You you generally cancel your car insurance whenever you decide, but the process and associated costs really depend on when you decide to cancel. If you’ve made up your mind and you want to cancel your car insurance, think about any accidents that could occur before you’ve found a new policy or during the first days of your new policy, when you’re unlikely to be able to make a claim. Don’t find yourself uncovered and out of pocket. Check out our guide first.
Each car insurance company has slightly different requirements, fees and processes for canceling your policy. Check out comprehensive guides for canceling your insurance from these popular providers.
Once you’ve decided to cancel your car insurance, you’ll need to get in touch with the insurance provider. The cancellation process may be available within your policy document.
Some insurers may only accept your request for cancellation in writing while other insurers may be happy to handle the cancellation of your policy over the phone or via an email. Once you’ve contacted your insurer to cancel your car insurance through the appropriate channel, it’s worth keeping a record of all correspondence such as the date and time of phone calls, email chains and the names of any representatives you dealt with.
All insurers in the UK are obligated to offer a cooling-off period of at least 14 days for car policies. If you cancel during this time and haven’t made any claims, you are likely to receive a refund. But be aware that an insurer can still charge for the days of cover that have already passed as well as a cancellation fee. If you purchased a car insurance policy that hasn’t yet started, you might only be requested to pay a cancellation fee.
Here are just some of the consequences you could face for cancelling your car insurance early:
If you’re outside the cooling-off period, or more or less halfway into your cover, you will need to check your policy details to see whether you are entitled to any refund. Thinking you’re owed half your premium just because you’ve only used half of your cover isn’t how insurance works.
Many insurers will offer a refund as long as no claims have been made but you may still be required to pay a cancellation fee. Depending on when you pay your premiums, a refund may be given for the remaining full months of unused cover. But again, this can vary between insurers.
The amount it costs you to cancel your car insurance will depend on your own circumstances as well as a number of other factors. These include the point at which you decide to cancel, whether there are any cancellation fees to pay, whether you will get a refund or not, and whether you’ve made any claims, amongst others. Consider all these factors carefully against your own situation before cancelling your policy to avoid being left out of pocket.
| Response | % of respondents |
|---|---|
| Very satisfied | 36.40% |
| Reasonably satisfied | 37.73% |
| Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied | 18.80% |
| Moderately dissatisfied | 5.60% |
| Highly dissatisfied | 1.47% |
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