Public Estimator FAQ

This section contains the most frequently asked questions about the Public Estimator. The page will be updated with questions received from consumers through the dedicated toll-free number.

THE NEW PUBLIC MOTOR LIABILITY INSURANCE ESTIMATOR

1. What is and what purpose does the Public Motor Liability Insurance Estimator serve?

The Public motor liability insurance estimator is a WEB application that enables to compare the prices of insurance coverage relating to the basic motor liability contract and any additional clauses/conditions proposed by insurance companies operating in Italy in the motor liability insurance sector.

2. Which insurance companies have joined the Public motor liability estimator?

The insurance companies that have joined the Public motor liability estimator are all the companies operating in Italy in the motor liability insurance sector.

3. How do I access the Public motor liability estimator?

The Public motor liability estimator is accessed directly, without the need to register. Simply go to www.preventivass.it, which is also accessible from the IVASS website.

4. Is there a charge for accessing and using the Public motor liability estimator?

No, both the access and the service provided by the Public motor liability estimator are free of charge.

5. How quickly does the Public motor liability estimator make estimates available and visible?

Estimates are made available within about thirty seconds after sending the request over the web (regularly filling in the form and pressing the "send" button).

6. In case of need, how and who should I contact for assistance with the service provided by the Public Estimator?

For user assistance, a telephone contact centre service (toll-free number: 800 184801) is available on business days from 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.

THE BASIC MOTOR LIABILITY CONTRACT: STRUCTURE - SCOPE - CHARACTERISTICS

7. What is the Basic motor liability contract?

The Basic motor liability contract, provided for by Ministry of Economic Development Decree No. 54 of 11 March 2020, is a standard form contract that allows consumers (once the contract has been concluded) to fulfil their civil liability insurance obligation arising from the use of motor vehicles.
The Basic motor liability contract is adopted by all insurance companies operating in Italy in the motor liability insurance sector, this will ensure a real and concrete comparison of insurance offers.

8. How is the Basic motor liability contract structured?

The Basic contract is divided into three Sections:
- Definitions: explains the meaning of the key words used in the basic contract;
- Conditions: sets out the contractual terms relating to the guarantees necessary and sufficient to fulfil the insurance obligation referred to in Article 122 of the Private Insurance Code;
- Additional conditions: contains the non-mandatory contractual clauses, through which the consumer can customise the content of the contract by making it more appropriate to his or her risk profile.

9. Can the Basic motor liability contract be customised?

The Basic motor liability contract can be integrated with all or some of the additional conditions/clauses provided for by the legislation. On the contrary, it is not possible to obtain an estimate with the inclusion of ancillary guarantees or additional conditions/clauses not provided for in the legislation.

10. What are the additional conditions/clauses?

Additional clauses/conditions to the basic motor liability contract, which can be optionally chosen by the consumer, allow motor liability insurance coverage to be tailored to the user's specific needs, and include:
- insurance coverage limitation with premium reduction (exclusive driving, expert driving);
- an extension of the insurance coverage with an increase in the premium (increase in the minimum amounts of cover established by law, limitation of exclusions and recourse, damage to third parties caused by the trailer hitch and, while in motion, by the trailer with its own number plate and properly towed);
- a particular way of managing the contract with a reduction in the premium (remote detection systems of vehicle operation, preventive vehicle inspection, alcohol detection systems);
- a particular way of managing the contract with a possible increase in the insurance premium (payment of the premium in instalments, suspension of insurance coverage).

11. What guarantees/clauses are not included in the Basic motor liability contract?

The basic motor liability contract does not include some contractual clauses and/or guarantees offered by the insurance companies, such as:
- the protected bonus clauses, specific arrangements for compensation for damages, extension of the insurance coverage for circulation within non-European Union countries (green card);
- ancillary guarantees.

12. What are the ancillary guarantees?

The ancillary guarantees are optional coverages - not envisaged in the basic contract - connected and purchased together with the motor liability policy. They allow consumers to insure their assets more completely and effectively against the risks arising from the use of their vehicles.
For example, ancillary guarantees protect against the following risks: theft and fire of the vehicle, direct damage to the vehicle (all-risks coverage), damage to the vehicle resulting from social and political events/natural disasters/breakage, car glass, driver's accident, legal assistance, roadside assistance, etc.

13. Does the Public motor liability estimator provide information and prices regarding ancillary guarantees?

The Public motor liability estimator does not provide information and prices regarding ancillary guarantees as it only provides an estimate with regard to the basic motor liability contract and any additional conditions/clauses required by the consumer.

Nevertheless, the ancillary guarantees may be purchased from intermediaries or directly from insurance companies that operate with distance selling tools. In this case, without prejudice to the content and price envisaged in the estimate obtained using the public motor liability estimator, the inclusion in the policy of ancillary guarantees may be requested at the time of stipulation, for which an additional premium will be charged.

THE ESTIMATE: STRUCTURE - VALIDITY AND CONCLUSION OF THE CONTRACT

14. For which types of motor vehicle is it possible to request an insurance estimate for the Basic motor liability contract?

The types of vehicle for which it is possible to obtain an estimate include: cars, motorbikes and mopeds for private use, registered in Italy, San Marino and the Vatican City, to be insured exclusively under the “bonus-malus” formula.

15. For which motor vehicles or types of contract is it not possible to obtain an estimate for the basic motor liability contract?

