How to cancel your car insurance with Hastings
To cancel your car insurance with Hastings, you'll need to call them. You'll also need to pay a cancellation fee of £45.
Heads up, though: we AREN'T Hastings! We're Cuvva. While we can't cancel your policies with other companies ourselves, we can help you on your way with our nice explainer below - just make sure you contact the right company directly.
(Note: the information in this article was valid at the time of publication in July 2020. Always double-check with your insurer.)
Cancellation fees
If you cancel before your policy starts, you don't have to pay anything. You'll get a full refund if you've paid for your car insurance for the year up front.
If you cancel during the cooling-off period, you won't have to pay a cancellation fee - but you'll have to pay an admin fee based on how long you've had the policy.
If you cancel after the cooling-off period has ended, you'll have to pay a £45 cancellation fee.
With Hastings, your cooling-off period starts from when you receive your policy docs.
Hastings also charge £45 if they have to cancel your policy because you didn't give them the right information.
How refunds work
When you cancel a car insurance policy, you'll usually have to pay a fee. The fee depends on the insurance company. It also depends on whether you're still in your cooling-off period.
You'll get the rest of your policy refunded, if you paid for the whole year up front. But Hastings will take away some of that refund to cover the insurance you've already had. They'll charge you a cancellation fee on top of this. It's pretty standard across most car insurance companies.
Breakdown cover
You can get breakdown cover with Hastings through RAC. It's included with all Hastings Premier policies. (Along with motor legal expenses cover.)
If you cancel it during your cooling-off period (which is the first 14 days of cover or 14 days from when you get your policy documents) you'll get a full refund.
Hastings also offers personal accident insurance, key protection insurance, substitute vehicle insurance and motor excess protection insurance. These will auto-renew too, if you have them.
Cancelling after you make a claim
Like most car insurance companies, Hastings won't give you any refund on your car insurance if you've made a claim. But you'll still have to pay a cancellation fee.
And if you pay monthly for your car insurance, you'll need to pay up for the rest of the policy when you cancel. Again, this is standard in insurance.
How to cancel
To cancel your car insurance policy with Hastings, you can call them on 03333219801. You can't cancel your Hastings car insurance online.
You can call Hastings:
- 9am - 6pm, Monday to Friday
- 10am - 2pm, Saturday
- 10am - 2pm, Sunday
- 9am - 5pm, bank holidays
If you're an NHS worker, having difficulty paying, or have a disability, you can jump the queue when you call.
The cooling-off period
By law, every car insurance policy comes with a cooling-off period. The cooling-off period is either 14 days from the day your policy starts, or 14 days from when you get your policy documents in the post.
Check your policy documents to find out when your cooling-off period starts and ends.
Whether you're in your cooling-off period or outside of it, your insurer will take away some money from your refund to cover the days of insurance you've already had.
Auto-renewals
Hastings will automatically renew your car insurance unless you tell them you don't want to. To do that, you have to fill in a form to let them know you want your policy to lapse. Your price will often go up significantly if you auto-renew.
Letting your policy "lapse" (which means not renewing it) is not the same as cancelling your policy mid-way through.
Hastings will contact you 21 days before the policy renews to let you know:
- That it's going to renew, and
- How much it will cost when it does renew
If you renew, you'll start a new cooling-off period.
Get temporary insurance
If you're planning to cancel your annual policy, Cuvva's policies from 1 hour to 28 days might be able to help you bridge the gap, with cover starting from just £11.90.
- Temporary car insurance for borrowing or lending a car in minutes.
- Learner driver cover for driving lessons, getting practice in with a supervisor, or taking the driving test.
- Drive away insurance for getting your new car home from the dealership.
- Temporary van insurance for moving home, dropping things to the recycling centre, or carrying a heavy load.
And it only takes a few minutes to get a quote.
Sources:
Policy docs (PDF)