Kathrin gotthold is a law graduate. She completed her traineeship as a business editor in frankfurt am main and then worked for six years at a major daily and weekly newspaper in berlin, where she was responsible for consumer finances. She also gained experience with the magazines "betriebs-berater" and "der steuerberater". The finanztip editorial team is primarily concerned with insurance topics.
- You can cancel your car insurance at the end of the insurance year.
- The cut-off date for cancellation is usually 30. November.
- At the latest when you receive the premium invoice for the next year, you should think about a change.
- Finanztip recommends: first calculate the cheapest car insurance on verivox or check24. Then do the cross check with huk24.
- cancel your car insurance by e-mail or in writing.
- We have prepared a sample letter for you for your notice of cancellation. Use it as a template.
In this guide
In lockdown and home office you could save a lot of money as a motorist. the less you drove, the cheaper your car insurance became. But the premiums will increase the more you drive your car again. Changing your car insurance can be particularly worthwhile now. Most car insurance policyholders can cancel their contract at the end of the year. In order to respect the one-month cancellation period, a cancellation must be made on 30. Be with the insurer in November.
How to cancel the car insurance?
Cancellation is now easier than ever. Because for most contracts an e-mail is enough. It is important that the mail can be clearly assigned to you. It is therefore better to use an e-mail address that is on file with the insurance company. Also enter your contract number and address so that your insurance company can find the information in its files.
If you cancel by mail, you should be able to prove that the cancellation has been received by your insurance company. therefore, ask for a read receipt and save the letter in the outbox and print it out together with destination address and date. Make sure that the insurance company cancellation confirmed. If it doesn’t, you should follow up.
contracts that before 1. october 2016 you must cancel by letter with registered mail or by fax. If you send a fax, you should keep the transmission report. The cancellation is only valid if it is received by the old insurance company within the cancellation period.
sample letter of cancellation
We have given you a sample letter deposited, which you can use as a template for your cancellation.
In addition, you can state the license plate number and the date of cancellation in the letter to the insurance company. It’s always a good idea to state the reason, such as an increase in premiums or the sale of the car.
If you sell your car, it makes sense to list the name and address of the buyer. the insurance for the car is transferred to him at first.
You have one month’s notice
Whether ordinary termination or extraordinary, because you have a special right of termination uses: in car insurance, you generally get out of your contract with one month’s notice. This is based on paragraph 5, clause 5, sentence 2 of the compulsory insurance act (pflichtversicherungsgesetz) – this regulation for liability insurance also applies to comprehensive insurance contracts and car insurance policies, among other things, via the general conditions for motor insurance.
Make sure you don’t run out of time to cancel your policy. After all, you should have already looked for a new contract beforehand. Best via a double comparison. We explain how to do this in our guide to vehicle insurance.
More about car insurance in our guidebook
- compare every autumn whether your car insurance is still the cheapest one.
- Recommended way to find the best rate: first compare with verivox or check24, then obtain a quote from huk24.
When you can cancel?
Most motor insurance contracts run for one year and end on the following day 31. December. Because of the cancellation period of one month, this means: for most insured persons, the 30th day of the contract is the last day of the contract. November deadline for cancellation. The notice of termination must be received by your insurer on this date. You will then need a new insurance policy from the 1. January of the following year. Attention: without liability your car is not allowed on the road!
If you take out a new policy, you should try to stick to the term until 31 December. December hold on. This will allow you to continue to benefit from low insurance premiums during the changeover season.
Not all contracts are always valid until the end of the year with all insurers. Some also offer Contracts with a term of less than one year at. If you have such a contract and it runs until the end of march, for example, your cancellation must be received by the insurance company by the end of february.
When do you have a special right of termination??
In addition to the ordinary right of cancellation, you may also have an extraordinary right of cancellation. Then you get out of your contract outside the contractual cancellation period.
You have a special right of termination in the following cases:
- There is a premium increase before.
- You have a claim reported.
- You have your car sold or cancelled.
In the event of a premium increase, you may give extraordinary notice in two cases. First: your insurance premium increases without the insurer increasing the insurance cover. And second, your insurer will reduce your coverage without lowering your premium.
from the moment you receive the letter from your insurer informing you of the increase in the insurance premium or the reduction in the benefit, you have one month to give notice. So if such a letter reaches you on 3. December, in which case you can request a new SF class up to 2. January notice.
Many providers send the letter for the premium amount of the following year only in December. A good chance for you if you have missed your regular annual cancellation date.
Attention: you have received a letter, but supposedly with a premium reduction? Look carefully to see whether it is not a hidden premium increase act. Because even if you have to pay less in the future, it is possible that your premium has increased – or a part of it, respectively.
Please have a look at the comparison contribution in your new bill to. This is the premium you would have had to pay if your new SF class had already applied last year. If the premium is lower than your new bill, the prices have increased and you can cancel the contract.
Also pay attention to whether worse type or regional class you will be. Then the insurance company higher risk of loss and will therefore increase your premiums, even if your no-claims class increases in the coming year. Due to the more favorable no-claims class, the premium increase is not immediately noticeable. This is also sufficient for a special right of termination.
Even if you send your insurance company a damage you can give extraordinary notice of cancellation – regardless of whether your insurance company steps in or not. The point in time at which the monthly period begins to run is the point in time at which the insurer pays the claim (even partially) or refuses to assume the costs. By the way, in the event of a claim, the insurance company also has the right to terminate the contract.
Also a change of vehicle triggers a special right of termination. If you buy a car and nothing else is regulated, the car insurance of the seller for the car is also valid for you for at least another month. You have a special right of termination within this month. As soon as you take out your own insurance and report this to the registration office, the old contract is considered to be cancelled.
The other way round: when you sell a car, your insurance contract is transferred to the buyer. To avoid uncertainties, it is best to deregister the car yourself at the registration office. The registration office then automatically informs the insurer. You can read more about this in our guide to selling a car.
Rest insurance in case of temporary deregistration
A special case is the so-called rest insurance, which takes effect if you deregister the car only temporarily. Your insurance contract will then continue to run free of charge until you finally cancel it. The scope of insurance remains the same, with the exception of fully comprehensive insurance – fully comprehensive insurance thus becomes partially comprehensive insurance. The vehicle is automatically insured with the same provider when it is re-registered.