Your candidate’s sticker can void your car insurance and lead to other problems

Drivers who intend to stick electoral propaganda stickers on the car or use the vehicle in campaign activities need to notify the insurance company beforehand. The alert is from the National Federation of General Insurance (FenSeg), which states that the change may lead to the refusal of compensation in case of theft, theft or collision. Electoral propaganda is allowed as of August 16, and the first round of elections takes place on October 4.

According to Keila Farias, vice president of the FenSeg Auto Insurance Commission, to Agência Brasil, the sticker with electoral material and the use of the car in campaign acts can be interpreted by insurers as an increase in risk, due to greater exposure to accidents, vandalism and circulation at public events.

Why Compensation Can Be Denied

The insurers argue that using the car to transport campaign material, to move teams or to support candidates and parties changes the conditions evaluated when the contract was signed. If this profile changes and the policy is not updated, the company may refuse payment.

FenSeg also points out that damage to the stickers themselves, plots and wraps are usually outside conventional covers. Losses resulting from riots, riots and acts of vandalism are also, as a rule, among the exclusions provided for in the contracts, precisely the most likely situations in motorcades and concentrations. The entity’s guidance is to consult with the broker before providing any service to candidates or parties and, when necessary, to apply for an endorsement to formally register the change in the policy.

Sticker has a legal limit, and wrapping may require going to the DMV

Electoral legislation also restricts what can be pasted on the bodywork. Law 9,504/1997 and Resolution 23,610/2019 of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) authorize plastic stickers of up to 0.5 m² in cars, trucks, motorcycles and bicycles. The only exception is the micro-perforated adhesive, which can occupy the entire length of the rear window. Advertising above these measures can be framed as irregular and generate a fine for the owner.

The electoral wrapping also has an administrative implication: if the intervention changes the predominant color of the vehicle, the change must be authorized by the DMV and registered in the document. Circulating with the color or characteristic changed without updating the registration is a serious infraction, with a fine, five points on the license and retention of the vehicle until regularization, according to article 230 of the Brazilian Traffic Code (CTB). Partial applications, such as roof, hood or strips, do not require the procedure, as long as the original color remains predominant.