Changing car...insurance questions !

richardvc

I hope to change my car on this Monday 13th....

I started my current new policy with the RAC on 14th January which I paid in full up front.

Do I have to stick with the same insurer and be at the mercy of how much they want to charge me...?

Can I shop around for a new insurer commencing Monday... ?

Any other tips / help / advice ?

I have always just phoned up and changed the car details before but if I can get a better deal elsewhere......

benjus

Assuming you haven't claimed since the policy started, you can change insurer whenever you like regardless of whether you change cars. However, you will drop back to the same NCD that you had at the start of the policy (i.e. wasting the months since the policy started), and you are unlikely to get a full pro-rata refund. So unless the new insurer is a LOT cheaper, these extra costs will mean that it's not worth changing.

AFAIK if you have claimed since the policy started, you won't get any refund at all.

richardvc

Thanks Benjus - no I haven't made a claim.

Dug my details out and then phoned the insurer and you are correct in your assumption that any savings in other policies are vastly outweighed by cancellation costs and fees !! It made staying with my current insurer the only realistic option.

Thanks for your quick and accuarate advice that has saved me trawling all the comparison sites etc etc

AlexisV

They should just transfer the insurance across (for a fee), plus you'll have to pay extra if the new car is more to insure anyway.

thenudeone

Although in a few cases insurers have refused to transfer to a new car because they consider it too high a risk.
It's important to ring them BEFORE you get the new car. If they won't transfer it across then YOU can ask to cancel the policy as soon as you no longer have your car. If you wait 'til afterwards, then THEY could cancel your policy immediately, which will have to be declared to every insurer when they ask "have you ever had a policy cancelled by an insurer?"