
- Selectra Score (A-E) aggregates price, claim handling and customer satisfaction across the panel.
Traditional insurers (15)
Traditional insurers are the established names of the French market : private companies (AXA, Allianz, Generali), mutual societies (Macif, MAIF, MAAF) and bank-owned insurers (Crédit Agricole Assurances, Banque Postale Assurance). They share three characteristics :
- Physical agencies across France — useful for face-to-face claim handling, especially for car insurance after an accident.
- Decades of track record on claim payouts, with established reserves and reinsurance treaties.
- Comprehensive vertical coverage : home, car, health, life, all distributed by the same brand.
The trade-off : their digital experience is often slower than neo-insurers, premiums tend to be higher (especially for new entrants without French CRM), and English support is patchy outside the international subsidiaries (AXA International, Allianz Worldwide).
| Insurer | Verticals | Selectra score |
|---|---|---|
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Home Car |  |
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Home Car |  |
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Home Car |  |
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Home Car | |
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Home Car | |
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Home |  |
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Home Car | |
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Home Car | |
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Home Car | |
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Car | |
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Car | |
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Home Car |  |
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Home Car | |
|
Car | — |
|
Car | — |
Bancassureurs (0)
Bancassureurs are insurance arms of French retail banks, distributed primarily through bank branches and online banking platforms. The biggest names : Crédit Agricole Assurances (the largest French insurer by gross written premium), BNP Paribas Cardif, Crédit Mutuel Assurances, Société Générale Assurances. Three traits define the model :
- Bundled with banking products : insurance is offered alongside the current account, savings book and mortgage — often with a discount when you sign for several products at once.
- Massive customer base : sold over the counter to existing bank customers, which keeps acquisition cost low and drives competitive pricing on standard profiles.
- Comprehensive vertical coverage : home, car, health, life, borrower's insurance — usually all under the same group.
The trade-off : the in-branch advisor knows banking better than insurance, claim handling is centralised in dedicated subsidiaries (which the customer rarely sees), and switching insurers means a conversation with the same banker you'll meet again on every other product. For an expat without a French bank account, going through a bancassureur means opening the account first.
Neo-insurers and insurtechs (8)
Neo-insurers (or insurtechs) are companies founded in the last decade, built around a mobile app and a streamlined online-first contract experience. The dominant names on the French market : Luko, Lemonade, Acheel, Lovys, Friday, Flitter. Three traits define them :
- Subscription in 5-10 minutes entirely online, with attestation by email immediately after payment.
- Transparent pricing, often 20-40% cheaper than traditional insurers on standard profiles (tenant flat, experienced driver).
- App-driven claim handling : photo upload, chat support, faster payout for small claims.
The trade-off : less long-term track record (most are under 10 years old), narrower product range (often only one or two verticals), and reinsurance backing that's less battle-tested on catastrophic events. Several have failed or pivoted in the last 5 years (Wilov, Coya), so verify a neo-insurer's longevity before committing.
| Insurer | Verticals | Selectra score |
|---|---|---|
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Home Car | |
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Home Car | |
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Car | |
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Car | |
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Car | |
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Home Car | |
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Home Car | |
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Home | |
Brokers (courtiers) (4)
Brokers (courtiers in French) are not insurers themselves : they distribute contracts on behalf of one or several underwriters, usually as wholesale partners. April, Fab French Insurance, AssurOne, ECA are the main brokers active on the French market. Three reasons to use a broker :
- Product packaging : brokers bundle covers across multiple insurers into a single contract (e.g. April International for expat health top-up).
- Niche distribution : motorhome, classic car, malus driver, expat-specific health — segments the big insurers under-serve.
- English-speaking service : several brokers (April International, Fab French Insurance, Exclusive Healthcare) target the expat market with English forms and English advisors.
