Motorists often ask, “can insurance tell if a car is remapped?” The answer is no, but they may find out.
Insurers don’t inspect cars before giving them cover, so, in reality, your insurer won’t randomly check your car for remapping even though some policies may say the insurer can inspect a vehicle if they want to.
However, in the event of a claim and your car being damaged, a garage will be able to check for remapping by inspecting the engine’s electronic control unit (ECU). If it has been altered, the garage will most likely inform the insurer in a damage inspection report.
Photo by Joshua Aragon on Unsplash.
What is remapping an engine?
Remapping a car is a quick and fairly cost-effective adjustment to the microchip in the ECU, to overwrite the manufacturer’s factory settings and optimise performance.
You can find out more by reading our blog: Remapping: what you need to know.
Insurers consider remapping as a modification so you must inform them if your car’s ECU has been altered. Non-disclosure could invalidate your insurance cover and could result in the refusal of any claim.
While non-disclosure is not a criminal offence, it is an offence to drive without valid insurance, so you could face criminal proceedings as well.
Read our blog to find out how to avoid the dangers and pitfalls of modifying your car.
Can you tell if a car has been remapped?
Unless you’ve actually arranged for your car to be remapped, it would be difficult to know if it already has been. However, you could look out for a sticker that engineers often display on cars to show they have been remapped. Please note, though, that this may well have been removed.
If you drive a second hand car it is your responsibility to find out, either from the original keeper or by taking the vehicle to a garage, if it has been remapped. If it has, you must inform your insurer. Ignorance is no defence!
Photo by Sergey Meshkov from Pexels.
Will remapping increase the price of my cover?
Remapping will affect the cost of your insurance. How much it does will depend on what improvement the remapping has made to the car’s performance. If there is a massive increase in brake horsepower, it will mean a bigger premium rise. If the update simply makes the vehicle run more smoothly with little or no effect on power, the increase will be minimal.
Read our blog to find out how remapping and other popular modifications affect the cost of your insurance.
Do I need remapping car insurance?
If your car has been remapped, standard motor insurance will not cover your vehicle. You will need a modified car insurance policy and it’s best to go to a specialist insurer, such as Adrian Flux.
We take pride in insuring the “uninsurable”, so whatever your mod we will have a policy to match your needs. Call 0800 369 8590 for a fast no obligation quote or book a callback. 81.5% of all customers receiving an online quote in August 2022 could have obtained a cheaper quote over the phone, based on the information they provided.