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How do you transfer insurance when buying a used car?
Can you transfer car insurance from one car to another? I’ve driven my old car for 10-plus years and I want to upgrade to driving a hybrid car, so I'm planning to buy a gently used Toyota Prius. Before I drive it, I'd like to transfer my insurance over if possible.
Phoebe Mah · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
“You’ll be happy to hear that transferring insurance when buying a used car is not a painstaking process!
In fact, your auto insurance provider will take care of all the paperwork—you only have to reach out to inform them of your purchase. You can call the company directly, or you may be able to alter your policy online through the company’s website or app.
If the online option is available to you, simply log in to your account, add the car you purchased to your policy, and remove your old vehicle (so long as you’ll no longer be driving it).
It sounds like you’re ahead of the game, but you’ll want to add your Prius to your policy as soon as possible. While some states offer grace periods of up to 30 days after a new car purchase—wherein your current car insurance policy extends to a new vehicle for about a month—other states aren’t so kind.
Before dropping your old car from the policy, check with your local DMV to verify your state’s plate requirements. Depending on where you live, you may be required to surrender old plates when taking a car off the road—or you may be able to transfer plates from one car to another.
Lastly, ask the dealership, lender, or lessor what
type of coverage
your Prius will need. If your last vehicle was much older and only had liability, you may want to consider adding collision
or comprehensive insurance
to your policy to make sure the new-to-you vehicle is fully protected.If you’re looking for a better policy at a better rate, use the
Jerry
app. A licensed broker that offers end-to-end support, the Jerry app gathers affordable quotes, helps you switch plans, and will even help you cancel your old policy.”View full answer
- Gregory R.
WHY YOU CAN TRUST JERRY
Jerry partners with more than 50 insurance companies, but our content is independently researched, written, and fact-checked by our team of editors and agents. We aren’t paid for reviews or other content.
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