Car insurance 2026 — the bonus matters more than the car
A €20,000 car with comprehensive cover and no no-claims bonus costs an estimated €860–1,500 a year. The same car with a seventy per cent bonus costs €350–618. Same car, same driver, half the price.
The bonus is the single biggest factor in Finnish car insurance, and it accrues only through claim-free years. The second biggest is age: a driver under 25 pays roughly 40 per cent more for the same cover. Below is what makes up the price and which choices actually move it.
- €350–618
- estimate per year, €20,000 car, 70 % bonus
- €860–1,500
- the same car with no bonus
- +40 %
- driver under 25
- 30–50 %
- spread between insurers
Traffic insurance is compulsory, kasko is not
Traffic insurance (liikennevakuutus) is required by law for every vehicle in road use. It compensates the damage you cause to others: their car, their injuries and your own personal injury. It pays nothing towards your own car. Driving without it triggers a neglect charge many times the price of the insurance itself.
Kasko is voluntary and covers damage to your own car. You choose the level: partial kasko typically covers fire, theft, vandalism, glass and elk collisions, while comprehensive kasko adds collision damage that is your own fault. The price difference is significant, and the difference in what gets paid out is larger still.
| Cover | Traffic insurance | Kasko | Total per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traffic insurance only | €126–210 | — | €126–210 | €10.50–17.50 |
| Partial kasko | €126–210 | €122–245 | €248–455 | €20.70–37.90 |
| Comprehensive kasko | €126–210 | €224–408 | €350–618 | €29.20–51.50 |
These are estimates, not quotes. Finnish insurers price by individual driver, and for the same car and the same driver the spread between companies runs from thirty to fifty per cent. That makes shopping around unusually well paid here.
The bonus: slow to earn, quick to lose
The bonus grows with every claim-free insurance period and falls after a paid claim. The maximum is typically 70–85 per cent depending on the insurer. The bonus follows the driver rather than the car, so it moves to a new vehicle and usually transfers when you change insurer.
| Bonus | Estimate per year |
|---|---|
| 0 % | €860–1,500 |
| 30 % | €642–1,122 |
| 50 % | €496–870 |
| 70 % | €350–618 |
| 85 % | €241–429 |
What else moves the price
- The driver’s age. Under-25 drivers carry a statistically higher risk, and the estimate model raises the price by about 40 per cent.
- Where you live. Claims are more frequent in the capital region, adding roughly 10–15 per cent.
- The car’s value. Kasko is priced against the value of the car, so a more expensive car costs proportionally more to cover.
- The deductible. A higher deductible lowers the premium, but it is also the amount you pay yourself in every single claim.
- Annual mileage and where the car is kept also affect the price at many insurers.
On an old car, kasko stops paying for itself at some point. If the market value is €2,000 and comprehensive cover costs €250 a year, over eight years the insurance costs more than the car is worth — and a payout is always based on market value at the time of the loss, not on what the car once cost.
After a claim: what the payout is based on
A kasko payout is based on the car’s market value at the moment of the loss, not on the purchase price and not on the debt outstanding. Market value is what an equivalent car would sell for — and it is almost always lower than the owner expects. Where the damage is repairable the repair is paid for, but if repairing would cost more than the car is worth, the insurer buys the car and pays its value.
Report a claim quickly and document it on the spot: photographs at the scene, the other party’s details and an account of what happened. If the decision looks wrong, you can ask the insurer to review it and then take the matter to the free Finnish Financial Ombudsman Bureau or the Consumer Disputes Board. Neither costs anything, and both handle the case independently of the insurer. The deductible is taken from each claim separately, so two separate incidents in one year mean paying it twice — which is reason enough to check the figure in your policy before raising it.
What the estimate is not
The figure from the calculator is a range, not a quote. It is built on typical market prices and tells you the order of magnitude: whether this is twenty euros a month or fifty. The real price only appears when you request quotes, and it is worth requesting them from at least three insurers.
When comparing policies the price is only half the picture. The other half is the terms: the size of the deductible, how a payout is calculated, whether a replacement car is included, and what the kasko actually covers. The cheapest policy is cheap for a reason, and the reason lives in the terms.
Calculators for this topic
FAQ
How much does car insurance cost in Finland in 2026?
For a €20,000 car with comprehensive kasko and a 70 per cent bonus, an estimated €350–618 a year, or about €29–52 a month. Traffic insurance alone on the same details is roughly €126–210 a year.
Is kasko compulsory?
No. Only traffic insurance is required by law, and it covers damage caused to others. Kasko is voluntary and covers damage to your own car. A finance company may still require kasko if the car secures a loan.
How much does the bonus affect the price?
More than any other single factor. In the example, no bonus means €860–1,500 a year while a 70 per cent bonus means €350–618. The maximum bonus is typically 70–85 per cent.
Should I report a small claim?
Do the sums first. If the payout after the deductible is small, losing the bonus can cost more over several years. Some insurers offer separate bonus protection.
When should I drop kasko?
When the car’s market value approaches a few years of premiums. A payout is always based on market value at the time of the loss, so a low-value car cannot produce a large claim.
Why does the calculator give a range instead of a price?
Because Finnish insurers price by individual driver, and for the same car and driver the spread between companies is 30–50 per cent. The range shows the order of magnitude; the exact price comes only from quotes.