How to renew motor insurance

Motor insurance is the renewal most likely to cost you money by doing nothing. Auto-renewal quotes are routinely higher than what the same insurer offers a new customer for the same cover, and the gap widens the longer you stay.

Why the renewal quote goes up

Insurers price renewals on the assumption that most people accept them. The result is that loyalty is charged for rather than rewarded, and the quote arrives higher even in a year when nothing about you changed.

Several countries have moved to ban the practice outright. Where it has not been banned, the only reliable defence is to compare before accepting.

What to check before you accept

The excess, which insurers commonly raise at renewal without prominence. The mileage assumption, which may no longer match how you drive. Named drivers who no longer need to be on the policy, and ones who do.

Whether add-ons you are paying for — breakdown cover, legal expenses, courtesy car — duplicate something you already have elsewhere.

Do not let it lapse, even briefly

In many countries a vehicle must be continuously insured while it is registered, whether or not it is driven, and gaps are detected automatically by matching insurance and registration databases.

A lapse also breaks your no-claims record in some markets, which costs more over the following years than the premium ever did.

The rules depend on the country

Everything above holds broadly. The authority, the fee, the forms and the lead time do not. Pick where the document was issued.

Every other country

Questions

Can I switch insurer at renewal without losing my no-claims discount?

Yes, in most markets. The discount belongs to you rather than the insurer, and the new company will ask for proof from the old one. Request that proof before you cancel.

Does my insurance cover me in another country?

Usually only at a minimum legal level, if at all, and often only for a limited period. Driving abroad regularly generally needs the policy extended rather than assumed.

Don't rely on remembering

Add your motor insurance to Duratum and we'll tell you when to start, and remind you before it matters.

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