Bonus-Malus is one of the factors that directly affects the cost of RCA in Moldova. The system takes insurance history into account: if there are no relevant insured events, the class gradually improves and the coefficient decreases. After an accident involving a claim for which the insured person is responsible, the class may become less favourable. This is why two drivers with similar cars may pay different amounts for compulsory motor insurance.
When calculating RCA in Moldova, the system takes into account not only the vehicle’s characteristics, the driver’s age or driving experience. Insurance history also plays an important role and is reflected through the Bonus-Malus system.
It allows the system to consider whether there were insured events with claim payments in previous periods and how consistently the driver maintained an insurance history without losses.
Therefore, if the price of a new policy differs from what you paid last year, one possible reason may be a change in your Bonus-Malus class.
What Bonus-Malus is
Bonus-Malus is a system of reducing and increasing coefficients used when calculating the RCA insurance premium.
The principle is relatively simple:
Bonus is granted for a favourable insurance history and can reduce the cost of RCA.
Malus applies when there are insured events relevant to the person’s history and can increase the policy price.
Under the current rules, the system includes classes from M to 17. Each class has its own coefficient.
For example:
- class 7 — coefficient 1.00;
- class 8 — 0.95;
- class 10 — 0.85;
- class 12 — 0.75;
- class 15 — 0.60;
- class 17 — 0.50.
Class M, by contrast, corresponds to a coefficient of 2.50.
As a result, the difference between the most favourable and the least favourable class can have a significant effect on the final insurance premium.
You can officially check your class through RCA.BNM.MD.
Why Bonus-Malus affects the cost of RCA
RCA is not priced as one fixed amount for every vehicle.
Under Law No. 106/2022, the insurance premium is calculated using the base premium together with risk criteria, adjustment coefficients and the Bonus-Malus coefficient.
This means that Bonus-Malus is one of the elements that make up the final RCA price.
If the coefficient is 1.00, it does not reduce or increase the corresponding part of the calculation.
With a coefficient of 0.50, the impact of Bonus-Malus is half as large as with a coefficient of 1.00.
A less favourable coefficient, for example 1.60 or 2.50, increases the insurance premium instead.
However, Bonus-Malus should not be considered separately from the other pricing parameters. The final price is influenced by additional data as well, so the same class does not automatically mean the same RCA price for two different policyholders.
You can read more about the factors affecting the calculation in the article “RCA in Moldova: how to calculate the cost and take out a policy online”.
How the Bonus-Malus class changes
If a person takes out RCA for the first time and has no previous insurance contracts, they are assigned class 7 with a coefficient of 1.00.
After that, the class depends on the insurance history.
If there were no insured events during the previous insurance period that affect Bonus-Malus, the person moves to the next more favourable class when a new contract is concluded.
For example:
class 7 → class 8 → class 9 → class 10 and so on.
Each step reduces the coefficient by 0.05.
With a consistently claim-free insurance history, it is therefore possible to progress gradually to class 17, which corresponds to a coefficient of 0.50.
This is the maximum bonus under the current scale.
Important: the bonus applies when an RCA contract is concluded for 12 months. For contracts with a shorter term, the rules for applying the reduction differ.
What happens to Bonus-Malus after an accident
Being involved in an accident does not automatically mean that the class will become worse.
What matters is whether the event is recorded in the insurance history and whether the insured person was held liable and the insurer paid compensation.
When the next contract is concluded, the system takes into account the number of such events during the previous insurance period.
Under the current rules:
- one insured event moves the person two steps towards a less favourable class;
- two events move them five steps;
- three or more insured events may result in class M.
For this reason, several accidents can have a much stronger effect on the future RCA price than many drivers expect.
For example, if a driver had a favourable Bonus-Malus class, one insured event does not necessarily remove the entire accumulated bonus, but the coefficient will become less favourable.
After that, the class can gradually improve again through subsequent insurance periods without events that affect Bonus-Malus.
