How to cancel Direct Line car insurance

Perhaps you’re selling your car and stopping driving for a while, or you think you can get a better car insurance deal elsewhere. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to cancel your Direct Line policy.

In this guide we give you a step-by-step guide to quitting Direct Line car insurance and explain whether it’s worth it. Sometimes the costs aren’t worth the hassle.

How to cancel your Direct Line car insurance policy

• Cancellation after 14 days
• Cancellation within 14 days of cover
• Cancel before your policy starts

Changing car insurance provider

Switching car insurance providers is one of the best ways to slash costs. Often insurers don’t reward loyalty, so taking our a new policy could drive your premium down.

We’ll walk you through how you can change from Direct Line to a new insurance provider.

1. Shop around. Work out what level of coverage you want, then use comparison sites to really whittle down the options and find the best one.
2. Go direct. Some insurance companies don’t put their deals on comparison sites, so it’s worth getting a few quotes directly too.
3. Sign up. Take out your new insurance policy, ideally about three weeks before your Direct Line deal is set to expire. Tell your new provider you want to start the policy immediately, or maybe the better idea would be to ask for your insurance to kick in the day your Direct Line deal finishes.
4. Cancel Direct Line. If you’ve taken out a new car insurance policy you need to call Direct Line and tell it you want to cancel your policy that day.
5. Don’t renew. Or, if you’ve asked your new car insurance company to start your new coverage when your Direct Line one finishes, then simply call Direct Line and explicitly say you don’t want it to automatically renew your insurance. If you don’t get in touch it will do this!
6. Fees. You’ll have to pay an admin fee if you’ve quit Direct Line early so make sure your new deal is worth leaving for.

Frequently asked questions

• How can I confirm my Direct Line policy is cancelled?

  Direct Line will send you a letter saying your policy has been cancelled. Plus if you haven’t made a claim or had one made against you on your policy, then you’ll get a refund or partial refund. This also signals your deal is done.

• When is the best time to cancel or switch from Direct Line?

  Obviously, cancelling within the first 14 days is best as you won’t have to pay an admin fee. However, if you’ve gone beyond the cooling-off period, it depends whether you’re looking to switch to a new provider.

  If so, three weeks before your Direct Line policy is due to end is typically the best time to hunt around and switch, as car insurance companies will reward your proactive behaviour with lower quotes.

  Generally, leaving it to the last minute is a bad idea, as insurers see people who leave it late as higher risk. They say people who buy their policy at the eleventh hour are statistically more likely to make a claim.

  Should you be getting rid of your car and stopping driving, then quit as soon as you’ve said goodbye to your vehicle. You don’t need the coverage anymore and you should be able to get a refund if you haven’t had a claim.