What can affect my car insurance quote?

Your age

Insurance premiums will be more expensive for drivers who are under 25 or over 70, as statistically they are more likely to be involved in an accident.

If you're a younger driver and you need some help with cutting the cost of cover, look no further than our Young drivers' car insurance guide.

There's no 'perfect' age for cheap car insurance and premiums can differ wildly depending on the person, but it should start to get cheaper after you've been driving for a while. See our full guide on how age affects your car insurance. 

Your job

Insurers believe that certain jobs make a driver more or less likely to have an accident or to make a claim. It's not about using a vehicle for your business (you will need to tell your insurer if you plan to do this, though), but rather how your job might affect how you drive outside of work. They may take into account jobs where you might be more likely to drive at unsociable hours for example, or have to travel long distances.

Plus, what you put as your job title might have an impact on how much you pay. You should never lie, but if you tweak your job title you could get a cheaper premium. Check out our Car Insurance Job Picker tool to see whether making a change could benefit you.

Your address and where you keep your car

Where you live and where you leave your vehicle overnight also play into how much your car insurance premium will be.

If you live in an urban area, your quote is likely to be higher, as the greater number of other cars around means you're deemed to be at a greater risk of making a claim. You could also be more likely to claim on your insurance if you live in an area with high rates of recorded crime, for example, or if you live in an area prone to flooding.

Being registered to vote at your current address is another factor that could see you bag a cheaper premium, so get yourself on to the electoral roll. This is a sign of stability to providers.

Your driving history

Car insurers will look at your past behaviour to work out how you might drive in the future. For example, if you're a very inexperienced driver or you have a history of accidents, you will likely have to pay more for your car insurance than an experienced driver with no claims, because providers will deem you more likely to make a claim in future. Here are some aspects that insurers consider:

• Claims and convictions: If you've had one or both of these in the last five years, you're likely to pay more for cover.
  
  
• No-claims discount: If you don't make a claim in the 12 months after you take out a policy, you earn one year's no-claims discount, or bonus. Generally, the longer your no-claims discount is, the cheaper your new policy will be.
   
• Mileage: When getting a quote you'll be asked for an estimated mileage for the year ahead – base this on what you tend to do in a year. The more miles you drive, the more you can expect to pay towards a premium.

Having a named driver on your policy

Adding another driver to your policy can affect how much you pay for your car insurance. While it might not seem logical that having an extra person driving your vehicle could lower your costs, it can do just that – in some cases by £100s or £1,000s.

If insurers see you as high risk, adding someone who is a much lower risk as a second (or third) driver can bring down the average risk and you may get a cheaper policy. The better the driving history and lower the risk, the more impact it should have. Adding someone with a good driving record is likely to make the most savings, but anyone who's a lower risk can help.

It just needs to be someone who would reasonably drive your car. And, crucially, never add someone as the main driver if they're not. This is known in the industry as 'fronting', and is fraud. It could potentially lead to a conviction and your insurance will likely be invalid.