60-second summary
Just want the basics? Here’s your quick guide to where you should park your car at night:
Best places to park: Parking in a locked garage, driveway, or secure compound is ideal for reducing theft and vandalism risks. Well-lit street parking can help deter thieves if no other options are available.
How parking affects insurance: Insurance providers consider where you park when calculating premiums. Parking in a garage or on a driveway can often lower costs, while street parking may increase premiums, especially in high-crime areas.
Street parking risks: Cars parked on the street face higher risks of theft and vandalism, especially overnight. In fact, 74% of vehicle thefts happen in the dark.
Tips for safer parking: Install alarms or cameras, keep valuables out of sight, and ensure keyless fobs are shielded to deter thieves. If parking on the street, choose well-lit areas whenever possible.
Where’s the safest place to park your vehicle at night?
It sounds obvious, but you should try to park your car close to your home, in a spot that’s well lit, like under a streetlight. It’s better to park a little further away if that means you get a better-lit, well-trafficked spot. If you can park it in a locked garage or secure compound that’s particularly good too. Here are some options:
Parking in a locked compound
A locked compound is more common for commercial sites. If you’re able to park your car overnight in a locked compound, your car is off the street, in a secured building or an area that’s fenced off, that will require a key or code to enter. It may also benefit from CCTV and security staff.
Parking in your garage
A private garage offers excellent protection against theft and vandalism, keeping your vehicle out of sight and secure. However, parking in a garage isn’t a guarantee of lower premiums because some insurance providers are wary of the risk of your car getting scratched or bumped as you drive in and out.
Parking in a secure public car park
This kind of car park isn’t available to everyone, but can come with added security in place, such as CCTV and security staff. Finding a parking garage near you with these features may not always be easy, but can enhance vehicle security.
Parking in a residential car park
If you live in a block of flats or in an area with restricted parking, you may have use of a residential parking area. If this has CCTV installed, it could reduce the risk of theft and perhaps the cost of your insurance.
Parking on your driveway
This is a convenient option, but it’s important to consider security measures. Parking on your driveway reduces the chance of your vehicle being hit by another driver, but your car might still be seen from the street and be accessible to thieves, especially if you have a car with keyless entry.
With keyless car theft, a thief only needs to be within a few metres of your car key to capture your key signal, even if the key is inside your home. They use a device to relay the signal to another device held by an accomplice near the car, who can then unlock the car and start the ignition.
If you own this type of car, make sure you understand what you need to do to prevent keyless car theft from your drive:
Keep your car key and spare a long way away from the car on your drive.
Keep keys in a special signal-blocking pouch such as a Faraday bag.
Reprogramme your keys if you buy a second-hand car.
Turn off wireless on your fob when it’s not in use.
Parking on the street
Street parking exposes your vehicle to a higher likelihood of theft and vandalism, particularly in areas with higher crime rates. Insurance providers use crime statistics and historical data to assess these risks, and parking in a high-risk area can lead to increased premiums.
But while choosing a well-lit spot on a busier road can deter potential thieves, street parking remains a less secure option compared to other parking choices.
If you have no choice but to park on the street, it may be worth considering parking your car in a private or patrolled area, if possible.
Does where you park at night affect your car insurance?
Experts and providers tend to agree that where you park your car overnight can have an impact on your insurance cost, because your chosen location can affect the risk of the vehicle being stolen or damaged.
Parking on the street is generally seen as the highest-risk option, depending on your postcode.
Insurance providers use historical data and crime statistics to assess the risk associated with parking in certain locations. Areas with higher vehicle theft rates or vandalism are seen as higher risk, which can lead to more expensive premiums. If you park on the street in an area with higher levels of vehicle theft or vandalism, you may be perceived as higher risk. This is why parking your car in a car port or on the driveway of your home could help reduce the cost of your car insurance
But if you don’t have a garage or driveway, there are other ways you can get cheaper car insurance.
How risky is parking on the street overnight?
Insurance providers base their risk calculations on facts and it’s clear why providers worry about where your car is parked overnight – that’s when most vehicle-related thefts happen. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), times of day for vehicle-related thefts in April 2022 to March 2023 were:
Daylight – 23%
Dark – 74%
Dawn/dusk – 3%
You can also see why insurance providers are concerned with where specifically your car is kept overnight when you see where car crime happens.
Vehicle-related theft household incidents April 2022-March 2023
Location | Where incidents of theft of vehicles occurred % | Where incidents of thefts from vehicles occurred % |
Home – Private | 7% | 2% |
Home – Semi private^ | 43% | 37% |
Home – Street | 19% | 40% |
Work – Car park | 5% | 2% |
Work – Street | 0% | 0% |
Other | 26% | 18% |
^Includes outside areas on the premises and garages or car parks around but not connected to the home.
