When should I contact my insurer?

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.

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When should I contact my insurer?

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