Transferring Your Car Insurance To A New Vehicle
When getting a new car, you need to transfer your car insurance to your new vehicle, and you might even decide to get a new insurance contract altogether. Transferring car insurance from one vehicle to another might seem complex at first, but it's actually very simple, and you can easily obtain a car insurance quote as well as transfer your insurance with just a few phone calls.
If you're using a new car insurance company, all you'll need to do is contact both your old insurance company as well as your new car insurance company and let them know the date that you'd like your car insurance coverage to stop/begin. If you're staying with the same company, all you need to do is have the VIN number ready and tell them about the new vehicle. They'll arrange for everything else; if you paid in full for your last policy, the unused amount will transfer to the new vehicle. If you prefer, you'll be issued a check for the amount of insurance you'd paid for that wasn't used. A check can sometimes take a few weeks, so be aware of that before changing your policy. Make sure you tell the insurer the correct date that coverage should start on the new vehicle to ensure that the transfer of insurance goes through flawlessly. Still, even if you make a mistake, many insurance companies have systems to alert you of your error. If you have a car loan and you're switching insurers, your old car insurance company will probably send or fax a letter to the bank that owns the loan informing them that your insurance is ending. Make sure that your new insurance company knows to send a second letter confirming that you're getting coverage elsewhere.
Your new car insurance coverage will go into effect one minute before your current policy ends. That means that you'll technically have two car insurance plans for a minute. This is done because otherwise, the driver would risk driving while uninsured. Even if this was only the case for a few seconds, there would undoubtedly be some cases where drivers got into accidents, and though no fault of their own, they'd be guilty of a driving offense. Some insurers may also issue a “temporary” insurance card that you'll use until they can verify all of the information that you've submitted regarding your new vehicle. This doesn't mean that you're driving with less coverage. It functions just like a standard insurance card if you're in an accident, so put it in your glove box and dispose of it when permanent cards arrive.
