This article is a working tool for comparing offers: the same criteria table I use with my own clients. Get out your current policy and the offers you've received, and work through it row by row – by the end, the decision typically makes itself. Its printable, tick-box companion is the switching checklist.
- The table has four blocks: premium and its conditions · extras item by item · service · deadlines and admin.
- Every row has three columns: old policy · new offer(s) · note (strength/weakness).
- The premium row is deliberately the table's last block: content first, price second.
Block 1: the extras – item by item
List what your current package includes today, and what the new offer includes: accident cover (for whom, at what level), legal protection (for which matters), assistance (what you can call it out for), other services – this is typically where the real differences live. Write content into the rows, not just names: "assistance" on its own isn't real data; whether it includes on-the-spot repair or towing is. The content background is covered by the guide to reading the terms.
Block 2: service
Four rows: claims-reporting channels (phone, online, app), customer service availability and language, what the online account can do (policy document, premium certificate, changing your details), and claims-handling experience – for this last one, I bring in the picture from my own broking practice. This block is hard to measure on paper, but at claim time it's the difference between a settled week and a nerve-wracking month.
Block 3: deadlines and admin
This covers the renewal date, the cancellation deadline (typically the 30th day before the renewal date), the payment method and frequency, the list of discount commitments, and, when switching, the new policy's start date. This block decides whether the switch can be carried out without a gap – even a decision that's good in substance can be undone by poor timing: see the seven typical mistakes.
Block 4: the premium – last, with conditions
The premium comes last: the annual amount, the payment schedule, the conditions of any discounts, and how big the premium difference is relative to the difference in content. The closing question is always this: "what do I get for the difference, or what am I giving up?" If the answer is "nothing" – switching is reasonable; if the answer is "extras and service" – think again. On request, I fill in the table for you: bring your policy, and I'll bring the rest – free of charge.
How to fill it in, in practice
A practical way to fill it in: set aside a calm half hour, and work through it block by block – first fill in the column for your existing policy (this is your baseline), then each offer in turn. Where you can't find data for a row, put a question mark, not a guess: the list of question marks becomes the list of questions to clarify with whoever gave you the offer. At the end, write two summary lines: "what do I gain by switching?" and "what am I giving up?" – if the first line is empty, or shows only a small premium difference, the decision has made itself. And the offer applies here too: if you ask, I fill in the table for you – bring your policy, I'll bring the market.
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