Guide
Chiptuning and your insurance
Yes, you have to report it. This is where people most often go wrong, and it's also where it can cost you the most.
Why reporting is required
Your insurer calculated your premium based on the vehicle as it was. If engine performance changes, so does the risk assessment. Almost every policy states that you must report modifications to the vehicle.
So it isn't a legal obligation but a contractual one. It's in the terms you accepted.
What happens if you don't
As long as nothing happens, you notice nothing. It goes wrong the moment you make a claim.
On a larger claim an insurer has the vehicle examined. A modified software file is demonstrable — an assessor will simply find it. If it then turns out you failed to report a modification, the insurer can reduce or refuse the payout.
On a few thousand euros of damage that's annoying. On a write-off or personal injury it becomes a different story.
How to go about it
Call or email your insurer and tell them what has been modified. Do that before the work, not after — then you know where you stand before you spend money.
- State which modification it is and what the new power output will be
- Ask for written confirmation, even if it's just an email
- Keep that confirmation with your vehicle documents
- Ask whether the premium changes, so there are no surprises
What insurers actually do
It varies a lot. Some insurers accept a modest power increase without raising the premium. Others charge a surcharge. Others again no longer want to insure the vehicle at all, and then you have to switch.
What you achieve by reporting it in any case: you know beforehand, and you have it in writing.
In the work order you sign before we start, we state explicitly that reporting to your insurer is your responsibility. Not to be rid of it, but so that you don't forget.