Car insurance

Excess is the amount you agree to pay towards any car insurance claim. It’s a fixed sum that appears in your policy documents and applies each time you make a claim.

There are two types of car insurance excess:

• Compulsory excess - set by your insurer. This is the minimum amount you must pay if you make a claim.

• Voluntary excess - chosen by you. Setting a higher voluntary excess can lower your premium, but you’ll pay more if you need to claim.

For example, if your policy has a compulsory excess of £200 and a voluntary excess of £100, you’d pay £300 towards any claim. So, if you made a claim for £1,000 of damage, your insurer would cover the remaining £700.

If you're worried about affording your excess, you can take out excess insurance, which will cover the cost for you.

💡 Top tip: If the cost of repairs is less than, or only slightly above, your excess, it may not be worth making a claim. Keeping your no-claims discount could save you more money over time.

A no-claims discount is given by insurers to customers who have not claimed on their car insurance before. The longer you drive without claiming, the bigger the discount you can earn when renewing your cover.

No-claims discounts mean that it can be cheaper in the long run to not claim on your car insurance for smaller costs. This is especially likely to be true if the amount you would be claiming for is close to your excess.

Yes, you can usually add one or more named drivers to an insurance policy alongside the main driver. How many named driver you can add depends on the insurer, but 3 is a common maximum.

The main driver must be the person who uses the vehicle the most. If a named driver drives more, you will be committing a type of car insurance fraud called fronting.

Named drivers get the same level of cover as the main driver. Adding them can increase or reduce the cost of your premium depending on their age, driving experience and claims history. For instance, a younger driver might lower their insurance costs by adding a parent as a named driver.

If you’d prefer for anyone to be able to drive your car, you can choose an any-driver policy. These tend to be more expensive because the insurer can’t predict who’ll be behind the wheel. This type of cover - particularly any driver van insurance - is often useful for businesses. For example, tradespeople who share a van among several employees.

Possibly, as long as you've updated your insurance policy beforehand by contacting your insurer and they have approved the vehicle change.

If you don't have insurance, one option is to take out a temporary car insurance policy when you pick up your new car. Short-term insurance can cover you until you sort out an annual policy.

Our most recent data shows you can generally find the cheapest quotes 25^{^} days before your car insurance renewal date.

Prices are usually much more expensive the day of and the day before your renewal - so it pays to be organised.

Average cost of car insurance policies sold through MoneySuperMarket:

As a general rule, you should check prices every year before your renewal date before deciding if you should switch. Your current insurer should send you a new quote when you're approaching your renewal date, so that's the best time to compare.

Most car insurance quotes are valid for up to 30 days, although the exact timeframe varies by insurer. You’ll usually find the expiry date on your quote or confirmation email.

MoneySuperMarket can save your quotes so you can revisit them later, but the price isn’t guaranteed to stay the same.

Insurance quotes can change for several reasons, including:

• Timing: prices often rise the closer you get to your renewal date, as insurers see last-minute buyers as a higher risk.

• Market factors: changes in repair costs, claims trends or inflation can affect overall pricing.

• Personal details: even small updates — like a new address, job title or added driver — can alter your quote.

If you spot a quote you’re happy with, it’s usually best to secure it sooner rather than later to lock in the price. The cheapest time to buy car insurance is 25^{^} days before your policy renews, on average.

Car insurance helps protect you financially if something happens to your car - whether it’s damaged in an accident, stolen, or affected by fire. It’s designed to give you peace of mind on the road, knowing you’re covered if things don’t go to plan.

There are three main levels of cover to choose from:

• Third-party - covers damage or injury you cause to other people or their vehicles

• Third-party, fire and theft - includes third-party cover, plus protection if your car is stolen or damaged by fire

• Comprehensive - the highest level of cover, which includes everything third party and third party, fire and theft covers but also pays for repairs to your own car, even if an accident was your fault

Car insurance policies usually exclude things like wear and tear, mechanical failure, or damage that happens through general use.

