Carpooling is different from carsharing, which is a motorised vehicle rental service for one-off trips, operated by licensed companies such as Carloh or Flex. There is no specific legal definition of carpooling in Luxembourg.
Carpooling offers many advantages:
- Economic advantages :
- Sharing of fuel costs, tolls and vehicle wear and tear
- Reduction in transport costs (fuel, parking): an employee travelling 30 km daily saves an average of €2,000 per year.
- Environmental benefits :
- Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (750 kg of CO2 per year per person)
- Decongestion of Luxembourg roads
- Social benefits
- Reduced stress and fatigue, as it is not always the same person driving
- Decongestion of parking lots
- Improved safety
Despite these advantages, the average car occupancy rate in Luxembourg remains low, with only 1.2 passengers per vehicle.
Source : Inspiring More Sustainability Luxembourg
Luxembourg has implemented various initiatives to try to develop carpooling and reduce road congestion.
Carpooling platforms and private initiatives
Several platforms help connect drivers and passengers in Luxembourg. The most popular platform is Blablacar Daily, the leading carpooling portal in the country and the Greater Region.
There are other lesser-known alternatives:
- Mobicoop
- Karos
- Ynstant
It is also possible to inquire within your own company about carpooling opportunities directly with your colleagues. Some companies even have internal platforms or intranet forums dedicated to carpooling.
Specific regulations and incentives
Luxembourg has introduced a specific measure to support carpooling: the A3 motorway now has its first dedicated carpooling and bus lane, which opened on 23 March 2025. Failure to comply with the rules in force in the carpooling lane can result in a fine of at least €74. Carpooling radars are planned for 2026 to enforce these regulations.
Apart from this incentive, there are no specific regulations for carpooling in Luxembourg.
In the case of carpooling, there is no specific compulsory insurance, apart from Civil Liability (CL) car insurance.
Indeed, in Luxembourg, taking out civil liability insurance is a minimum legal requirement for all vehicles. This insurance serves to protect third parties against bodily injury and material damage that the driver could cause them in the event of an accident.
In the case of carpooling, CL car insurance automatically covers the vehicle’s passengers in the event of an accident, whether they are members of the driver’s family or not. However, the driver is not protected unless they have subscribed to the protected driver guarantee.
Essential additional guarantees for the driver and the vehicle
The protected driver guarantee
Mandatory civil liability does not cover injuries to the driver responsible for the accident. This is why the “Protected Driver Guarantee” is crucial. Often optional – except within our Essential Auto Drive plan – this guarantee is essential to compensate the driver in the event of bodily injury, covering medical expenses, hospitalisation, and disability compensation. It can apply to the usual driver as well as any authorised driver.
Likewise, civil liability insurance does not cover material damage to your own vehicle.
Assistance
In the event of a breakdown or accident, if you do not have breakdown assistance coverage, you will have to pay the tow truck’s call-out fee. Breakdown assistance is often an optional benefit – except with our Essential Auto Drive plan.
“Casco” insurance (All Risks or Omnium)
“Casco” insurance (All Risks or Omnium) serves to protect your vehicle. It covers damage to your car, even if the accident is your fault, as well as claims related to theft, fire, glass breakage, natural hazards, or collisions with animals. This insurance is highly recommended, especially if your vehicle is essential for your daily travel.
The following table summarises the key insurance coverages you need to carpool safely:
Comparison of key insurance coverages for carpooling
| Insurance Feature | Civil liability (CL) | Protected Driver Guarantee | Casco/All Risks insurance |
| Passenger bodily injury |
✅ Yes |
Covered by CL | Covered by CL |
| Third-party material damage |
✅ Yes |
Covered by CL |
Covered by CL |
| Injuries of the at-fault driver |
❌ No |
✅ Yes |
Covers the vehicle, not the driver |
| Damage to your own vehicle |
❌ No |
Covers the driver, not the vehicle |
✅ Yes |
| Driver’s medical treatment costs |
❌ No |
✅ Yes |
N/A |
| Driver disability compensation |
❌ No |
✅ Yes |
N/A |
| Driver death benefit |
❌ No |
✅ Yes |
N/A |
Commuting between home and work accounts for a significant portion of travel. In the event of an accident, coverage may also be provided by the Accident Insurance Association (AAA), the Luxembourg social security organisation.
