Which vehicles need to be insured?
The law is different for vehicles registered for road use and for other motorized vehicles.
Vehicles registered for road use
Motor liability insurance must always be valid for nearly all motorized vehicles, such as cars, tractors, field vehicles, and mopeds. Registered trailers also require insurance. If you are unsure whether your vehicle requires insurance, try our online test.
Motor liability insurance must be taken for the following:
- Cars
- Motorbikes and motocross bikes
- Mopeds
- Snowmobiles
- ATVs
- Tractors
- Power-driven work machinery
- Semi-trailers and trailers
- Caravan trailers
- Lightweight trailers
- Some electric mobility devices and motorised bicycles (read more: Electric mobility devices)
The insurance obligation is extensive to ensure that no one is left without compensation in the event of an accident.
Insurance is also required for vehicles registered for road use in the following cases:
- the vehicle is not driven
- the vehicle is broken, otherwise inoperable, or hasn’t passed its roadworthiness inspection
- the vehicle is only driven in the forest, in your own yard, on the ice, etc.
Read more about the exceptions to the obligation to insure
Read more about insuring vehicles used for racing, testing, or training purposes
If the obligation to insure is not observed for a vehicle, the use of the vehicle is prohibited, meaning that it cannot be used in traffic. If the vehicle is used, the police are permitted to take off its license plates. In addition, the annual vehicle roadworthiness inspection cannot be carried out on an uninsured vehicle.
Vehicles removed from road use
If you have a vehicle registered for road use but do not intend to drive it, you can remove it from road use. In this case, the vehicle does not need motor liability insurance. The notification of removal from road use must be made to Traficom or a vehicle inspection office.
If you want to terminate the motor liability insurance completely when removing the vehicle from road use, you must arrange this separately with your insurance company.
The removal can be temporary, but it is important to remember to obtain liability insurance immediately when the vehicle is returned to road use, regardless of whether you plan to drive it right away. If the insurance was entirely canceled upon the removal from road use, a new insurance policy must be obtained before the vehicle can be returned to road use.
Contact your insurance company to find out how removing your vehicle from road use affects your insurance premiums. Instructions and additional information on removing a vehicle from road use can be found on the Traficom website.
Vehicles not registered for road use
The obligation to have motor liability insurance generally applies to vehicles that do not need to be registered. Vehicles not registered for road use must have liability insurance when driven. Such vehicles include certain all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), trial bikes, and some motorized work machines. Additionally, some light electric vehicles will require liability insurance starting from June 1, 2024. A vehicle cannot be used even for off-road driving without insurance. However, these vehicles can be kept in storage without insurance. Insurance is needed only when the vehicle is taken out for use.
Only in a few exceptional cases is insurance not required at all. Starting June 1, 2024, these exceptions include electric wheelchairs designated for disabled use, motorized work machines intended for harvesting and production, and some light electric vehicles. If you are unsure, check your vehicle's insurance requirement with our online test.
Read more about insurance requirements for electric vehicles and exceptions to the insurance obligation.
When should you get insurance?
Get motor liability insurance as soon as you purchase a vehicle. If the previous owner has an active liability insurance policy on the vehicle, you have seven days to obtain your insurance. Check the frequently asked questions to see when the seven-day rule does not apply.
The previous owner's obligations do not transfer to the new owner. If the previous owner did not have insurance on a vehicle in use, they will be charged a penalty for being uninsured.
According to the law, an insurance company offering motor liability insurance cannot refuse to issue or maintain a requested motor liability insurance policy. Motor liability insurance can be obtained online, regardless of time and place.
Motor liability insurance must be obtained for an unregistered vehicle before the vehicle is used.
Read more about obtaining liability insurance.
What happens if you forget to insure?
If you fail to obtain insurance for a vehicle registered for road use, the Finnish Motor Insurers’ Center is legally required to charge increased fees for the period the vehicle was uninsured. This fee is imposed even if the vehicle owner or holder later notices the oversight and either removes the vehicle from road use or obtains insurance for it. There will always be a penalty fee for the uninsured period.
Read more about the insurance obligation and the consequences of neglecting it.
When you purchase a vehicle exempt from registration, such as an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), you must obtain liability insurance before driving it. If the vehicle is found in traffic without valid insurance, a penalty fee for being uninsured will be imposed.