The Public estimator does not provide estimates for basic motor liability contracts for vehicles other than passenger cars, motorbikes and mopeds for private use, particularly:
- passenger cars, motorbikes and mopeds for hire with driver and taximeter cars;
- passenger cars, motorbikes and mopeds for hire without a driver;
- passenger cars, motorbikes and mopeds used for driving schools, school buses or mini- school buses;
- cars, motorbikes and mopeds with temporary number plates and with a travel warrant;
- used cars, motorbikes and mopeds circulating for testing, inspection or demonstration purposes and therefore bearing “test plates”;
- cars, motorbikes and mopeds authorised for test-driving and therefore bearing “test plates”;
- cars, motorbikes and mopeds of historical interest registered in the “Automotoclub Storico Italiano (ASI), Storico Lancia, Italiano Fiat, Italiano Alfa Romeo” registers;
- car trailers identified with their own number plates (static risk).

Furthermore, the Public estimator does not provide estimates for the following particular types of contracts:
- temporary contracts (less than one year);
- multi-year contracts;
- contracts without “bonus/malus” formulas or other similar rates (premium discount in the absence of a claim/premium increase in the presence of a claim);
- contracts taken out in the form of an “administered register policy” (fleet policy) for motor liability insurance on company fleets;
- insurance contracts relating to the participation of cars, motorbikes and mopeds in races or sporting competitions referred to in article 124 of the Private Insurance Code, the relevant official tests and preliminary and final checks provided for in the specific competition regulations.

16. Is it possible to request estimates for a vehicle that is not yet registered (the final number plate of which is not known)?

The Public motor liability estimator also provides estimates for vehicles that have not yet been registered. In this case, in order to proceed, the following must be indicated on the first screen of the form: make, model and equipment of the vehicle for which you wish to obtain estimates.

17. Who can request an insurance estimate for the basic motor liability contract?

The Public estimator provides estimates exclusively to “consumers”, i.e. natural persons acting for purposes unconnected with any business, commercial, craft or professional activity.

18. What data and information are required to request an estimate?

To ask for an estimate, the following must be entered manually:
- policyholder’s tax code and the number plate of the vehicle to be insured;
- other elements needed to calculate the premium: vehicle data (e.g. type of insured vehicle, use of the vehicle, annual mileage, etc.), policyholder's data (e.g. marital status, educational qualification, profession, residence, etc.), insurance data (confirmation of the policy effective date);
- additional data, which the public motor liability estimator normally acquires automatically from the sector databases in the case of unavailability or incompleteness (e.g. vehicle make and model, policyholder's tax code, etc.).

19. What happens if incorrect information is included in the request for an estimate?

The utmost care must be taken when filling in the estimate request form. In fact, entering incorrect information could lead to the application of the rules on false and incomplete declarations.
In addition to the cancellation of the contract, this could also give the insurance company that paid the injured party a right of recourse against the policyholder in the event of a claim. In this case, the policyholder would have to reimburse the insurance company for the full amount paid to the injured party.

20. What information is included in the estimate?

In addition to the components of the motor liability premium, the estimate contains summary data regarding the estimate, the policyholder, the vehicle and the insurance situation.
In particular, each estimate is uniquely identified with an alphanumeric code/estimate number useful for entering the relative contract and necessary for the subsequent display of the estimate (within 60 days of the issue) when connecting the Public estimator subsequently.

21. What is the estimate alphanumeric code/identification number?

The alphanumeric code identifying the estimate (known as the "estimate number"), shown in the "estimate details" section, allows the estimate to be uniquely identified. This code will be useful for concluding the insurance contract at the terms and conditions and at the price indicated in the estimate, and to allow it to be viewed at a later date (within 60 days of issue), when accessing the Public motor liability estimator subsequently, without having to fill out the required form.

22. Can the estimates be printed?

The estimates are issued in pdf digital format and can be printed.

23. Is it possible, once the connection to the "Public Estimator" website has been closed, to call up the estimates in a subsequent access without having to fill in the required form again?

Estimates can always be retrieved - during their period of validity - by subsequent access to the “Public Estimator” website. To do this, it is necessary to have the estimate alphanumeric code, called the estimate number, which can be found in the “estimate details” section.

24. What criteria determine the order in which estimates are displayed?

If the user has requested estimates for the basic motor liability contract only, the list will be sorted in ascending order of price and, if the price is the same, in alphabetical order of the corporate name of the proposing insurance companies.
If the user has asked for estimates that, in addition to the basic contract, also include additional conditions/clauses, the estimates will be ordered in two separate lists:
- the first containing estimates that fully satisfy the user's request (presence in the price offer of all the required additional conditions/clauses);
- the second containing estimates that only partially meet the user's request (presence in the price offer of only some of the required additional conditions/clauses).
Both lists will be ordered in ascending order of price and, if the price is equal, in alphabetical order of the corporate name of the proposing insurance companies.

25. When concluding the contract, is it possible to request the inclusion of additional conditions/clauses not provided for in the estimate as well as ancillary guarantees?

When concluding the contract, the policyholder may request the inclusion in the policy of additional clauses/conditions not added to the estimate, and of ancillary guarantees. Obviously, in this case, a premium will have to be paid in addition to the premium indicated in the estimate for guarantees not included in the estimate.

26. How can the contract be concluded once the estimate has been obtained?

During the validity period of the estimate, the contract may be concluded in various ways depending on the sales channels used by the companies (insurance brokers, website and telephone).

- Insurance intermediaries
it is necessary to provide the paper/electronic estimate obtained through the public estimator or the estimate alphanumeric code/identification number;

- Website
If you wish to proceed with the conclusion of the contract immediately after choosing the estimate, simply access the company's website via the direct link provided in the chosen estimate and follow the instructions provided therein.
If, on the other hand, you wish to proceed with the conclusion of the contract at a later date, you will need to connect to the company's website, access the estimate search section and find the previously obtained estimate by entering the estimate alphanumeric code/identification number;

- Telephone
Contact the company's telephone number and provide the estimate alphanumeric code/identification number.