Car insurance, the price this year increases by at least 15% for those who have caused damage

2026-01-06 07:20:00, Ekonomi CNA

Car insurance, the price this year increases by at least 15% for those who have

Since the beginning of this year, the application of the bonus-malus system in compulsory third-party liability insurance (TPL) has come into force.

This system means that drivers who have caused damage during the previous year will pay higher insurance premiums, while those who have not caused damage will pay lower premiums.

According to calculations performed with automatic applications offered by insurance companies on their websites, the malus or penalty for drivers who have caused damage will be significantly higher than the bonus for those drivers who have not caused damage.

Last year, the minimum price of compulsory insurance, calculated with the lowest risk parameters (cars with engine power lower than 1300 cm3, up to five years old, with drivers with more than two years of experience, individuals and registered in one of the regions with the lowest frequency of claims) was approximately 15,500 lek. For this year, a driver with the same parameters and who has not caused any damage during 2024 will pay approximately 15,000 lek.

For other regions, including Tirana, last year the minimum price of TPL insurance was approximately 16 thousand lek, while this year it will be around 15,400 lek, in the case where the driver of the vehicle has not caused any damage.

The bonus that drivers with no claims history will receive will therefore be in the 3-4% range, with minor differences between companies.

Meanwhile, the malus or penalty that drivers who have caused at least one damage in the past year will have will be higher. The malus component has a slightly greater difference between different companies.

The increase for drivers who caused a claim last year, compared to the rates applied during 2025, will be in the range of 15%-20%, depending on the insurance company.

For drivers who have caused two or more damages last year, the increase, depending on the company, will be in the range of 33%-38%, compared to the rates applied last year.

If we compare this year's prices between drivers who have not caused any damage and those who have caused a damage, the difference starts from 19% to 27%, depending on the companies.

While drivers who have caused two or more damages will pay a higher insurance premium in the range of 37% to 42%, compared to those drivers who have not caused damages.

The application of the bonus-malus system is provided for in the law "On Compulsory Insurance in the Transport Sector", which has entered into force since 2021. However, the law provides for it as a right of insurance companies, but not an obligation.

The implementation of the bonus-malus principle became possible only after the adoption of the regulation "On the determination of risk factors included in the calculation of the premium for compulsory insurance products in the transport sector". This regulation entered into force at the beginning of 2025, but without including the bonus-malus element, which has been applied since January 1 of this year./monitor