More to the point, perhaps is that, in the scenario that you posit, the payout would be sufficient to source a replacement in the UK market and import it to France (more-or-less).
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As I pointed out earlier, in this case buying an equivalent RHD car in the UK plus the cost of importing it to France would be far more than the cost of repairing the car.
But the costs of importing etc, are a choice/option, the owner can opt to engage in, or not. The insurance Co. are simply interested in the value, of a RHD car, in France, which is, “Not a lot” slightly_smiling_face:
Indeed, though from Mark’s post it sounds as the value of a RHD model in France is not dissimilar to the value of the same model on the 2nd hand market in the UK - it’s just that the residuals in France are that much higher generally (for various reasons which, I think, have come up in discussion previously).
David is correct, of course, in that the pay out won’t truly cover the cost of replacement - but then, that’s motor insurance for you (and why gap cover was invented but AFAICS that’s not “a thing” in France).
So, much easier, and finally, cheaper to buy a car here, how anyone/resident, can be bothered to trail over to the UK to buy a car mystifies me?
Unless it’s a specialist/classic motor, (if they are what switches one on 
) that’s unavailable here.
The “Gap Cover” sounds ok if you want to pay for it, but no one should be surprised at the insurance value of a French registered RHD car in France 
Motor insurance should cover the cost of a replacement evuivalent car minus the excess - if receiving a lower offer than this from the insurance company reject it and ask for the replacement car.
Gap insurance normally sold on a new car is sold to replace a damaged no longer new car with a brand new car. It seems a bit daft to me that if you have damaged a 12 month old car that you get a 12 month old car as a replacement and mot expect a brand new car.
I lent my Volvo estate to a sailing friend years ago, when changing crews in Scotland, he had an accident with it, write off, I received nothing like it’s value, asked for a replacement, not a hope, bite the bullet and move on 
The problem is that the insurer’s idea of “Market Value” might not be yours.
Thanks for the correction on gap insurance - turns out I had a slightly wrong mental model for how it works but looking at a couple of policies in more detail it seems that it is intended to cover depreciation so it fixes the value of the car at the amount you paid. In doing so, of course, it will also “fix” any slightly low valuation from the main insurer.
Do you not in this instance get the insurer to provide details of a similar car they have found as the basis of their valuation.
It would seem to make sense on taking out a policy to establish what their method is to establish a value for the written off car.
Gap insurance seems daft as it is an insurance policy on an insurance policy due to the expectation that the insurance company won’t honour the principle of like for like (minus excess).
Not sure how far you’d get, I expect a typical insurer to say “our book value is this” and the onus would very much be on you to negotiate and/or demonstrate otherwise.
The only time I wrote a car off - due to badly misjudging the depth of a ford and “hydraulic-ing” the engine I think the pay-out struck me as low but I was eligible for a company car at the time so a quick call to HR to tell them I now wanted to take up the offer and a quick call to the car pool and I was back on the road with no more pain in the pocket.
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I have insured five vehicles here and not once was I asked if it was LHD or RHD. The insurers (or their agents) are clearly not bothered at the point of selling you the policy. The chickens come home to roost when you need to make a claim.
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Exactly! 
Which is exactly why I made the OP.
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Of course if you buy a large engined RHD car in the UK at a substantial discount because it is very unattractive to UK buyers and import it to France at very little cost then the sums are very different.
I’ve done this on a couple of UK registered RHD 2001 BMWs and saved a bucket load of money.
On the other hand if you buy a new £40-50,000 RHD drive car and bring it to France you may well have a fight on your hands if something happens to it regardless of the French insurance company.
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That would have been in the days before the “Malus” tax, I assume?
I have not been asked either… but as our UK car came over with UK plates on it and a V5 … I reckon that is a bit of a give away.
As I have said, I will be discussing with my Insurers at some stage… and will report back.
@letstryagain We’ve never had a contemptuous stare in 8 years of driving a french registered RHD car here? Sometimes a very startled stare when the dog is sitting in the passenger’s seat…
Our only small problems have been in the previous 30+ years driving on UK plates in areas that are sick of tourists. Since we moved over and changed plates we’ve not had a problem.
@janejones…well it was just that it had happened that day that I read the thread. I’ve been here about twenty years so it was a rare occurence and no big deal.
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All our Landy’s have been RHD and resold in France for less than the cost of a LHD but still at a price level where we haven’t lost any money and is some cases, have made a profit. I quite agree however that this is entirely different to trying to sell a RHD Fiesta.
A few years back we bought a RHD Landy that had been written off by the insurers after a crash. They offered the owner a lower sum than the value due to it being RHD but she engaged the services of an independent assessor and won. So I’d suggest that if you do end up making a claim for a RHD vehicle it may well be worth paying someone to fight the insurers for you.
The assessor also helped us getting it certified as being reparable and we did (eventually!) get it legally back on the road.
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All five of mine entered carrying UK plates, etc. but on not one occasion did the agent get of their butts to look at the car. In my world, if the driving position is an issue the question should be asked and registered on the form. It certainly is in UK.
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