Has car insurance become more expensive?
Car premiums have risen in recent years, but not because there are more collisions. Every collision simply costs more to repair.
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In brief
A car premium is not a price but a sum: the expected claims burden, the insurer's costs and insurance premium tax. Of those three, it is mainly the first that moves. The claims frequency has not risen spectacularly in recent years, the claims burden per case has. Insurers pass that on at renewal, the moment your policy is automatically extended by a year.
The main cause lies in the car itself. Bumpers, mirrors and windscreens contain radar, cameras and sensors for driver assistance systems. Anyone replacing such a component then has to have it calibrated, and that requires equipment and certified staff. A windscreen is therefore no longer glass but a module. On top of that come longer delivery times for parts and increased wages in the repair sector.
On the third-party liability side something else plays a part. Injury claims files run on for years and the awards made in them are index-linked. An accident that happens today is only settled some years later at the amounts applying then. Insurers set aside reserves for that in advance, and that reserve is in the premium you pay today. On top of that comes insurance premium tax: a statutory levy on the premium, which moves with every increase. See also rising premiums and what you can do about them.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare car insurance.
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We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.
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We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.
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You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.
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We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.
Help with claims
We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.
What to look out for
Four levers you can operate yourself, and one you cannot.
Your own file counts for more than the market
A market-wide increase of a few per cent is nothing compared with the fall back on the bonus-malus ladder after one at-fault claim. A move to a different postcode, a changed mileage or reaching an age limit on the rating scale also works straight through into the bill. So on an unexpected increase, first check whether something in your own details has changed before you go to the market. Ask your insurer for a breakdown if necessary.
Let the type of cover move with the car
Comprehensive cover on a car that has depreciated heavily costs premium you never see again in a total loss: you receive the market value, not the purchase price. Consider switching to third-party liability with third-party, fire and theft. The distinction is set out at is comprehensive cover worth it.
Excess and payment term
A higher voluntary excess brings the own-damage premium down, provided you can genuinely spare that amount. Paying annually instead of monthly saves a surcharge at most companies; see how often you pay your car insurance.
Cheaper is not the same cover
With a sharper premium, things often disappear that you only miss after a claim: replacement transport, glass repair without an excess, a wider accessories limit or cover outside Europe. So compare the policy conditions and not only the figure at the bottom of the quotation.
What does your premium depend on?
- Claims burden of your model of vehicle: repair costs and theft figures per model
- Bonus-malus step: the heaviest personal factor
- Postcode where the vehicle is kept: reviewed periodically on regional figures
- Annual mileage: if you drive less than declared you can have it adjusted
- Insurance premium tax: a statutory levy the insurer passes on
- Cover and excess chosen: the only two levers you operate directly yourself
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What you get back per type of cover
| Situation | Third-party liability | Third-party liability with fire and theft |
|---|---|---|
| You run into the vehicle in front: the damage to their car | Yes | Yes |
| In the same collision your own front bumper with parking sensors is broken | No | No |
| A stone chip puts a star in your windscreen | No | Yes |
| Your car burns out through a short circuit in the dashboard | No | Yes |
| You hit a deer crossing a provincial road | No | Yes |
| The bike rack with bikes is stolen from your towbar | No | Provided that |
Falling back to a lighter type of cover lowers the bill, but moves the rows marked No to your own account.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
May my insurer simply increase the premium?
At renewal an insurer may adjust the premium and the conditions, provided it informs you in good time. You are not bound by that: once the first contract year has passed, you can almost always cancel with immediate effect. Where there is an increase to your disadvantage, a separate right of cancellation often applies. Check that in your conditions.
Do I save by taking third-party liability only?
On the premium certainly, but you then bear all damage to your own car yourself, including broken glass, fire and theft. Third-party liability with third-party, fire and theft is often the reasonable middle: it covers a fixed list of events you do not cause yourself. See Third-party liability with fire and theft for what does and does not fall under it.
Which damage remains at your own expense on every type of cover?
What wears out on the car or breaks from the inside you always pay yourself: wear, a mechanical defect and a design fault fall outside every form of own-damage cover. The same applies to damage from putting in the wrong fuel, freezing of the cooling system and loss of value after repair. Use for hire, driving lessons or carriage for payment also falls outside it, as does damage caused by a driver you had not declared.
Does switching really help?
Sometimes it does, but not always: insurers apply different underwriting criteria and rating groups, so the same car can work out considerably cheaper with one company. Take your no-claims statement with you, so that your no-claims years are taken over correctly. Have the offer set alongside your current conditions; a lower premium with less cover is not a saving.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Compare car insuranceThe main page
- Car insurance for new driversInsurance obligation, no-claims scale, clauses
- Saving on your car insuranceType of cover, excess, no-claims years
- Putting together affordable car insuranceForm of cover, excess, duplicate cover
- Is comprehensive cover worth it?Market value, excess, no-claims years
- Changes in car insurancePremium, conditions, driving electric