Most also won’t cover you if you’re driving without a licence or without valid insurance, using your car for business when you’re not insured for it, or if the damage was caused deliberately or while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Yes, you can usually add one or more named drivers to an insurance policy alongside the main driver. How many named driver you can add depends on the insurer, but 3 is a common maximum.

The main driver must be the person who uses the vehicle the most. If a named driver drives more, you will be committing a type of car insurance fraud called fronting.

Named drivers get the same level of cover as the main driver. Adding them can increase or reduce the cost of your premium depending on their age, driving experience and claims history. For instance, a younger driver might lower their insurance costs by adding a parent as a named driver.

If you’d prefer for anyone to be able to drive your car, you can choose an any-driver policy. These tend to be more expensive because the insurer can’t predict who’ll be behind the wheel. This type of cover - particularly any driver van insurance - is often useful for businesses. For example, tradespeople who share a van among several employees.

Not usually. Most car insurance policies don’t automatically cover you to drive someone else’s car, but some comprehensive policies include driving other cars (DOC) cover as an extra feature.

If your policy includes DOC cover, it normally provides third-party only protection. This means you’ll be covered for any damage you cause to another vehicle or property, but not for damage to the car you’re driving.

DOC cover often comes with strict conditions. You’ll usually need to:

• Be over 25

• Hold a full UK driving licence

• Have the car owner’s permission to drive it

If you often drive a family member’s car, there are safer and often cheaper options than relying on DOC cover. You could:

• Be added as a named driver on their policy - this gives you the same level of cover as the main driver when using the car.

• Consider a multicar insurance policy if your household has more than one car. This allows you to insure several vehicles under one policy, often with a discount on each premium.

Always check your policy documents or speak to your insurer before driving another car. Driving without valid cover is illegal. You could be fined, receive a driving ban, and have you car impounded.

Excess is the amount you agree to pay towards any car insurance claim. It’s a fixed sum that appears in your policy documents and applies each time you make a claim.

There are two types of car insurance excess:

• Compulsory excess - set by your insurer. This is the minimum amount you must pay if you make a claim.

• Voluntary excess - chosen by you. Setting a higher voluntary excess can lower your premium, but you’ll pay more if you need to claim.

For example, if your policy has a compulsory excess of £200 and a voluntary excess of £100, you’d pay £300 towards any claim. So, if you made a claim for £1,000 of damage, your insurer would cover the remaining £700.

If you're worried about affording your excess, you can take out excess insurance, which will cover the cost for you.

💡 Top tip: If the cost of repairs is less than, or only slightly above, your excess, it may not be worth making a claim. Keeping your no-claims discount could save you more money over time.

Paying your car insurance annually is almost always cheaper than paying monthly. Our data shows you could save up to 31%^{^} on your car insurance premiums - that’s as much as £267^{^} - by paying for the year upfront.

Monthly payments cost more because insurers usually add interest or admin fees. They can still be helpful if you want to spread the cost, but they work like a credit agreement, so your insurer will carry out a hard credit check to confirm you can afford it.

💡 Top tip: You can check your credit score for free with MoneySuperMarket. It’s a soft credit check, so it won’t affect your score, and it can help you see how likely you are to be accepted for monthly payments.

Your job can affect how much you pay for car insurance because insurers use your occupation and industry to assess risk. If your job involves lots of driving or has a higher likelihood of claims, you’ll usually pay more than someone in a lower-risk role.

Insurers set premiums based on claims data for different professions. For example, teachers, accountants and office administrators are often seen as lower risk because they tend to drive fewer miles and keep regular hours. In contrast, delivery drivers, journalists and construction workers are considered higher risk as they may drive more frequently or at busier times of day.

When you apply for cover, you’ll usually pick your job title from a standard list. You need to be truthful about your work because providing inaccurate information could invalidate your policy or lead to a rejected claim.

