Car insurance
Save up to £202** & get Meerkat Meals & Meerkat Movies*
**Based on Online independent research by Consumer Intelligence during November 2019 50% of customers could save up to £202.57 on their car insurance premium.
Compare cheap car insurance quotes
Did you know you could save up to £202** when you compare car insurance with Compare the Market? Our comparison service is quick and easy to use: just enter your details and see if you could find a cheaper car insurance deal for your new vehicle or beat your current insurance provider’s renewal quote.
**Based on Online independent research by Consumer Intelligence during November 2019 50% of customers could save up to £202.57 on their car insurance premium.
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How to get great-value car insurance
Comparing with us could be the best way to get a cheaper deal. We’ll show you some great deals from a variety of the UK’s most trusted car insurance providers. You can compare the policies based on price, cover level, or annual or monthly payment, helping you to find affordable car insurance that suits your needs.
Remember, cheap car insurance isn’t always the best insurance as it might not cover everything you want or need. Think about value for money as well as the total cost.
Want to know more? Read about...
>> Top tips for cheaper car insurance
>> Car insurance terms – a glossary
>> No claims discount explained
What type of car insurance do I need?
The type of car insurance you need depends on the level of cover you want. There are three different types of car insurance.
Third party car insurance covers you for injury or damage you cause to other people.
This is the minimum level of cover you need to legally drive on UK roads. Third party car insurance only covers the cost of compensating other people for injury or damage you cause. It doesn’t provide you with any financial help for injury or repairs to your vehicle.
Third party, fire and theft provides cover if your car is stolen or damaged by fire.
Covers the cost of damage or injury to third parties, but could also compensate you if your car is damaged due to fire or theft, or if it’s stolen. It won’t cover you for the costs of damage to your own car in an accident.
Get more detail about third party, fire and theft insurance.
Fully comprehensive offers drivers the most complete cover.
Includes all the cover of a third party fire and theft policy, but could also protect you as a driver and may pay out for damage to your car. It could also include compensation for medical treatment, legal expenses and accidental damage.
See more on what’s included in comprehensive car insurance.
It’s worth knowing that comprehensive insurance isn’t always the most expensive type of car insurance, even though it offers the most cover.
Depending on your circumstances, you might want to look into:
How can I get cheap car insurance?
One of the easiest ways to find cheap car insurance is to compare car insurance quotes with us. But there are plenty of things you could do to help you save money on your car insurance:
- Choose your car wisely. See the cheapest cars to insure.
- Increase your voluntary excess. Find out more about car insurance excess.
- Limit your mileage. Read about the effects of annual mileage on car insurance.
- Build up a no claims discount. Read no claims discount explained.
- Consider a telematics policy – also known as black box insurance.
For more ideas, check out our top tips for cheap car insurance.
Get a quoteFrequently asked questions
Why do you need car insurance?
You need car insurance as it can provide you with cover if you’re involved in a car accident. It’s also a legal requirement if you own or drive a car, unless you declare the vehicle off-road (SORN) and keep it on private property.
If you’re caught without car insurance, you could be fined a minimum of £300 and given six penalty points. If you end up in court, you might be given an unlimited fine and disqualified from driving.
What does car insurance cover?
If your car is involved in an accident, car insurance could provide cover for:
- injuries to you or other people
- damage to your car
- damage to another vehicle
- property damage
- car insurance could also cover you if your car is damaged by fire, attempted theft or if it’s stolen.
Not all car insurance policies offer the same cover, so always read the small print and make sure you’re happy with any exclusions or limitations.
Is it better to pay car insurance annually or monthly?
Whether it’s better to pay for your premium annually or each month will depend on your circumstances.
Paying an annual lump sum is usually cheaper than paying monthly. A monthly payment plan could mean you pay more as you might be charged interest on the instalments.
Do I need a credit check to buy car insurance?
The insurance provider will carry out a credit check if you want to pay for your car insurance monthly. Providers will also look at your credit score (a 'soft search') when you compare insurance quotes, but this is just to check your details and won’t affect your score.
How do I estimate my mileage?
You can estimate your mileage by working out how many miles you drive every day or week, then adding them up to work out your annual use. Alternatively, check your MOT certificate or car service record, which will show how many miles you’ve driven. You can use this as a basis to calculate your future mileage.
The number of miles you drive per year can affect your car insurance premium. This is because the more you drive, the more of a risk the provider considers you to be.
It’s important to be as accurate as you can when you estimate your mileage for your car insurance. If you guess and underestimate your mileage, it could invalidate your policy.
How do I work out my car’s value?
The current value of your car will be determined by factors including its age, mileage, make, service history, modifications and general condition. There are a number of free valuation tools online that you can use to get an estimate of your car’s value. You can also look at used-car listings to see the prices of similar models in a similar condition to yours.
When you compare car insurance deals with Compare the Market, you’ll be asked whether you know the current value of your car (whenever possible, we try to provide a value for you). Unless you own a classic car, this is likely to be less than you paid for it because of depreciation.
What affects the price of car insurance?
Factors that impact car insurance include:
- The insurance group your car is in.
- Your annual mileage. The more you drive, the more chance there is of you having an accident.
- Your occupation. Some jobs are considered riskier than others.
- Where you live. Most claims are for accidents close to home, so your address is a key factor that impacts your car insurance.
- Your age. Young drivers will generally pay more than older drivers.
- Your driving experience. The length of time you've been driving for will impact your premium, especially if you're also a young driver.
- Any criminal convictions. You'll be considered a higher risk so are likely to pay more.
