Does A Remap Affect Car Insurance?

Why A Remap Counts As A Modification

Insurers price a car on its standard specification. A remap changes the engine software to give more power and torque, so the car is no longer the one they quoted for. The Financial Ombudsman Service lists 'engine tuning' alongside upgraded exhausts, alloy wheels and body kits as modifications drivers must disclose, and warns that failing to declare them 'leads to insurance being invalidated or claims being rejected in the event of an accident'.

It does not matter that a remap is invisible from the outside, or that it is a Stage 1 map within safe limits. It is still a change to the engine, and it still has to be declared. The same applies to an economy remap aimed at fuel savings: tell the insurer what it is and let them decide.

What Insurers Ask When You Declare A Remap

Most insurers ask a short set of questions. Have the answers ready before you ring, and ask the tuner for them in writing.

• What was done: a software remap, a plug-in tuning box, or hardware changes as well.
• The power and torque before and after, or at least the expected gain.
• Who did the work, and when.
• Whether any other parts were changed at the same time, such as the exhaust, intake or intercooler.
• Whether it is a performance map or an economy map.

What Happens If You Do Not Declare A Remap

The rules come from the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012. You have a duty to take reasonable care not to give the insurer wrong information, and the questions about modifications are part of that. If you get it wrong, what the insurer can do depends on whether it was deliberate or careless, and on what they would have done had they known.

The Financial Ombudsman has published a case where a driver had an ECU remap and exhaust retuning that were not declared. The insurer voided the policy, and the Ombudsman found that fair. It has also warned that modifications made by a previous owner still count, so a used car you did not know was remapped is still your problem.

The Knock-On Effects Of A Voided Policy

A cancelled policy is more than a lost claim. Under section 151 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, the insurer usually still has to pay injured third parties, but it can then try to recover that money from you. If the policy is treated as void, you may also have been driving uninsured, which carries 6 to 8 penalty points under endorsement code IN10. Many insurers also ask whether you have ever had a policy cancelled or voided, so it follows you into the next quote.

How Much A Remap Adds To Your Premium

There is no fixed figure. It depends on the car, the power gain, your age, your postcode and the insurer. Finder UK gives a rise of around 20% as a rough guide, and some mainstream insurers will not quote for a remapped car at all. Specialist modified-car insurers are used to remaps and are often the cheaper route.

Get the quote before you book the remap. If the extra premium outweighs what you want from the map, you have lost nothing by asking.

How To Remap A Car and Stay Properly Insured

The order that works: ask your insurer, or a modified-car specialist, for a quote with the remap declared; book the work; tell the insurer the day it is done; keep the paperwork with the car's documents. When you sell the car, tell the buyer, because their insurer will ask them the same question.

We offer a custom Stage 1 ECU remap from £200, written for the individual vehicle within safe limits using licensed tuning software, and done at your home or work. If you later want the car returned to its original software, for example before selling it, we also offer a back to stock service, from £200. A car that is back on standard software is no longer carrying the remap, but tell your insurer about that change too.