Ethias car insurance: four omnium formulas compared

Ethias in fact sells four stacked omnium contracts, and only the "material damage" line decides whether a repairable car will be reimbursed. The exclusions, for their part, are almost the same throughout. Here is what Ethias's public information sheet says, formula by formula, as read on 14 October 2026. (Omnium is the Belgian term for own-damage cover.)

What does each of the four Ethias formulas cover?

The formulas work in layers. Each level takes the previous one and adds a guarantee.

Source: Ethias "Assurance Auto" information sheet, reference 1251-044/1, probably the April 2026 edition. The document is not personalised and does not replace your particular conditions: only the line written there binds the insurer.

A useful point on vocabulary. Total loss pays for a car no longer worth repairing. Material damage pays for the repair. In between lies a whole range of repairable, and therefore frequent, accidents that only Omnium settles.

What does the material damage guarantee change, and at what excess?

Everything, in the case of the crumpled bumper. Mini Omnium Plus will pay nothing if the car is repairable, even at 3,500 euros.

Then comes the excess. For Omnium and Omnium Plus, the sheet provides 0, 500 or 1,000 euros depending on the amount chosen in the contract, provided you use an Ethias-approved repairer. Outside the network, the amounts rise to 500, 1,000 or 1,500 euros. And if the policyholder is under 26, the excess is fixed at 500 euros, whichever garage is used.

Worked example. A deep scratch and a headlight to replace, quote 2,400 euros. With a 500 euro excess at an approved repairer, you receive 1,900 euros. With the same starting excess but a garage outside the network, it becomes 1,000 euros: you receive 1,400 euros. Five hundred euros of difference for the same repair, simply because the mechanic was not on the list.

The principle is that of the excess: the lower it is, the higher the premium.

Omnium Plus: an advantage that vanishes at month 46

Omnium Plus costs more because it depreciates the car more slowly after a total loss. The sheet gives both grids.

Applied to a car with an insured value of 20,000 euros, these grids give very different payouts depending on the month of the claim. At 24 months, Omnium withholds 18%, a payout of 16,400 euros, against 20,000 euros under Omnium Plus. At 30 months the gap peaks: 15,200 euros against 20,000. At 36 months, 14,000 against 17,000. At 40 months, 13,200 against 15,000.

Then the curves meet. At month 46, both formulas have depreciated 40% and each pays 12,000 euros. Beyond that, nothing separates them.

Put differently, the Omnium Plus surcharge protects you only during the first three or four years. This calculation is mine, built on the published grid: the sheet does not detail how it applies to each file, and before month 73 a minimum-value guarantee may change the result. Ask the branch to redo the calculation on your car. For the difference between market value, agreed value and new-for-old value and the wear-and-tear mechanism, two articles on this site set out the rules.

Vandalism, keys, tyres: three exclusions shared by all four formulas

This is the section that matters most, and the one the sales page does not show. For the four formulas, the information sheet lists the situations not covered:

• theft when the key was lost or left in or on the vehicle, and theft committed by family or staff;
• acts of vandalism;
• damage to tyres, unless it accompanies other covered damage.

The second point deserves a pause. Many policyholders believe full omnium covers a deliberate scratch. At Ethias, the sheet nevertheless lists it among the exclusions, including for Omnium and Omnium Plus. I could not read the text of the general-conditions article that defines these exclusions (according to the table of contents it is article 21 of title 5 and article 22 of title 6): that is the one to open before concluding. Our article on vandalism explains why this line varies from one insurer to another.

Another point: headlight units. The glass breakage section sits at article 4 of both titles, but I could not verify whether light units appear there. Ask in writing; the windscreen glass cover article shows why.

Alcohol, licence, roadworthiness test: the personal conditions of the cover

An omnium does not always pay, even for covered damage. The sheet cites four situations that void the guarantee for driver insurance, Mini Omnium Plus, Omnium and Omnium Plus:

• a blood alcohol level of 0.8 g/l or more;
• taking part in races or speed contests;
• no driving licence;
• a car that fails the roadworthiness test (contrôle technique).

The last point is surprising. An expired roadworthiness test can be enough to complicate a claim, even though the car has nothing to do with the accident. I do not rule on the exact effects for you: your particular conditions and the notion of forfeiture of cover say when the insurer may reduce or refuse. The reference legal text is the Act of 4 April 2014 on insurance (in French).

In case of theft, a short deadline: a report to the authorities within 48 hours, according to the sheet.

Mobility and Mobility Maxi: two assistance levels, not one

Mobility, included in the contract, provides 24-hour breakdown service, return of passengers home and a replacement vehicle limited to 6 days after a total loss. It applies in Belgium, Luxembourg and up to 50 km beyond other borders.

Mobility Maxi extends these durations: up to 10 days during a repair, 30 days after a total loss or complete theft, with Ethias's prior agreement. It is an option, except with Omnium Plus where it is included. To place this service against other contracts, see the article on breakdown cover.

Can you leave Ethias during the year?

Yes, with notice. The contract lasts one year and renews automatically. You may cancel at the latest two months before the anniversary. After 12 months of cover, cancellation is possible at any time, taking effect two months after notification, by registered letter, bailiff's notice or letter with acknowledgement of receipt. The guide to cancelling car insurance details the steps.

For which driver does Ethias make sense?

For a recent car, under four years old, that would lose a lot of value after a total loss: that is where the gap between Omnium and Omnium Plus plays out, and where comparing is worthwhile. For an older car, the depreciation grids become identical and the question narrows to the excess and the choice between Mini Omnium Plus and Omnium. For a policyholder under 26, the 500 euro excess is imposed: the premium calculation must take it into account.

To set Ethias against other Belgian insurers, the comparison tool sets guarantees side by side, the ranking of the best car insurers details what each company covers, and the quiz frames the omnium level you need. For Ethias's status and solvency, see our list of insurers; for another sales channel, the article on Belfius.

The documents quoted are public: the Ethias car insurance information sheet and the general conditions (both in French). In case of dispute over the extent of a guarantee, the Insurance Ombudsman, the Belgian dispute service for insurance consumers, reviews the file free of charge, and the FSMA, the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority, oversees insurers' conduct rules.

This site informs and compares. It is not an insurance intermediary and gives no individual recommendation. The guarantees described are those publicly displayed by Ethias on the survey date and may change.