Until 30. November drivers can cancel their car insurance without giving any reason and switch to a cheaper provider. We tell you what’s important – and how you can find the best tariff for you with our comparison calculator.
the market for car insurance is extremely confusing. And to make matters worse, the prices there change not just once a year – but almost every month. If you buy a car in the spring, you often pay a different price for car insurance than if you buy the same model in the summer. In addition, the rates can sometimes even differ within the same city – depending on the number of accidents.
But there’s one thing all car rates have in common: autumn is the best time to save money. That is, when the changeover season begins and insurers vie for new customers. Car owners should take advantage of this and look for a new tariff now. Up to 30. in november, every customer is allowed to cancel his car insurance without giving reasons and to change to a cheaper provider.
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All drivers whose premiums are due to rise in 2022 (the insurers sent out the premium notices to all customers in november) can still look around for a cheaper rate even in december. If you switch from the most expensive to the cheapest provider, you can save a few hundred euros a year on your car insurance, according to comparison portals such as verivox and check24.
And even if you’re already with a low-cost insurer, you should check to see if that insurer offers better rates for new customers than for existing ones. This is not a rare occurrence.
To find out if there is a cheaper plan for you from the same provider, just call your insurance provider. But before you do, be sure to take a look at our rate comparison so that you can classify the answer. Maybe the insurance coverage is much cheaper somewhere else. For, according to the experience of elke weidenbach, insurance expert at the consumer advice center in north rhine-Westphalia. "improved benefits for the same money are usually still available."
But if you’re interested in switching, you’ll have to hurry: the deadline for terminating your current car insurance policy is 30 September for most policies. November.
Customers can take advantage of special cancellation rights for car insurance
Some major service providers are now swimming against the tide and no longer slavishly stick to the uniform changeover date of 1 January. January fixed. In these cases, the insurance year is no longer the calendar year, but an individually defined contract date, just as with other policies. "the companies want to get away from this deadline because they regularly lose ground in the competition," explains andrea heyer from the consumer advice center in saxony. Regardless of the policy design, customers who miss their personal cancellation deadline are by no means at a loss.
Away from the regular cut-off date for cancellation with the previous vehicle insurer (30. November) they benefit from various special cancellation rights, for example, if the insurance company increases premiums without improving benefits at the same time. "in this case, the customer has one month to give notice," says expert weidenbach. "the deadline runs from the day he receives the notification letter from the insurance company."
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Early exit from car insurance
Insureds can also pull the rip cord if they deregister or decommission their vehicle. Also, the insurance ends with the sale of the car. Customers are also free to turn their backs on their insurer after a claim and switch to the competition – regardless of whether and how the insurance company settles the claim. Financial losses are not usually associated with such an exit: the law stipulates that allianz and co. Have to refund premiums paid too much. So if you have already paid for the whole year, but withdraw from the contract at the end of June, you can ask for a refund of your premiums for the second half of the year.
The only exception: "Customers who stay with their insurer for less than a year must expect that the insurance company will charge them according to a special ‘short-term rate’ if they terminate their contract prematurely. These are usually more expensive. In such a constellation, defectors usually only get part of their money back," says consumer advocate Weidenbach.
Discounts for second cars
However, if you are thinking of switching, you should take a close look at the terms and conditions of your preferred provider. This is not always easy. The companies do a lot to make it difficult for customers to make comparisons. Although all insurers offer discounts for long accident-free driving, the conditions vary.
Some offer discounts for second cars, while others offer special rates for women, fathers, bank employees or civil servants. New in the program are also discounts for novice drivers or favorable family rates. Nevertheless, no one should be dazzled by nice-sounding discount offers. Some companies already undercut the cheap offers of expensive companies with their normal rates. In many cases, the discounts are also linked to conditions: for example, the car may only be driven by the owner or the mileage is limited.
Quality check for policies
Another drawback when switching: if you base your decision solely on the price, you run a big risk. The cheapest car insurance can quickly become the most expensive option if the benefits are not right in a serious case. "there are minimum standards that no policy should fall below," says expert weidenbach. While personal safety requirements, the age of the car and personal driving style can also determine the choice of tariff for comprehensive insurance, the expert strongly advises, for example, to choose the highest possible sum insured for liability insurance.
The comparator therefore not only selects according to price, but also identifies particularly high-performing products with a quality seal. It is essential for this award that the customer receives a liability sum of 100 million euros, that the insurance also covers damage caused by rented cars abroad (the so-called mallorca policy) and that the insurance also pays if the customer has caused damage through gross negligence.