What happens if several drivers are included in the policy
This is particularly important when calculating RCA.
If several people are listed in the contract as permitted drivers, a separate Bonus-Malus coefficient is determined for each of them.
The calculation uses the least favourable coefficient among all drivers included in the policy.
For example, if the vehicle owner has a good insurance class but another driver with a less favourable history is added to the policy, this may affect the final RCA price.
That is why it is important to provide correct details for all drivers who will be included in the contract.
How to find out your Bonus-Malus class
You do not need to search through old insurance policies or reconstruct your history year by year.
The official RCA.BNM.MD portal offers a dedicated “Află clasa Bonus-Malus” service.
For an individual, you need to enter:
- personal IDNP code;
- date of birth.
The system retrieves the information from the RCA Data state information system.
On the same portal, you can also check your current RCA policy, view information about registered insured events and use the insurance premium calculator.
The class is also taken into account automatically when a new policy is issued — you do not need to select it manually.
Can Bonus-Malus be improved
You cannot buy a better class or separately obtain an additional discount.
The class changes based on insurance history.
The main way to improve Bonus-Malus is to accumulate consecutive insurance periods without events that affect the class.
With a favourable history, the coefficient gradually decreases:
1.00 → 0.95 → 0.90 → 0.85 and so on, down to 0.50.
In practice, the Bonus-Malus system rewards a long-term claim-free insurance history.
Changing insurance companies does not automatically reset your history. The data is stored in RCA Data and is used in future calculations.
Why your class may differ from what you expected
Sometimes a driver expects a higher bonus but receives a different class when taking out a policy.
There may be several reasons:
- an insured event was previously registered;
- the previous contract included a different set of permitted drivers;
- the previous insurance period did not meet the conditions for moving to the next bonus class;
- the driver estimated their current class incorrectly;
- the history includes data from earlier RCA contracts.
If the calculation raises questions, it is best to check your class on the official portal first and then compare it with the data used when the policy is issued.
How Bonus-Malus is taken into account when calculating RCA
When RCA is issued, the system automatically retrieves the necessary data and applies the current coefficient.
On Superpolis.md, you can enter the owner’s and vehicle’s details and receive a calculation before paying for the policy.
It is especially important to enter the personal ID code and vehicle registration certificate details correctly. These details are used to identify the policyholder and the vehicle.
If you want to understand in more detail why motor insurance prices differ from one owner to another, you can also read “How much does car insurance cost in Moldova: RCA, Green Card and CASCO — what is the price difference?”.
FAQ
What Bonus-Malus class does a driver receive when taking out RCA for the first time?
If there is no previous insurance history, class 7 with a coefficient of 1.00 is assigned.
What is the maximum bonus available?
Class 17 corresponds to a coefficient of 0.50 — the most favourable class under the current scale.
Does Bonus-Malus become worse after every accident?
No. The system takes into account insured events that affect the insurance history. Simply being involved in an accident without being responsible does not automatically worsen the class.
If there were no accidents for one year, how much does the class improve?
If the system’s conditions are met, the person moves to the next bonus class. For example, from class 8 to class 9.
Why can adding another driver increase the RCA price?
If several permitted drivers are included in the contract, the least favourable Bonus-Malus coefficient among them is used for the calculation.
Where can I check my Bonus-Malus?
On the official RCA.BNM.MD portal using your IDNP and date of birth.
Calculate RCA based on your insurance history
Bonus-Malus is not a separate discount that you need to request from the insurer. It is part of the RCA pricing system and automatically takes insurance history into account.
The longer a person maintains RCA without insured events that affect the class, the more favourable the coefficient may become. Accidents involving claim payments for which the insured person is responsible can, on the other hand, lead to a less favourable class.
That is why, when comparing RCA prices, it is important to consider not only the vehicle, age or driving experience, but also the current Bonus-Malus class.
→ Calculate and take out RCA on Superpolis.md