When you sign an insurance contract, it is always a good idea to ask yourself about its expiry date and the terms of cancellation. Let’s take stock of the change in insurance for car insurance contracts.
Canceling your car insurance during the first year, is it possible?
During the first year of the contract, an obligation binds you to your insurance company. However, there are special cases that make it possible to cancel the car insurance before this legal period:
- in case of sale, destruction or theft of your car;
- in case of relocation,
- change in marital status,
- change of profession,
- retirement or permanent cessation of business activity.
It is also possible to cancel your car insurance contract if your insurance company has increased its rate, if it has canceled one of your contracts after an injury, or if you observe an increase in the deductible.
You can terminate the contract within 3 months after one of the above events with one month’s notice. None of these situations apply to you? So wait patiently for the annual expiration date of your contract.
Can I change car insurance at any time?
As explained by the National Consumer Institute, “in the vast majority of cases, insurance contracts offered to individuals are concluded for a period of one year. Unless terminated by either party upon expiration, the contract is automatically renewed from year to year. This is the principle of tacit renewal. »
You can therefore terminate your car contract when it expires, with a notice of 2 months before the main expiry date, by registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt. Make sure the due date matches the anniversary date of the contract and is not set to January 1st (if this is the case, send your letter by October 31st).
After the first year has passed, the Hamon law, which entered into force on January 1, 2015, allows you to cancel your car insurance contract at any time, without financial penalties and without having to give reasons yourself, by sending a registered letter with receipt of receipt..
How do you change car insurance during the year?
The new insurance company often takes care of all termination procedures with your previous insurance company and ensures the continuity of your coverage. Communicate to him all the information and documents for the change of insurance that he needs: name of the insurance company, contract number, vehicle registration, main expiry date. Your old insurance contract is terminated one month after the letter is sent, and your new insurance contract comes into force on the same date.
As for your information statement, detailing your driving history and indicating any damage, it will automatically be sent to your new insurance company. The latter uses it to determine the price of your car contract.
>> Click here to change car insurance
Car insurance change: what was it like before the Hamon law?
In the past, many insurance companies required their policyholders to respect the anniversary of their contract in order to cancel it. Needless to say, a large number of contracts have been renewed for another year due to lack of timely response. But between the holidays to organise, the dinner invitations to honor – and return –, the children’s homework to supervise, the work to catch up in the evenings and the small dishes to cook, it’s hard to show up for 1 p.m. right time.
If the Chatel Law required insurance companies to inform their customers of the notice period for terminating a contract upon expiry, many customers still let the date pass.
Why change car insurance?
Several situations can lead you to want to leave your car insurance company. You may feel that the price of your insurance is too high after comparing it with similar contracts from other insurance companies. Or that the guarantees no longer suit your situation. Online comparators are good tools for taking stock of the current offer. You can also come out of a tense period when your insurance company was not up to the task. Regardless of the reason, upon expiry or when you wish after one year, you can terminate your contract without penalty and without documentation.
Good to know: The law of 16. August 2022 on emergency measures to protect purchasing power allows online and free cancellation of insurance contracts taken out via the Internet. This measure will enter into force on a date fixed by decree, and no later than 1 June 2023.
