How do job titles affect car insurance policies?
What you do for a living is an important consideration for insurance providers when calculating the price of your car insurance. See why it makes a difference.
What you do for a living is an important consideration for insurance providers when calculating the price of your car insurance. See why it makes a difference.
Why does my job title affect my car insurance?
Car insurance providers consider that people in some occupations are more likely to make a claim. So how you describe what you do can have an impact on the premium you’re quoted. Even if you only use your car for commuting, some types of employment are considered a greater risk than others, so insurance providers are keen to know this information. It’s not the only thing they look at – there’s a whole basket of factors providers use to assess your risk level – but it is one that makes an impact.
Which jobs carry a greater insurance risk?
Jobs that insurance providers consider higher risk, according to a variety of sources, include footballers, fruit pickers, labourers, waiters and painters. In contrast, administrative, clerical and secretarial jobs, along with mechanics and engineers, have been found to be cheapest for car insurance.
Jobs that tend to attract younger workers may result in higher quotes, as young drivers are considered risky. The same goes for occupations where people are working late or irregular hours, are self-employed or are likely to be in a hurry.
Sometimes it’s clear why a particular job may attract a higher premium, but sometimes the reason for the pricing is obscure or even out of date as the nature of jobs has changed.
For example, if you’re a freelance stunt person, you’re going to be paying more than an accountant working from an office. Yet, different insurance providers have different rules and methods for working out a driver’s risk, so the only way to find out is by comparing policies.
What impact does being unemployed have on car insurance?
You could find that you have to pay more for your insurance. Insurance providers may consider unemployed drivers a higher risk, partly because you could be driving at any point in the day, rather than being at work.
If you’re a stay-at-home parent, homemaker or are retired, it may be better to choose that, rather than unemployed, as your employment status when you apply for car insurance. But don’t ever be tempted to lie - that could cost you a lot more than any savings you made from the false job title.
Do I have to tell my insurance provider if I change jobs?
Yes. If you don’t, your insurance provider could refuse to pay out on a claim. Find out more about making changes to your car insurance policy. It’s not worth not telling your insurance provider as a claim could run into hundreds or thousands of pounds. Yet the saving on your premium is probably not going to be as much.
I have more than one job, what do I do?
You have to tell the insurance provider about each job you do. They’ll typically focus most on your main job when calculating your premium.
Is there anything I can do to get a more favourable price from my insurance provider?
Some jobs have more than one description, so you can tweak your job title as long as you’re still telling the truth about what you do.
For instance, if you adjust your job description from artist to illustrator, you may see a difference in price. Likewise, saying you’re a GP rather than simply a doctor may get you a different premium.
However, it’s vital to be honest and accurate in what you tell your insurance provider. Saying you’re a nurse when you’re actually a carpenter is likely to make your policy invalid.
Insurance premiums for different job titles won’t be the same for every provider, so it’s always worth comparing. It’s not the most exciting way to fill your time but trying out different job titles to see how much money you could save could be a big benefit in the end. If you are able to shave £50 off your premium, for example, then it’s well worth five minutes of admin.
Read our guide on how to get cheaper car insurance
What else do insurance providers consider as well as jobs?
Your job’s not the only thing that insurance providers take into account, they will also consider:
- Your car – its registration, make, model and age
- Your annual mileage
- If you have a no-claims discount
- Your driving history including claims and convictions
- Your age and address
- Where you keep your car overnight
- Details of any additional drivers you want to add to the policy
- How you use your car – if it’s mainly for work or if it’s just for social trips or supermarket visits.
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Finding a good deal on your car insurance is easy. Compare car insurance with us and you can be confident that you’re getting a policy that suits your needs at a price you can afford – whatever your occupation.
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Julie Daniels - Motor insurance expert
Julie is passionate about delivering a great customer experience and rewarding people for saving on their insurance through our loyalty and rewards programme. She’s spoken to the media, including outlets like Sky News and Capital FM, about car and home insurance, as well as our rewards scheme.
Kate Hughes - Insurance and finance expert
As an award-winning journalist, author and broadcast commentator, Kate has been writing about personal finance for more than 20 years. She’s the former Money Editor for The Independent. Her work has appeared across the UK broadsheets as well as a number of international titles. Kate brings her financial expertise to inform her readers on ways to save money. She’s also written a book. ‘Going Zero: One Family’s Journey to Zero Waste and a Greener Lifestyle’ is available now.