When and how can you change your car insurer?

Signing a third party liability insurance contract with a selected insurance company is one of the obligations of every driver who wants to drive a car on Polish roads. However, sometimes there are situations when we would like to change our current insurer. Is it possible? It turns out that yes, but only in certain cases.

Choosing the best insurance company with which to sign a car liability insurance policy is not the easiest task. The reason for this is primarily the diversity of the insurance market in Poland and the large number of companies dealing in this particular field of insurance. However, it sometimes happens that we do not want to continue cooperation with the current service provider and would prefer to terminate our contract before the standard 12 months have elapsed.

It turns out that changing the insurance company is possible, but only in certain situations. What's more, it will involve additional matters that we will have to deal with.

So, before we decide to transfer the liability insurance of our car to another company, let's do a thorough reconnaissance of profits and losses. Let's calculate whether changing the insurer will be profitable not only financially, but also in the context of the scope of vehicle protection offered, as well as in terms of the level of service quality (this is best verified by seeking opinions from friends and family).

When you can change your insurer – 3 situations

We will be able to terminate the insurance contract with the current one and sign a new one with another insurer in the following cases:

1. THE CURRENT POLICY IS EXPIRED - this situation seems obvious. When the third party liability insurance policy expires, we can look for a new insurer. However, we should do it before the expiry date of the current contract - in accordance with the regulations, continuity of third party liability insurance must be maintained. If it is violated, we may be subject to financial penalties imposed by the Insurance Guarantee Fund.

2. WE BUY A SECOND-HAND CAR - it often happens that the used car we bought has a paid insurance policy, and there is still a lot of time left until its expiry. According to the regulations, this policy will be transferred to the new owner of the vehicle, and he will have a choice - he can leave it and continue cooperation with the current insurer (taking into account the possibility of recalculation of premiums) or resign from it and sign a contract with another company. In this case, speed of action is also important. When resigning from the current liability insurance policy, we should have an alternative at hand.

3. WE HAVE TWO INSURANCE AT THE SAME TIME - such situations occur when we forget that our existing policy has not yet expired or has been extended automatically, and we manage to buy another one. Fortunately, there is a way out of this situation - the law allows us to resign from the first concluded contract, but pay part of the premiums for the period in which we used the protection. As you can guess, time will also play an important role in this case. The amount we will have to pay to the first insurer will depend on it.

How to change your car insurer – complete the formalities!

If we meet one of the above conditions for changing the insurance company, and additionally we have already chosen a new insurer with whom we would like to establish cooperation, we have no choice but to take care of all the formalities.

To be sure that our policy will be terminated, it is best to prepare an official letter in which we inform the insurer that we no longer want to cover our vehicle. It is good practice to deliver such a letter in person - then we will be sure that it has reached the recipient. However, if we are unable to do so, we can send them by post and then make sure that they have been received correctly by contacting the customer service office.