A year is a long time. You could have decided that Hastings isn’t worth it and you want out. Or perhaps you’re moving abroad and don’t need UK car insurance anymore? Whatever your situation, you might feel you can’t wait for the contract to run its course and you want out prematurely.
We give a step-by-step guide to cancelling your Hastings car insurance, walking you through how to get in touch, all the way through to what charges you can expect when you leave.
Cancellation within 14 days of cover Unlike other car insurance companies, quitting Hastings while still in the cooling off period isn’t cheap. Here’s what you have to do.
Contact. If it hasn’t been 14 days since you signed up or renewed your policy, call Hastings and say that you want to leave.
Cancellation. Hastings will cancel your deal the day you get in touch.
Refund. Hastings will then give you your money, minus the days you’ve used.
Fees. Unlike other insurers, even if you’re in the cooling off period, Hastings will hit you with a few different and potentially annoying charges for cancelling.
Made a claim. Should you have made a claim, or had one made against you, then Hastings won’t give you a single penny back in refunds.
Cancellation after 14 days The cooling off period may have been and gone, however you can still battle your way out of your Hastings deal. Here’s how.
Mail. Send Hastings your Certificate of Motor Insurance, either by post or email, along with a message explaining you wish to cancel your policy.
Cancellation. Hastings will end your policy the day it receives this document.
Refund. Hastings will refund you the part of your premium you haven’t used, as long as you haven’t had a claim made on your policy. Customers who pay by monthly instalment, by contrast, will have to make sure they settle their debts to Hastings before they fully leave.
Charges. However, Hastings will keep back a portion of your refund, as it will charge you a cancellation fee of around £50 as well as arrangement fees.
Made a claim. If you’ve made a claim (or someone has made one against you) you won’t get any money back whatsoever. Plus you’ll have to pay a cancellation charge to leave too.
Things to consider before cancelling your policy with Hastings
Adjust existing policy. If you want cheaper insurance or a policy with a different level of cover, then see how much it is to modify your deal with Hastings. It might prove cheaper than starting again.
Fees. Hastings will charge you for leaving, even if you’re in the cooling off period. Instead, you could just wait for your deal to end and ask Hastings not to auto-renew your policy. That way you won’t pay any leaving fees.
Made a claim. Should you have made a claim (or had one made against you) then you won’t get any money back from Hastings if you cancel early. In fact, you’ll have to pay a cancellation fee. So you’ll be out of pocket!
Best time to switch. When you switch insurers plays a big part in how much your new deal will cost. Typically three weeks before your existing deal is due to end is a good time to start hunting around. Definitely don’t leave it to the last day as you’ll get higher premiums and your Hastings deal might auto-renew.
No claims. Hastings could well refuse to let you take your no claims bonus with you, which might cost you should you switch provider early.
Changing car insurance provider
Compare, compare, compare. Work out what level of cover you need then use comparison sites to find the best deal for you.
Go direct. Some insurance companies don’t list all their offers on comparison sites, so head to the insurers’ websites and get a few quotes directly as well.
Immediate sign up. This is one option you can take, signing up to a new car insurance policy and cancelling your Hastings deal on the same day. As discussed earlier in the article, you’ll have to pay leaving charges if you change provider this way.
Delayed sign up. The other route you can take is to call Hastings and ask it to simply not renew your deal. This is not cancelling but simply making sure it doesn’t auto-renew your policy. Then, when you sign up to a new insurer, ask it to delay starting your cover until the day your Hastings deal expires.
Contacting Hastings Direct
If you wish to cancel your car insurance policy, you can reach Hastings Direct on its contact number 0333 321 9790.
There’s more information on the help section of the company’s website.
Frequently asked questions
Hastings should send you a letter confirming your policy has been cancelled. If for whatever reason this doesn’t come, it might be worth giving Hastings a call to make sure. After all, you don’t want to look at your bank statement a few weeks or months down the line and see you’re paying for two policies.
If you’re looking to switch then you will typically find car insurance quotes are cheapest about three weeks before your existing deal is set to run out. Arranging for your new provider to delay your sign up for when your Hastings deal runs out could save you having to pay cancellation charges too. Some might be looking to just cancel, without switching provider.
Maybe you’re moving abroad or you’re selling your car because you’re moving home. In this case, you should look to cancel as soon as possible really. You don’t want to be paying insurance for a car you don’t use, and the faster you act the more refund you’ll get back – so long as you haven’t had any claims on your policy.
The offers compared on this page are chosen from a range of products we can track; we don't cover every product on the market...yet. Unless we've indicated otherwise, products are shown in no particular order or ranking. The terms "best", "top", "cheap" (and variations), aren't product ratings, although we always explain what's great about a product when we highlight it; this is subject to our terms of use. When making a big financial decision, it's wise to consider getting independent financial advice, and always consider your own financial circumstances when comparing products so you get what's right for you. Most of the data in Finder's comparison tables has the source: Moneyfacts Group PLC. In other cases, Finder has sourced data directly from providers.
*Based on data provided by Consumer Intelligence Ltd, www.consumerintelligence.com (July ’24). 51% of car insurance customers could save £523.17
Esther Wolffowitz was a publisher at finder.com specialising in insurance. Esther holds an MSc in Media and Communication Governance from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). See full bio
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