However. the job title on your car insurance doesn’t need to match your role exactly, and sometimes selecting a slightly different job title can get you a cheaper premium. For example, a "journalist" pays an average price of £660.69^{^} for comprehensive car insurance but a "writer" pays £317.07^{^} .

💡 Top tip: You can use our job picker tool to help find the best match for your role and see how different job titles might change your quote. It’s a quick and easy way to make sure your job is described accurately when comparing car insurance deals.

No, electric cars aren’t automatically cheaper to insure. The cost depends on the make and model, the cost of repairs, and the insurer’s own data on claims.

MoneySuperMarket data shows that the average cost of comprehensive car insurance for electric vehicles is £572^{^} . That compares to £524^{^} for diesel cars and£497^{^} for petrol ones.

Electric cars can sometimes be more expensive to insure because:

• Parts and batteries can cost more to replace or repair.

• Fewer garages are currently equipped to carry out electric vehicle (EV) repairs.

• They often fall into higher insurance groups due to their value or performance.

However, premiums are gradually becoming more competitive as electric vehicles become more common. Some insurers also offer discounts for EVs, recognising their lower emissions and running costs.

You can compare electric car insurance quotes on MoneySuperMarket to see how different models and insurers stack up - helping you find the right cover at the best price.

Older cars can sometimes be cheaper to insure, but it depends on their age, condition and the features they have. If an older car lacks modern safety technology or parts are hard to find, insurers may see it as a higher risk, which can push up premiums.

Newer cars often cost more to insure because they’re worth more and repairs can be expensive, especially for high-tech models. However, some small, low-emission cars – including hybrids and electric vehicles – fall into lower insurance groups, which can help keep costs down.

Your car insurance can be invalidated if your insurer finds that the information you provided was wrong or misleading, or if you break the terms of your policy. This means your insurer could refuse to pay out for a claim, leaving you personally responsible for any costs.

Common reasons you could end up with invalidated car insurance include:

• Giving incorrect details - such as your address, job title, or where the car is parked.

• Not updating your insurer when your circumstances change, for example moving house or changing jobs.

• Under-estimating your mileage or describing your car’s use incorrectly (e.g. saying it’s for social use only when you drive for work).

• Letting someone not listed on your policy drive your car without proper cover.

• Modifying your vehicle without telling your insurer.

• Driving without a valid MOT or tax, or using your car in unsafe condition.

• Fronting - naming someone else as the main driver when you’re the one using the car most often. This is a form of insurance fraud and can lead to policy cancellation and rejected claims.

Under the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, insurers cannot reject a claim for innocent errors - only for careless or deliberate misrepresentation. But deliberately giving false information that is considered fraud. Committing insurance fraud can result in your policy being voided, claims being rejected, difficulty obtaining future cover, significantly higher premiums, fines or even a criminal record in serious cases.

Car insurance fraud happens when someone deliberately provides false information or makes a dishonest claim to gain financially. Fraud can be committed by policyholders or against policyholders, but either way the cost of fraud is usually passed on to customers through higher premiums.

Fraud committed by policyholders can include:

• Lying about who the main driver is (known as fronting)

• Understating mileage or failing to declare convictions

• Exaggerating damage after an accident

• Staging or deliberately causing collisions

Fraud committed against policyholders often involves scams such as:

• ‘Crash-for-cash’ schemes, where criminals deliberately cause accidents

• ‘Ghost broking’, where fraudsters sell fake insurance policies

• Cold-call compensation scams after accidents

Insurers identified motor insurance 51,700 ^{^} scams worth hundreds of millions of pounds in 2024, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI). The most common type of fraud across insurance types was exaggerated loss, to the tune of £466 million^{^} .

