A lot of money can be saved when choosing car insurance. But be careful: the price does not say everything about the quality of an offer.
FromHans Peter Seitel
Every year in November the intermittent fever breaks out among motor vehicle insured persons. Those who quit by the end of the month and look for a new provider can often save a lot. But be careful: a change should be carefully considered so as not to pay extra money in the end.
Because: Call up a comparison portal on the Internet, enter the vehicle data – and the portal spits out the name of the cheapest liability and comprehensive insurance, unfortunately it is not that simple. “You should take the time to choose a motor vehicle insurer. Anyone who buys a flat screen television does that too, ”says Michael Wortberg, insurance advisor at the consumer center
Rhineland-Palatinate.
Error 1: Use only one portal
Most consumers only find out about the various insurers on a free Internet comparison portal. Loud
Stiftung Warentest the free portals are partly incomplete. Accordingly, the conditions of large and inexpensive providers are sometimes missing in comparison. Consumer advocate Wortberg therefore recommends “using at least two or three portals for comparisons”.
Many do not know: The consumer organization Bund der Insured (BdV) and the Stiftung Warentest also offer comparison calculators (www.bundderversicherten.de, free of charge; www.test.de, 7.50 euros for two insurance years). The default settings made there correspond to the criteria that a contract should meet from a consumer protection perspective. This is not necessarily the case with other portals that finance themselves through commissions from the listed insurers.
Mistake 2: only compare prices
“Several hundred euros a year” can be saved with motor vehicle insurance, as comparisons by Stiftung Warentest show. It would be wrong to just pay attention to the price. “Cheap is not always better,” warns BdV expert Bianca Boss. Before a possible change, at least the insurance conditions of the old and possible new providers should be compared carefully, advises expert Wortberg. His tip: the insurance conditions of many companies can be found on the Internet.
Mistake 3: Not paying attention to discount classes
In the case of self-inflicted damage, insured persons are classified in a less favorable no-claims class. Since the downgrade tables of the insurers often differ and the new provider learns about the earlier contract history, a lower classification can result after a change, warns the BdV. Important: Even a so-called discount protection in the current contract, which prevents a downgrade after a self-inflicted accident, does not apply after a change, according to the consumer association.
Therefore, it should be asked in advance which no-claims class a potential new provider will take on. “We have already seen serious cases in which the insured suddenly had to pay 85 percent instead of 50 percent of the full premium after switching,” reports consumer advocate Wortberg. Older insured persons should also find out whether a new contract partner might classify them in a tariff with premium surcharges for senior citizens.
Mistake 4: saving at the wrong end
A change of provider should be used to check the contract for its content. Stiftung Warentest recommends coverage of at least 50 to 100 million euros for liability – that is, far more than the statutory minimum coverage of only 7.5 million euros for personal injury. In the comprehensive insurance, the insurer should not reduce the benefit in the event of damage caused by gross negligence – for example, driving over a red light. In addition, accidents with wild animals (collisions with all animals, not just hairy game) and, for example, damage to martens including consequential damage should be included up to at least 3,000 euros, recommends the foundation. “There is nowhere legally stipulated what is insured as marten damage, for example. You should definitely read that in the insurance conditions before signing a contract, ”says consumer advocate Wortberg. The BdV advises that a so-called Mallorca policy and foreign damage protection should also be included in the contract.
Error 5: Missing comprehensive insurance
Motor vehicle liability insurance is a legal must and any insurer must provide this protection upon request. This does not apply to comprehensive insurance. It is therefore possible that a new liability insurer may refuse the desired comprehensive insurance in individual cases. According to Stiftung Warentest, this happens, for example, with very expensive cars or cars with high type classes. “Anyone who cares about comprehensive insurance and who may have caused a few bumps in the past should find out from the new insurer how he will deal with it before terminating the old contract,” advises expert Wortberg.
You can also cancel after November 30th
Most motor insurance policies run until the end of the year, so the provider must be notified by 30 November at the latest. However, insurers can increase their premium from the new year – and often do not notify this in December. Then the customer has a special right of termination within one month after receipt of the letter of increase.
But be careful: the price increase from January is not easy to see if the customer is also classified in a cheaper SF discount class. Then the bill will be lower despite the higher contribution. Therefore, attention should be paid to the so-called comparison contribution, advises Stiftung Warentest. That is the sum that the customer would have to pay if the new SF class for 2021 had already been in effect in 2020. “If the new premium is higher than the comparable premium, the insurance has become more expensive,” explains the foundation. Important to know: Sometimes the settlement contribution is hidden in the fine print or on the back of the invoice.
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