Anyone who has purchased a home knows all too well that moving can be a stressful process. You have to spend countless hours on the phone with real estate agents, moving services and rental car companies before you can start packing up your belongings.
With an endless list of tasks to take care of, it’s easy for homeowners to overlook smaller (yet equally important) parts of the moving process.
For instance, did you remember to change your address on your car insurance policy before moving to your new home?
Updating personal information, like your address, on your car insurance policy is relatively straightforward, but many drivers don’t know how to do it.
That’s where we step in; today’s blog post will teach you how to update the address on your car insurance policy. Today’s post will also go over why you need to change the address on your car insurance policy in Canada.
Continue reading to get started!
How to change the address on your car insurance policy in Canada
Updating the address on your car insurance policy is a necessary part of being a car owner in Canada; thankfully, it’s a relatively easy process.
In most cases, the easiest way to change the address on your car insurance policy is to contact your car insurance provider. A representative from your car insurance company will take down the information and make the necessary changes to your policy.
Depending on your car insurance provider, you may also be able to update your personal information on the web or by using a company-specific smartphone application. You may also be able to update your address by contacting your Surex insurance advisor online or over the phone.
Regardless of the method you choose, updating the address on your car insurance policy should only take a few minutes of your time.
Do you need to change the address on your car insurance policy?
Yes, you need to update the address on your car insurance policy if you move to a new living space (even if the property is located in the same town or city).
Failing to update personal information, like your address, on your car insurance policy can count as a form of insurance fraud. Fraudsters will often provide car insurance companies with fake addresses (or choose not to change their old addresses) in order to obtain more affordable insurance rates. So, if you don’t update your address when you move, this may lead your company to believe you’re committing fraud.
Bonus — Click here to learn more about car insurance fraud in Canada.
Why does changing the address on your car insurance policy affect your car insurance rates?
The primary reason that updating the address on your car insurance policy affects your car insurance rates is the difference in risk level between the two areas.
Different parts of Canada are prone to different risks; for instance, drivers in one city may be at a greater risk of theft and vandalism, whereas drivers in another city may be more prone to car accidents.
Car insurance companies use this information (along with a variety of other personal details) to determine your car insurance rates. As a rule of thumb, a driver that lives in a low-risk area will pay less for car insurance than a driver (with similar driving habits, records, levels of coverage, etc.) that lives in a high-risk area.
This is why some people will submit fake addresses to their insurance companies; they hope that lying about their addresses will help them save. In reality, lying about your address is an unnecessary risk that comes with a variety of consequences, including jail time.
How much does a car insurance address change cost?
In most cases, you can update information on your car insurance policy, like your address, for free. Simply go online or contact your car insurance provider during their business hours to make the necessary changes to your policy.
As mentioned earlier, updating the information on your policy only takes a few minutes, so there’s no reason not to change the address on your insurance policy.
Do you need to find a new car insurance provider if your new address is in a different province?
If you’re moving to a different province, you might need to drop your current car insurance company and find a new one.
Certain provinces, like Quebec, require drivers to use a hybrid method of car insurance (drivers need to purchase mandatory auto coverage from a government-run car insurance service which they can supplement with coverage from private companies). So if you’re moving from a province like Ontario, you won’t be able to completely rely on your current car insurance policy.
However, if you are moving to a province that doesn’t have government-run insurance, you may be able to keep your current policy; it will depend on whether the company offers coverage in your new province.
If your current car insurance provider doesn’t offer coverage in your new province or you’d like to see what options are available, the first thing you should do is contact your Surex insurance advisor. Your Surex insurance advisor can help you compare auto insurance quotes from several of Canada’s top-rated car insurance companies!
Bundle multiple policies and save up to 25% with your Surex insurance advisor
Comparing car insurance quotes shouldn’t feel like a chore, and when you team up with Surex, it doesn’t!
At Surex, we’ve made it easier than ever for Canadians to find and compare affordable car insurance quotes. We’ve teamed up with a long list of Canada's best car insurance companies to make the quote comparison process quicker and more manageable than ever before.
To get started, click the “Start a Quote” button above to contact one of our talented insurance advisors. Within a few short minutes, we can help you find and compare quotes from several of the top car insurance providers in the country.
Want to get started? Contact us today!
If you have multiple insurance policies with different companies, you should ask your Surex advisor about the benefits of bundling. Bundling your policies is a great way to save a significant amount on your premium; you can take advantage of savings as high as 25%!