The trade-off : adding a broker between you and the underwriter means an extra intermediary fee (usually built into the premium), and the broker can change underwriter at renewal — your contract may switch insurer without changing the brand on the front.
| Broker | Verticals | Selectra score |
|---|---|---|
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Home | |
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Car | |
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Car | |
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Home Car | — |
English-speaking insurers
Most French insurers operate exclusively in French. A handful offer service in English : full app and chat (Lemonade, Luko), English advisors via dedicated lines (AXA International, Allianz Worldwide), or English documentation through specialist brokers (Fab French Insurance, April International). Below : the curated cross-vertical list.
Traditional · International
Phone agencies dedicated to expats in Paris and main cities. English-speaking advisors for home, car, health.
Traditional · International
English-speaking agencies (Paris, Marseille, Nice). Worldwide reputation, full English documentation on demand.
Digital · Online
English phone line for car insurance. Accepts foreign no-claims certificates with translation.
Neo-insurer · Home
App-first home insurance. FAQ and help centre fully in English ; quote form in French but doable.
Neo-insurer · Home
US insurtech, fully English app, chat and contract for home insurance in France.
Broker · Health & travel
Specialist in expat health (CFE top-up) and international travel. English website, English advisors.
Broker · Expat-focused
Boutique broker dedicated to English-speaking expats. Home, car, health, life — fully in English.
Broker · Health
Health-only broker for expats. Wide panel of insurers, English forms, English customer service.
Tip : if your French is shaky and the insurer of your choice does not offer English support, our advisor service compares offers and subscribes in your name (free service, paid by insurers).
How to choose between traditional, neo and broker
- Long-term contract for a primary residence or family car : a traditional insurer with a strong score (Macif, MAIF, AXA) and a local agency gives you the best continuity over 10+ years and a human contact for catastrophic claims.
- Tight budget, simple profile (tenant studio, low-mileage car) : a neo-insurer (Acheel, Lovys, Luko) is typically 20-40% cheaper and the digital experience is faster. Verify the underwriter's solvency before committing.
- Expat-specific cover (international health, foreign-licence car, holiday-let property) : start with a broker (April International, Fab French Insurance, Exclusive Healthcare) — they bundle covers the big insurers don't sell off the shelf.
- English support is non-negotiable : the international subsidiaries of traditional insurers (AXA International, Allianz Worldwide) and the expat-focused brokers are the safe path. Lemonade and Luko offer English app/FAQ but not full English contracts.
Frequently asked questions
Are neo-insurers as safe as traditional insurers ?
In strict regulatory terms, yes : every insurer registered in France is supervised by the ACPR (Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution) and must hold reserves proportional to its risk exposure. The practical risk with neo-insurers is operational, not solvency : less long claim track record, smaller customer-service team for catastrophic events, and the underwriter behind the brand may change. For a primary residence, prefer a neo-insurer that has been live for 5+ years (Luko, Lemonade, Acheel) over one launched recently.
Why use a broker rather than going to the insurer directly ?
A broker is useful when : (1) you need a niche product the big insurers don't sell separately (international health, classic-car cover, holiday-let), (2) you want to compare multiple underwriters at once without filling 10 quote forms, (3) you need English service that the underlying insurer does not offer in-house. For a standard French market product (MRH for a tenant flat, RC for a daily-driver car), going direct is usually cheaper since you skip the broker margin.
Is a traditional insurer always better for claim handling ?
Not always. Traditional insurers have larger customer-service teams and physical agencies, but their claim processes are paper-heavy and can be slow on small claims (under €5,000). Neo-insurers excel on small claims (photo upload, payout in days) but can be more rigid on complex cases. The Selectra Score reflects this difference — a B-rated neo-insurer often has better small-claim handling than a D-rated traditional one.
Can I keep my home-country insurer for my French property ?
Generally no. French law requires insurance contracts on French property to be issued by an insurer registered with the ACPR or operating in France under EU passporting rules. Foreign insurers without a French establishment cannot legally insure a French residence (or a French-registered car). The exception is a few EU-based providers offering cross-border products via passporting : check the contract explicitly mentions ACPR registration before signing.