But it’s not just car-related theft that affects the cost of your premium – potential for other damage, such as vandalism and broken wing mirrors, is considered too. And this can vary depending on your location and postcode.
Does the street I park in affect my car insurance?
Yes – the address where your vehicle is parked overnight could also have an impact on your premium, as some postcodes pose a higher risk of theft or vandalism than others. Many inner-city suburbs tend to fall into this category.
For example, in June 2025, typical insurance premiums in Tower Hamlets (London) were £1,248 compared to £436 in Western Isles (Scotland)[1]. This shows what a difference location can make.
Insurance providers could assess this element based on their data on your street’s postcode, such as the claim or crime rate.
[1]51% of drivers in Tower Hamlets and Western Isles received a quote of up to £1,247.07 and £435.60 respectively for their car insurance, based on Compare the Market data in November 2025.
Do I need to park in the same place every night?
No. While you should try to be as consistent as you can, it goes without saying that it isn’t always possible to park in the same spot every time your car is left unattended.
There are bound to be times when you’re staying with friends, relatives or even out of town. These instances are all acceptable and won’t impact your car insurance cover.
If you change your regular parking habits, however, or perhaps no longer have the parking option that you detailed to your insurance provider, you should immediately tell them and update your policy.
Car insurance parking definitions
When you get a car insurance quote, you might be asked to select a description of where your car is kept. You need to tell the truth and be as accurate as possible.
This is what these descriptions generally mean, but each provider might have their own definition so you may want to check which applies to you.
Locked garage – typically a lockable enclosure on your property. The lock must be used.
Driveway – can be anywhere outdoors, but somewhere on your property.
On the road – typically, your insurance provider will assume that you park close to your home.
At work – for example, if you do shift work and regularly park there overnight. You might need to obtain proof of this from your employer.
Residential car park – car parking that’s designated for the use of residents (which isn’t on a road or in a locked compound).
Locked compound – a secure site that can be accessed only with a key or code. Typically, this might be a commercial secure car park or the dedicated car park for your building.
Other – this could be a car port on your drive, an unlocked garage or a locked compound, if not offered as an option in a list.
Tips for safer and more secure parking
If you park your car overnight in a garage or driveway, you might want to think about installing extra home security, such as motion-activated spotlights or cameras.
When left with no other option but to park on the street, try to look for an area that provides good overhead street lighting, as this can help to deter car thieves.
Always make sure that your car keys aren’t left hanging by the front door or in plain sight, as a break-in could provide burglars with easy access to your garage.
If you have a keyless car, make sure your fob is switched off or shielded appropriately if that’s not possible.
Make sure your car alarm is switched on. Some policies won’t cover loss if any security device fitted to your car by the manufacturer isn’t operational when your car is left unattended.
Install a car alarm if you haven’t got one already. You might also want to consider a steering wheel lock as a visible deterrent to thieves.
Wherever you park, make sure your valuables are out of sight – and don’t forget to lock your vehicle.
If you plug in an electric vehicle overnight to recharge, park close to the charging point and avoid creating a trip hazard for pedestrians from trailing cables. Display a warning sign if you can.
Compare car insurance to see if you can save
Remember that overnight parking is just one of many elements that may have an impact on the cost of your car insurance premium. You can potentially make huge savings on your car insurance by comparing car insurance deals.
You can compare a variety of car insurance providers simply by using our car insurance comparison service. Get a quote in minutes to see if you can save.
FAQs
Does my black box tell my insurance provider where I park?
Yes, if you have got telematics insurance it will share your parking location.
It will also tell your insurance provider about how well and safely you are driving. So, make sure you tell your provider the truth about where you usually park overnight as they can check.
Are there special rules for very desirable or expensive vehicles?
Some policies may have a requirement that if a car is not being used, it should be in a garage overnight between specified hours.
This is typically applied only to cars that have a much higher probability of being maliciously damaged or stolen – supercars, for example – which can be a magnet for vandals and thieves.
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Rebecca Goodman is a freelance financial journalist who specialises in insurance, personal finance and consumer affairs.
Stephen Maunder is an experienced personal finance editor, having spent more than a decade working for consumer print and online titles. He won several industry awards for his personal finance features at Which?, before becoming Deputy Editor at Compare the Market.
Amy helps make sure you get the best value when choosing insurance. Thanks to more than four years’ experience at Compare the Market, she understands what people look for, working closely with insurance providers to offer you deals and services that are fair, easy to understand and right for your needs.
Our content is written by a Compare the Market expert, backed by data and enhanced by technology. Find out how we ensure accuracy and quality in our Editorial Guidelines.
What our expert says...
“Not all insurance providers treat the risks of where your car is parked overnight in the same way. It may be one of the factors that can make a difference to your premium, so it’s always worth comparing quotes to see if you can get a better deal. But always tell the truth about where your car is normally parked, otherwise you might invalidate your insurance."