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When and how to cancel your car insurance after selling, get refunds, and avoid coverage gaps.
Editorial Team
The autoweg editorial team consists of Swiss automotive market experts creating in-depth guides and market analyses.
Car sold — but insurance keeps running until you actively cancel. Every day costs money.
This guide shows how to correctly cancel after selling.
From cancellation to refund: everything you need to know.
Key Takeaway
Cancel IMMEDIATELY after selling. Special termination right with no notice period.
When selling a vehicle, policyholders in Switzerland have a special termination right. Cancellation can be made immediately without notice. The insurer must refund the premium on a pro-rata basis.
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Most common mistake: forgetting to cancel. CHF 3.30/day running unnecessarily.
Cancel your insurance IMMEDIATELY after sale – same day if possible. You'll get a prorated refund for unused days.
Right after sale and returning license plates. Insurance continues until cancellation.
You'll receive premium back prorated (calculated per day). Usually within 2-4 weeks.
Insurance and taxes continue as long as car is registered to you. Cancel quickly!
Timing depends on whether you sell to a dealer or private party.
Dealer handles re-registration. You cancel insurance AFTER handover, once you've returned plates.
Tip: Some insurers allow same-day phone cancellation – check in advance.
You must return plates yourself to road traffic office. Only THEN cancel insurance.
Warning: Never sell car with plates! Car remains insured under your name until deregistered.
Sign purchase contract, receive payment. Note date and time of handover.
Go to road traffic office and return plates. You'll receive deregistration confirmation.
Call your insurer (phone is faster than email) and cancel immediately. Provide deregistration date.
Request written confirmation (email or letter). Keep this document.
Insurer calculates prorated refund and transfers within 2-4 weeks.
Important: Always cancel AFTER returning the licence plates. This avoids coverage gaps.
When selling a car in Switzerland, various insurance policies need to be cancelled or adjusted.
Mandatory insurance — must be cancelled when selling.
Covers theft, hail, glass breakage. Cancelled with liability.
Also covers self-caused damage. Cancelled with liability.
Often insured separately (TCS). Check if separate cancellation needed.
If vehicle-linked, must be cancelled or transferred separately.
First deregister, then cancel. The reverse means driving uninsured — a criminal offense.
Calculate the cost of each day's delay
The faster you cancel, the more you save.
You're entitled to prorated premium refund for unused days.
Annual premium CHF 1,200, cancel Aug 1 = 5 months remaining → Refund approx. CHF 500 (1200 ÷ 12 × 5).
These common mistakes cost car sellers hundreds of francs each year. Avoid them with our tips.
CHF 3.30/day of delay.
Prevention: Cancel same day as deregistration.
Without insurance, driving is illegal.
Prevention: First plates, then cancel.
No written proof, no recourse.
Prevention: Written confirmation via email.
Calculation errors happen.
Prevention: Calculate yourself.
Assistance doesn't end automatically.
Prevention: Check all contracts.
Thomas from Winterthur sells his BMW via autoweg.ch on March 15. He returns his licence plates the next day and immediately calls his insurance.
Plates returned March 16, insurance called immediately. CHF 762 refunded in 3 weeks.
With autoweg, the dealer handles re-registration. Sellers only need to cancel insurance.
The dealer handles re-registration.
We automatically remind every seller.
No autoweg seller should pay unnecessary premiums.
Common questions about insurance cancellation.
Question not listed? Contact us.
Small step, big savings.
Sell stress-free through autoweg.ch
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