Switching MTPL insurer is a routine task – which is exactly why the mistakes people make with it are routine too. I've collected the seven most common ones as I see them in practice, each with a one-line fix attached. A tick-box version of this list lives in the switching checklist.
- Most switching mistakes are deadline and ordering mistakes – not errors of substance.
- The second most common group: a price-only decision and skipping the final check.
- Every mistake is preventable with a good calendar and an order of steps that avoids a gap in cover – or by handing the process to a broker.
1–2: deadline and ordering mistakes
1. A missed cancellation deadline. Under the rules in force, the cancellation typically needs to reach the insurer in writing at least 30 days before the renewal date – if you miss it, you typically stay put until the next renewal date. Fix: put the 60th and 40th day before your renewal date in your calendar. 2. A gap between the two policies. The old one ends, the new one starts later – meaning an uncovered-period fee and real risk. Fix: make sure the new policy starts exactly on the renewal date, and only send the cancellation afterwards – that's the correct order.
3–4: decision mistakes
3. Looking at the premium alone. An offer that looks cheaper on paper, with no extras and narrower service, can genuinely give you less – the decision is a matter of the full picture. Fix: use a table where the content sits row by row next to the premium. 4. Skipping over the discount commitments. Commitments such as e-communication, a declared-mileage statement, or a payment-method pledge are part of the premium – breaking them can bring a surcharge. Fix: only accept a commitment you will actually keep.
5–6: administrative mistakes
5. Typos in the offer's data. Registration number, chassis number, claims-history identifier – a single mistyped character slows down matching your bonus-malus class. Fix: have the vehicle registration document and the policy on hand when requesting quotes. 6. Forgetting the first premium. A new policy lapsing for non-payment is the worst possible start – afterwards, you typically have to re-take it out with the same insurer. Fix: settle the first premium along with the policy document, and set up direct debit for the long term.
7: skipping the final check – and the shared fix
7. Nobody reads the policy document. A mistyped start date, a missing extra, the wrong bonus-malus class is a phone call at the start – months later, it's a matter of proving your case. Fix: the five points of the start-up check routine.
And the shared fix for all seven: I help with the process, wherever I can. As your broker – if you get in touch before the renewal – I help with the order of steps, matching your data, and the final check – you're left with the decision.
The eighth mistake: forgetting the lessons
There is an eighth mistake, and it's the one that gives birth to the previous seven all over again: losing the lesson. Anyone who has once been through a missed cancellation or an uncovered gap typically forgets it by the next renewal date – and the cycle starts again. The remedy is to make it a system: turn the mistake into a rule (a calendar reminder, automatic payment, a checklist), not a memory. That's why the tick-box list is worth so much: not because it contains anything complicated, but because it moves the memory outside your own head – the system remembers, not you. The system rests on the insurer's renewal notice and your own calendar reminder – most of the eight mistakes can be avoided this way.
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