Guide

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

Want to change your car insurance? This guide explains the situations in which you can cancel your existing car insurance and how to switch insurer.

How can I switch car insurer?

Have you compared car insurance policies online and noticed that you are paying too much for your car insurance? Or are you unhappy with your current car insurer's customer service? There are many reasons to switch to a different car insurer.

What some people forget is that a car insurance policy is a contract with a fixed term. This means that generally, you can only terminate your car insurance at the end of the contract term.

There are some cases, however, in which you can cancel a current car insurance contract before it expires and look for a new policy.

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1. You sell your car (change of owner)

Sold your vehicle? If you no longer own the vehicle, obviously you do not have to pay premiums for it anymore.

The vehicle insurance is automatically transferred to the new owner. This scenario is known as a change of owner.

However, the new owner does not have to take over the insurance if he or she does not wish to.

2. You buy a new car (change of vehicle)

Have you bought a vehicle? In this case you can also take out a new car insurance policy. You are free to choose whichever insurance company you like, but it may be worth asking your existing insurer for a quote for your new car first. Insurance companies do not like losing longstanding customers and may be willing to make you a good offer when you change vehicle.

3. Your insurer increases the premium

Has your insurer raised the premium for your car insurance without changing the cover it provides? Then you are allowed to cancel your car insurance and look for a different policy.

The insurance company will give you a certain deadline by which to terminate your policy.

If you pay the new premium, the adjusted contract is deemed to have been accepted and you can no longer cancel your insurance before it expires.

4. You have recently made a claim

Have you recently had a car accident or made another claim and your insurer paid out for it? Then you have 14 days after the settlement of your claim to cancel your insurance policy. You can find the date of settlement on the settlement letter from your insurer.

Incidentally, the right to terminate following a claim applies to both sides. This means that your insurer may also cancel your contract if you caused a claim.

5. You emigrate

Are you moving abroad? You can also terminate your car insurance within a certain period in this scenario.

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Cancel your car insurance and change insurer in three steps

Changing your car insurance isn't rocket science. Here, we show you how you can terminate your existing car insurance policy and switch to a new insurer in three simple steps.

1. Check when you can cancel

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.

GOOD TO KNOW

The Swiss Federal Law on Insurance Contracts (VVG) was revised with effect from 1 January 2022. Among other changes, it was laid down in law that you may terminate your insurance policy after three years – even if a term of a number of years was agreed on conclusion of the policy.

2. Cancel your insurance in writing

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).

3. Switch your car insurer

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.

Looking for new car insurance? Switch to ELVIA now.

High premiums? Poor service? Then it's high time to switch to ELVIA. We are an online-only insurer. This means that we have no branches and no insurance advisors who visit you at home. As a result, we are able to offer you more attractive premiums than classic insurers. Although we only operate digitally, we are also happy to assist you in person.

Our insurance experts offer first-class service over the phone or via e-mail or chat – it's entirely up to you. As part of the Allianz Group, we are a reliable partner when it comes to providing comprehensive protection for you and your vehicle.

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Summary

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.

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