So that the change of the motor vehicle insurance does not become an own goal

A cheaper car insurance policy is not always the better choice overall. If certain risks or costs are not insured in the cheaper policy compared to the previous car insurance, this can be significantly more expensive than the expected premium savings in the event of a claim.

Especially in autumn, many car owners think about saving money by switching to a different car insurer. Normally, you can keep your car insurance until you reach 30 years of age. Cancel the policy in November of the year in order to be able to start with the beginning of the contract on 1 January of the following year. January of the next year to switch to another car insurer. However, if you only look at the insurance premium and not at the scope of insurance, incomplete insurance coverage in the event of an accident or other claim can cost you x times the premium savings you had hoped for.

In the past, there were only a few differences in the scope of insurance of car insurance of different providers. Even the amount of the no-claims discount (SFR) depending on the number of claim-free years, i.e. the years in which the motor insurer did not have to pay for an accident or motor vehicle damage, as well as the SFR downgrading after a claim were almost the same among the insurers. But these times are long gone.

In the meantime, there are considerable differences between the individual car insurance tariffs of the car insurers with regard to the scope of the insurance cover, the SFR classification and downgrading as well as other criteria such as the possible premium discounts. It is therefore not enough to simply compare insurance premiums in order to find a favorable car insurance policy that suits your personal needs from the countless offers available. If you do not take this into account, you may have to pay x times more in the event of a claim than you have saved, for example.

So that the motor vehicle liability insurance is sufficient

Some car insurance rates automatically include a Majorca policy, driver protection insurance, foreign protection coverage and/or a protection letter as part of the car liability insurance policy. In other policies, such additional cover is not included or is only included at an additional cost.

Example foreign protection insurance: In some countries, the car insurers based there have to pay significantly lower indemnities than car insurers from Germany.

Accordingly, an accident victim who has an accident abroad and collides with a motor vehicle registered there would receive considerably less than if the other party had had a car insured in Germany. For example, in some countries there is no right of the innocent party involved in an accident to compensation for a reduction in the value of his car suffered in an accident. With a foreign protection insurance, the accident damage is settled according to German law as if the other party had a vehicle registered in Germany.

Differences in the compensation for fully comprehensive and partially comprehensive insurance

There are also differences per tariff for comprehensive and partial cover insurance. In some comprehensive tariffs, after a total loss due to an insured risk such as an accident or vehicle theft, only the current value, i.e. the market value shortly before the time of the loss, is reimbursed. Others, on the other hand, pay the replacement value if the vehicle was no more than six, twelve, 18 or even 24 months old at the time of the claim, depending on the agreement.

In newer comprehensive motor vehicle tariffs, batteries for electric or hybrid cars can also be insured against comprehensive damage or even at replacement value in the event of operating errors, regardless of age, which is not possible in many older policies. While some comprehensive tariffs do not provide compensation for damage to one’s own car caused by gross negligence on the part of the motor vehicle driver, others waive this restriction of the insurance cover free of charge or for an additional charge.

Other hull differences: While in some policies, for example, collision with a furred game animal such as deer or wild boar is covered under the partial cover insurance, in other motor vehicle tariffs accidents with all types of animals from dogs to horses are also insured. In some partial cover tariffs, marten bite damage to the hoses and consequential damage to the car’s electronics is also covered, while in others this risk is not insured at all.

Not all discounts are the same

Some insurance tariffs contain an accident discount protection starting from a certain SFR class, with others the appropriate SFR is always worsened after a liability and/or comprehensive damage, i.e. the premium rises in the next year partly clearly.

In addition, depending on the insurer, there are also different premium discounts as well as discount levels. Among other things, some offer a discount for waiving a free choice of repair shop after a comprehensive claim, a single-driver discount, a garage discount, a partner discount or a few-driver discount.

It is therefore quite possible that a certain discount granted by one car insurer is not offered by another insurer or is not offered in the same amount. However, a premium is not always cheaper just because you would receive such a discount. Because it may be that an annual premium without these discounts is significantly lower than an annual premium with discounts.

Precise comparison saves expensive surprises

These and other differences between car insurance rates make it necessary to compare the previous policy with the newly offered contract in detail when planning to change car insurers. Otherwise, it can happen, for example, that a damage is not paid by the new policy, which would have been covered in the previous car insurance contract. This, in turn, could possibly be x times more expensive than the premium savings achieved through the change of insurer.

Usually, a motor vehicle insurance contract can be terminated with a notice period of one month to the expiry of the contract – for most motor vehicle policies, this is the 31st day after the end of the contract. December of a year – can be cancelled. For a timely termination, the termination letter must be sent no later than 30. November must be received by the insurer. The start of the new motor vehicle contract must be seamless with the expiry of the cancelled previous contract, i.e. usually on 1 January 2009. January, so that one may continue to use the car on public roads without any gaps.

The safest way is to apply for a new motor vehicle contract in time for the new insurer to accept it before the previous policy is cancelled. In fact, a car insurer can also refuse a desired comprehensive insurance if the applicant has had several comprehensive claims, for example. In this case, the new policy would only provide motor vehicle liability coverage.