Yes, some insurers market their car insurance policies as “green” or “environmentally friendly”. However, these policies aren't a separate legal category of green car insurance. They mostly work like standard car insurance, with the same levels of cover (third-party, third-party fire and theft, or comprehensive), but will have some specific features such as:

• Cover tailored for electric or hybrid vehicles, such as battery, charging cable or home charger (wallbox) protection

• Telematics (black box) policies that reward safer, lower-mileage or more fuel-efficient driving

• Low-mileage insurance for drivers who use their car less frequently

• Insurers that invest in carbon offsetting or environmental initiatives

If you’re switching to an electric vehicle, you may also be eligible for government grants for home chargers or workplace charge points. These can help reduce overall ownership costs.

As with any policy, the best way to find the right option is to compare quotes and check what’s included, rather than relying on the label alone.

No, car insurance usually does not cover veterinary bills if your pet is injured in an accident. Even fully comprehensive policies are unlikely to define pets as ‘passengers’. If you want protection for emergency vet treatment after a road accident, you should consider a separate pet insurance policy.

If you drive with pets, they must be properly restrained while in your vehicle, for example with a seat belt harness or pet carrier. Unrestrained animals can breach Highway Code Rule 57 and may lead to any car insurance claim you make being rejected if the animal caused distraction or contributed to the accident.

If you have a car accident involving an animal, your car insurance claim may be treated differently depending on whether the animal was wild or domestic, and where the fault for the accident lies.

If your car is damaged after hitting a wild animal, such as a deer, the accident will usually be considered non-fault and the damage covered under the accidental damage section of a comprehensive policy. An exception might be if your insurer concludes you did not take reasonable care to prevent the accident, such as driving slowly and with your light on while on roads with wildlife warning signs.

If you hit a domestic animal, such as a pet or livestock, your own vehicle damage may still be covered under comprehensive insurance. You may also be liable for injury to the animal. If the accident is considered your fault, your insurer may compensate the animal’s owner under the third-party liability section of your car cover. As with all at-fault claims, you will likely lose your no-claims bonus and see your future premiums rise. Liability may instead lie with the owner if the animal was not properly controlled or secured.

If you swerve or brake suddenly to avoid an animal and crash into something as a result, you may still be held responsible for that accident, depending on the situation.

If you collide with certain animals you are legally required to report the incident to the police under the Road Traffic Act 1988. These animals include dogs, horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, goats or donkeys. There is no legal obligation to report collisions with cats or deer, although it's best practice to report all dead animals to the local council so they can remove the obstruction from the road.

Most car insurance policies also require you to notify your insurer of any accident involving your vehicle, even if you don’t intend to claim. Not reporting it could affect your cover later.

MoneySuperMarket’s Price Optimiser is a smart new tool designed to help drivers understand what’s affecting the cost of their car insurance. It looks at your quote in real time and highlights the details that could be pushing up the price - such as your mileage, address or job title.

It then suggests simple, practical changes you might consider to lower your quote, with 83%^{^} of users who try Price Optimiser finding a cheaper premium.

What it offers:

• Clear, real-time insights – Quickly shows which parts of your quote are increasing the cost.

• Helpful, data-led suggestions – For example, it can check DVLA MOT data to see whether your estimated annual mileage looks higher than necessary.

• Flexible cover options – It may suggest alternative levels of cover, such as comprehensive instead of third-party, which can sometimes cost less.

• Instantly updated quotes – If you make changes, your quote is automatically refreshed so you can see the impact straight away.

• Built-in support – It’s part of MoneySuperMarket’s growing range of AI-enabled tools, including a chat feature that can answer questions about your policy.

Price Optimiser is available on the MoneySuperMarket website once you’ve run a car insurance quote, making it easy to check whether a few small tweaks could help lower your price.

The MoneySuperMarket ChatGPT app lets you get car insurance estimates and quotes using simple, natural conversation right inside ChatGPT.

New users can answer just a few questions to get a quick car insurance estimate, and existing MoneySuperMarket customers can securely connect their account to re-run full quotes without typing all their details again.