Car insurance

My car was stolen but before all the paper work was completed the insurance became due and the amount taken out of my bank. When I queried this I was told thaf the car had to be insured as it hadn't been found and the paper work not completed. Does anyone know the rules re a refund. The car was found by the Guardia civil a few days later. It was burnt out. Anyone who has a car stolen hope that everything is completed before it is found. If not it takes hours and hours with the Guardia and then the truck took 2 weeks from picking the car up to taking it to the scrap yard. Numerous phone calls and emails. Altogether 2 months. I suppose I will have to wait weeks for the insurance to pay for the car.

the question now is do I get any of the €450 back from the years insurance.

Thanks for any information

Hi Pompom,

Sorry to hear of your misfortune.

You need to establish the date and possibly time exactly when the car was destroyed -  a written note from the Guardia Civil asap is essential.

If the date was before renewal date you are entitled to a 100% return of the premium paid in advance for the new year.  If the date the car was destroyed (not stolen) was after the renewal date you are not entitled to any refund.

The above is based on two established "rules" in insurance surrounding the principle of indemnity. Firstly, you cannot insure anything that does not exist.  Secondly in a write-off situation the insurers have fully indemnified you in paying out and therefore there is no refund for what would be a mid term cancellation of the policy.

If the Guardia Civil do not know the exact date try to get them to give you the likely earliest date it may have occurred and the date found, again in writing.

If you have any queries feel free to send me a PM if you prefer.