Used Car Buyer’s Insurance Timeline: What to Do Before the Test Drive and After the Change of Ownership?
Check the insurance before test-driving a used car. Here is what a buyer should do before the purchase, during the ownership change and after the deal.
Before the test drive: check the insurance, not the seller’s memory
Ask for the vehicle’s registration number or VIN and check whether compulsory motor insurance is valid using the Estonian Traffic Insurance Fund’s enquiry service. Do this before driving the vehicle on a public road.
A test drive is no exception. Even a five-minute drive around the block means taking part in road traffic. If the car is uninsured and an accident occurs during the test drive, the consequences can be far more expensive than a technical fault discovered during a pre-purchase inspection.
At the same time, check the vehicle’s history, the validity of its roadworthiness inspection and whether the seller has the right to sell the vehicle. Valid insurance does not prove ownership and says nothing about the vehicle’s technical condition.
At the time of the transaction: complete the change of ownership immediately
The change of ownership should ideally be completed as part of the transaction rather than postponed until the evening or the following day. The rights and obligations under the compulsory motor insurance contract transfer when the change is entered in the traffic register.
Before confirming the transaction, the buyer should ask the seller:
- Which insurer is the current policy with?
- When does the current insurance period end?
- Has the policy been paid in full or is it being paid in instalments?
- What additional cover is included with the policy?
These questions do not replace an official check, but they can help avoid situations where the new owner unexpectedly receives an invoice or incorrectly assumes that the previous owner’s additional cover will continue unchanged.
Within the first 24 hours: decide whether to continue or compare again
A policy that transfers automatically may not be the best option for the new owner. Place of residence, vehicle use, the driver’s risk profile and the preferred insurance period may all be different. After the registration change, the new owner can choose another insurer and take out a policy that better matches their needs.
When comparing policies, it is worth looking beyond the annual premium. IIZI motor insurance options make it possible to consider additional cover alongside compulsory insurance, including protection for damage to your own vehicle, collisions with animals, replacement-car cover and protection for injuries to the driver and passengers.
If it is the family’s only vehicle, replacement-car cover may be more valuable than saving a few euros on the insurance premium. If the daily commute includes dark rural roads, cover for collisions with animals may also be particularly relevant.
Within the first week: save the documents and contact details
Keep the purchase agreement, confirmation of the registration change and the insurance policy together in one digital folder. Save the insurance assistance number on your phone and take photos of the vehicle immediately after purchase.
Also check that the contact details shown on the insurance policy are correct. If the insurer does not have the new owner’s current email address or phone number, an important notification may arrive too late.
Buying a used car does not end when the keys are handed over. Before the first drive, the vehicle’s history, registration details and insurance cover should be checked, and after the transaction the new owner should make an informed decision about which insurance policy to continue with.