- Your claims history. Including any no claims discount.
- Adding a named driver to your policy. This could decrease your premium if the person is an experienced driver with no claims.
How much does car insurance cost?
Insurance providers base the cost of your premium on the risk they face. So, for example, if you’ve made claims in the past, you’re liable to pay more than someone with a long history of no claims.
The average quarterly car insurance premium in September to November 2019 was £730, according to our Premium Drivers Report^^. But that’s just an average – you could pay more or less depending, on a number of factors. These include how expensive your car would be to replace or repair, the value of the car, how many miles you drive in a year, where you live and – one of the biggest influencers – your age. In fact, our data shows that for drivers aged 17-24, the average premium is £1,220^^^.
^^ Compare the Market, Premium Drivers Index, December 2019
^^^ Compare the Market Young Drivers Index, July 2019
When you shop around with Compare the Market…
Fully comprehensive car insurance could cost from
£698
per year***
Learner driver car insurance could cost from
£585
per year****
Over 50s car insurance could cost from
£313
per year*****
***50% of people could achieve a quote of £698.00 per year for their fully comprehensive car insurance based on Compare the Market data in November 2019.
****50% of learner drivers between 17-24 year olds could achieve a quote of up to £584.20 for their car insurance based on Compare the Market data in November 2019.
*****50% of over 50s could achieve a quote of up to £312.10 for their car insurance based on Compare the Market data in November 2019.
And that’s just the average. The cost of car insurance depends on a number of things. The price reflects the risk the insurance provider faces, so factors in things such as how expensive your car would be to replace or repair, the value of the car, how likely it is to be stolen, whether you’re a driver who abides by the law, how many miles you drive and so on.
When you shop around with Compare the Market, you could find cheaper policies.
Get a quote
What details do I need to get a quick insurance quote?
To get a car insurance quote, you’ll need to tell us about:
- Your car – either your registration number or the car’s make, model and age. You’ll definitely need the registration number to buy a policy.
- How you use your car – for pleasure and commuting, or for business purposes too. We’ll also need to know how many miles a year you drive and where you keep your car at night.
- No claims discount (NCD) – how many years you have (you’ll need proof from your current insurance provider if you’re switching to a different one).
- Your driving history – any accidents, insurance claims and driving convictions from the past five years. Be honest, or you could invalidate your car insurance policy.
- Additional drivers – details of any additional drivers you want to add to the policy.
You'll also need to provide a few personal details – unless you’ve compared with us before, then we’ll do that for you. This will include your name, how old you are, where you live and the type of job you do.
Get a quoteUpgrades and additional cover
Get covered for everything from a broken windscreen to legal expenses.
- Breakdown cover: If your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, breakdown cover can help you carry on with your journey. You can add it to your car insurance policy or buy it separately.
- Personal accident cover: If you or your partner are killed or seriously injured in a car accident, personal accident cover can provide compensation. It usually comes with comprehensive insurance, but if you don’t have personal accident cover you can buy it separately or add it to your policy.
- Motor legal protection: If you’re injured in an accident and need to take legal action against another driver, someone takes action against you or you’re involved in a dispute related to a car, motor legal protection can help cover your legal expenses. You can add it as an extra to your policy.
- Lost keys cover: not only is losing your car keys annoying, it can also be very expensive. If your keys are lost or stolen, lost keys cover can cover the costs of replacing and reprogramming them. When we show you a list of quotes to compare, just click ‘more details’ on each policy to see if key cover is included as standard or whether you need to add it as an extra.
- No claims discount protection: Your no claims discount can cut the cost of your premium significantly, so you won’t want to lose it if you have to make a claim. Protect it by adding this cover to your insurance.
- Windscreen cover: Repairing or replacing car windscreens can be expensive, so if this cover isn’t included in your policy you may want to add it on. When we show you a list of quotes to compare, simply click the ‘more details’ button next to each policy to see if windscreen cover is included or whether you need to add it on.
Cover types
- Telematics insurance: Younger drivers in particular may benefit from black box insurance. Your premium is based on data from a telematics device installed in your car.
- New drivers cover: Insurance for first-time drivers can be expensive. Compare and find the right deal for you.
- Over 50s insurance: More experienced drivers enjoy lower premiums. Find out how to cut costs even more.
- European driving insurance: Relax and enjoy your trip knowing you have the right cover for driving in Europe.
- Classic car insurance: If your car was manufactured from 1970 onwards, we can help you find the right cover for you.
- Learner driver insurance: Don’t pay more than you need to – get tips on how to cut the costs of your premium.
Why compare car insurance with Compare the Market?
50% of consumers could save up to £202**
5 minutes to get a quote^^^^
25% of consumers could save up to 50% on their premium†
^^^^On average it can take less than 5 minutes to complete a car quote through Compare the Market based on data in December 2019.
†Based on Online independent research by Consumer Intelligence during November 2019 25% of customers could save up to 50.35% on their car insurance premium.
Daniel Hutson
From the Motor team
What our expert says...
"The most competitive prices out there are typically offered around three weeks before your policy end date. So don’t leave comparing to the last minute."
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As of the 06 November 2019 our customers rate us 4.6/5 based on 89,824 unique customer reviews.
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Car insurance group checker
There are 50 car insurance groups. Your car is in one of them and, in general, the higher the group, the higher your car insurance premium is likely to be.
If you’re curious about what group your car’s in or you want to check the group before you buy a new car, then our car insurance group checker is here to help. Just input a few details about your car – such as its make, model and year – and we can tell you what group it’s in.
Find a car insurance group
