When should I contact my insurance company?
When you take out car insurance, you have a 'duty of disclosure' to the insurance company. What that means, basically, is that there are certain things you must tell the insurance company about, because they can affect your cover. If you don't tell your insurer about relevant changes and then need to make a claim, you may find that the changed factors have invalidated your policy. You should check your policy documents to find out when you should contact your insurance company but the kind of things you need to tell your car insurance company about typically include the following:
Incidents - if you or a driver named on your policy has what could be called 'an insurance related incident' - involving an accident, fire, theft or water damage - you will need to let your insurer know, even if you do not want to make a claim. If you hold a policy with esure simply call our claims team on 0845 603 7872.
Modifications - if your car has been altered by you or a previous owner in any way, even if it is just a cosmetic change, let your car insurer know.
Changes to your policy - your policy covers a specific car and drivers for specific types of use. If you change your car or change what you use it for (for example, you start using your car for business instead of just personal use) you need to tell your car insurance company. The same applies if you change your surname, residency or occupation, or you want to add another driver to your policy.
Taking your car abroad - some insurance policies do not cover you for driving abroad, so if you are planning a trip outside the UK, it's important to check. We provide cover for up to three days travelling within the EC free of charge. For any trips abroad you will need to contact us on 0845 603 7874 to arrange foreign use cover.
Health - if you learn that you or a named driver on your policy has any physical or medical condition that affects their ability to drive, your insurer needs to be informed. For more information regarding medical conditions that can affect your ability to drive, take a look at the DVLA website.
Convictions and fixed penalties - you need to inform your insurer if you or another driver on your policy has any convictions, fixed penalties, motoring offences - or anything else that might influence the decision to insure you.
What will happen when you make changes to your policy?
When you tell your car insurance company about changes, depending on what they are, they may re-assess your cover and your premium. So there is a chance that your premium will go up though it could also go down. But it's simply not worth putting your cover in jeopardy to avoid a possible increase. Keep in touch with your insurer, and you can rest assured that your car insurance provides the level of cover you are expecting.
So, to recap, you should contact your car insurance company as soon possible if any of the following changes take place:
- you change your car
- you make changes to your car that improve its value, performance or attractiveness to thieves
- you want to use your car for a purpose not included in your Schedule
- you become aware of any medical or physical condition of any driver covered by your policy, which may affect their ability to drive
- you or any other driver covered by your policy are convicted of a motoring offence other than fixed-penalty parking offences
- you change the address at which you normally keep your car
- you or any other driver covered by your policy are convicted of any offence relating to fraud, arson or dishonesty
- you or any other driver covered by your policy, change your occupation
- you change your annual mileage
If you have any doubt whatsoever, contact your insurer.