Definition of a commuting accident in Luxembourg
A commuting accident is considered a work accident if it occurs on the usual route between the insured person’s residence (whether it is their main residence, permanent secondary residence or any other place they regularly go to for family reasons) and their workplace. A particularly interesting aspect in the context of carpooling is the recognition of detours. The route may not be the most direct if the detour is necessary as part of regular carpooling, or to drop off or pick up a child living with the insured person with/from a third party to whom the child is entrusted.
Please note that certain exclusions apply: the accident is not covered if the insured person caused it or contributed to it through gross negligence, or if the journey was interrupted or diverted for a personal reason unrelated to the essential necessities of daily life.
Procedure for reporting an accident
In the event of a commuting accident, the insured person must inform their employer (or their representative) as soon as possible. The employer is then required to report the accident to the Accident Insurance Association (AAA).
Compensation by the Accident Insurance Association (AAA)
When a commuting accident is recognised by the AAA, the insured person can benefit from various benefits, such as:
- Bodily injuries: health care coverage (benefits in kind).
- Loss of income: cash compensation in the event of total inability to work, for a limited period
- Disability / Death: pension allowance (full or partial) in the event of permanent incapacity.
- Automotive material damage: compensation for vehicle damage, subject to a deductible and a cap. Please note that AAA does not provide compensation if the damage is already covered by private “material damage” (Casco) car insurance.
Cross-border workers can benefit from AAA benefits in kind, not only in Luxembourg, but also in their country of residence.
Carpooling in Luxembourg represents a solution offering significant economic, environmental and social benefits.
In summary, several key points deserve to be highlighted for a well-insured carpooling practice:
- Civil Liability (CL) car insurance, which is mandatory in Luxembourg, provides cover for passengers in the event of an accident.
- Subscribing to a "Protected Driver Guarantee" is strongly recommended to protect the driver against bodily injury, which is not covered by basic third-party liability insurance. This guarantee is included in the Essential plan of our Auto Drive insurance.
- Casco insurance (All Risks) is essential to cover material damage to your own vehicle.
- It is imperative that carpooling remains a simple sharing of costs, without generating profit, in order to avoid falling under the exclusion of “transport of people against cost” present in most non-professional insurance contracts.
- Travel accidents occurring during regular carpooling are covered by the Accident Insurance Association (AAA), even in the event of justified detours.
To carpool with complete peace of mind, it is strongly recommended that you carefully review your car insurance contract and check with your insurer to clarify any doubts.
At Baloise, you benefit from driver protection and assistance in addition to compulsory civil liability, starting with our Essential package in Drive car insurance.
Your standard civil liability insurance automatically covers carpooling in Luxembourg. The vehicle owner simply needs to ensure their insurance policy is up-to-date and valid. Passengers are considered third parties and are therefore covered by this mandatory guarantee in the event of an accident. For optimal protection, we recommend checking that your policy includes the protected driver guarantee, which is particularly useful for shared trips.
Carpooling vehicles on the A3 motorway must have at least two people on board to use the dedicated lane. The speed limit is 90 km/h in normal times, and reduced to 70 km/h during rush hour (6 a.m. to 11 a.m. towards the capital, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. towards France). Failure to comply with these rules will result in a fine of 74 euros.
In the event of an accident during a shared trip, passengers receive the same compensation as a regular passenger. The driver's civil liability insurance covers bodily injury and property damage for carpoolers, with no deductible or specific cap. The driver simply has to report the accident to their insurer, specifying that it was a carpooling trip and providing the passengers’ contact information to facilitate their compensation.
The protected driver guarantee provides compensation for bodily injuries suffered in a carpooling accident, whether you are at fault or not. This essential protection covers your medical expenses not reimbursed by the CNS, loss of income during your recovery, and any permanent after-effects. The protected driver guarantee covers the driver of the car, even if they are not the car owner and the insured person.
The carpool lane on the A3 motorway in Luxembourg connects the Berchem rest area to Croix de Gasperich. This left-hand lane, which is accessible 24/7, requires a minimum of two people in the vehicle to use it.
The maximum speed is set at 90 km/h, reduced to 70 km/h during rush hour (6 a.m. to 11 a.m. toward Luxembourg City, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. toward France). Specific road signs and road markings clearly indicate this regulation to road users.
The Grand Ducal Police conduct regular checks, and single drivers using this lane are subject to a minimum fine of €74. Carpooling vehicles are not obliged to use this dedicated lane, which remains an option to ease traffic flow.