Want to switch car insurer? Five situations in which you can.

Usually, your car insurance will have a contractually agreed term. Check your insurance policy to see how long your contract lasts and when you can cancel it.

To ensure that your termination notice is legally valid, it is essential that you comply with the notice period and cancel your contract before the applicable deadline. The notice period will also be shown on your policy or in the general terms and conditions of insurance (GTC).

Generally, the minimum duration will be one year and the notice period three months. If your contract runs until the end of the year, for example, you must terminate it no later than three months beforehand – so at the end of September. You can also terminate it earlier, of course, but the insurance will remain in force until the end of the year.

For legal reasons, notices of termination must be made in writing. In principle, an e-mail is sufficient. Always have your termination confirmed in writing.

However, we recommend that you cancel your insurance policy by registered letter. That way, you can be sure that your notice of termination has reached and been accepted by the insurance company.

To do this, simply use our template termination form.

Incidentally, whether or not you have complied with the notice period is determined by the date on which the termination notice is received (date of receipt), not the postmark date (postage date).

Take out a new policy with another car insurer. As soon as you have received confirmation of your new insurance, you must have it entered in your vehicle registration papers. You can do that at the traffic licensing authority of your home canton, either in person or by post.

Please note that certain time limits apply for changes of insurance at the traffic licensing authority. The best thing to do is to find out in advance from your traffic licensing authority.

• In general, you can only cancel your car insurance at the end of the contract term.
• It is essential to bear the notice period in mind.
• Always send your notice of termination in writing, ideally by registered letter.
• It is also possible to cancel a current contract in certain cases. These include when you buy or sell a car, following a claim or a change to your contract, or when you move abroad.