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Automatic car insurance

Compare cheap automatic car insurance quotes

Why by automatic car insurance from us?

  • Save up to £235* on your car insurance
  • Comparing car insurance is fast, free and simple!
  • A small step towards Money Calm

*51% of consumers could save up to £235.93 on their annual car insurance premiums. Consumer Intelligence, March 2021. 

Are automatic cars cheaper to insure?

No, automatic cars tend to be more expensive to insure than manual cars. 

Our research found that drivers of automatic cars pay nearly £1001 a year more on average for their insurance than owners of models with manual gearboxes.

The typical cost of a yearly insurance premium for a motor with a manual transmission is £6811 compared to £7851 for automatic cars - or a fifth cheaper1.

1Average premiums for drivers who are main and only driver, on fully comprehensive policy. Data collected by MoneySupermarket, January – September 2020, accurate November 2020.

automatic car insurance illustration

Why are automatic cars more expensive to insure than manual?

There are many factors that affect the price of your car insurance premium, including the type of car you have.

In general, automatic cars are more expensive to insure than manuals. This is for several reasons:

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They are expensive to buy

Automatic cars are generally more expensive to buy than manuals resulting in higher premiums

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They have higher claim costs

Because automatic cars tend to cost more, they also have higher repair prices

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They have more complex gearbox

An automatic gearbox is more complex than a manual gearbox, so costs more to replace

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License type

Having an automatic only licens may result in higher premiums as more claims are made with this license

How much is automatic car insurance?

There are three main types of automatic car insurance to choose from:

  • one icon

    Fully comprehensive

    Usually the chepeast option, fully comprehensive cover will cover you for damage, repairs, medical expenses, fire damage and theft, as well as damage done to someone else, their car or their property.

    £785 on average2

  • two icon

    Third party, fire and theft

    Third-party, fire and theft policies offer cover for other people, their vehicles and their property, as well as protection for your own vehicle if it’s stolen or damaged by fire

    £1,070 on average2

  • three icon

    Third party only

    Third-party only car insurance is the least comprehensive type of cover available, and it’s the minimum legal requirement you must meet to drive on UK roads. It’s also usually the most expensive of the three 

    £1,392 on average2

2Average premium prices, based on all business policies sold, according to MoneySuperMarket data accurate as of November 2020

What are the most popular automatic cars, and how much do they cost as manuals?

VW icon

Volkswagen Golf

Automatic: £1,019

Manual: £854

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Landrover Range

Automatic: £999

Manual: £750

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Mercedes-Benz C

Automatic: £781

Manual: £735

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Audi A3

Automatic: £1,236

Manual: £937

The difference in car insurance premiums can be significant when you compare the same car with an automatic versus manual gearbox. For example, the most popular automatic car is the Volkswagen Golf; it’s also one of the most expensive cars to insure with an average premium of £1,0193. That’s 16% more than a manual VW Golf. Some car’s premiums have less discrepancy between gearboxes. The BMW 320, for example, costs around £956 as an automatic, or £902 as a manual3. 

3Average price amount based on the top-five quotes from MoneySuperMarket data from 1 June 2020 to 1 September 2020, accurate November 2020 

Does the licence type affect your insurance?

Yes, you’ll find that if you’re only licensed to drive an automatic car, your premiums will go up significantly because insurers tend to believe that motorists who only know how to drive an automatic car are less skilled drivers – and therefore make more claims and pose a higher risk. If you have a full UK car license, you can drive both manual and automatic cars, meaning you’ll be rewarded with cheaper premiums. 

Remember, there are many factors that affect the cost of car insurance, including driver’s age, experience and even location. 

3MoneySuperMarket data from 1 June 2020 to 1 September 2020, accurate November 2020 

Age group Full UK car licence3 Automatic only3
17 to 19 £1,978 £2,669
20 to 24 £1,328 £1,847
25 to 29 £896 £1,339
30 to 39 £700 £953
40 to 49 £511 £764
50 to 64 £339 £523
65 or above £313 £375

How can I reduce my premiums if I drive an automatic car?

There are a few ways you might be able to get cheaper car insurance for your automatic car, including:

  • Tick icon

    Check the insurance group before you buy

    Try to pick a car in a lower insurance group, as they’re safer on the road and cheaper to cover

  • Tick icon

    Increase your excess

    Pay a higher voluntary excess – as long as you can still afford it – as this shows insurers you won’t bother with frivolous claims

  • Tick icon

    Improve the security for your car

    Keep the car safe and secure, as storing vehicles in a locked garage reduces the chances of theft or vandalism occurring

  • Tick icon

    Pay premiums annually

    Pay annually, because insurers generally charge interest for the benefit of spreading the cost of cover over 12 months

  • Tick icon

    Add a named driver

    Add an experienced named driver to your policy, so insurers see you won’t be solely responsible for the vehicle

  • Tick icon

    Consider a telematics policy

    Using a telematics policy monitors how safely you drive via an app or a black box installed in your car. If you drive carefully, you could see a significant saving

Which car insurance brands do we work with?

Find cheap car insurance quotes and stay on the road with MoneySuperMarket

company logo for one callcompany logo for esurecompany logo for Admiralcompany logo for Churchillcompany logo for hastingscompany logo for aacompany logo for lv

Anyone holding a manual license can legally drive and rent an automatic car. Letting the car handle the gears might feel a bit strange at first but you’ll soon get used to it.

An automatic car is said to be easier to learn to drive than a manual. All you need to do is put your car in ‘D’ for ‘drive’ and off you go. Manual cars will usually have up to five gears, and you’ll need to make sure you’re in the right gear for the speed and road conditions you are driving in. Check out our manual vs. automatic guide for more guidance.

When you take out automatic car insurance, you may want to consider some additional features to bolster your cover. Depending on your provider, you’ll usually have the choice of:

  • Breakdown cover, which gives you access to roadside assistance if your car breaks down
  • Windscreen cover, which lets you claim for the cost of replacing a cracked or shattered windscreen
  • Legal cover, which will pay out for certain legal costs related to a claim by you or another party
  • Driving abroad cover, which insures you for taking your car overseas and driving in the EU
  • Courtesy car cover, which provides a replacement vehicle for you to use while yours is in repair
  • Multi-car cover, which lets you drive more than one car under a single policy
  • Personal accident cover, which pays out in the event that you’re injured or killed in a road accident
  • Replacement keys, which covers the cost of replacing a set of keys if they’re lost, damaged or stolen
  • Wrong fuel, which pays for repair costs if you accidentally top up the tank with the wrong fuel

 

MoneySuperMarket gives you lots of clever ways to save a lot, by doing very little.

  • Take control of your credit score by checking and improving it for free with Credit Monitor 
  • Never overpay again with Energy Monitor, our energy monitoring service 
  • Over 50 ways to Get Money Calm

So how do we make our money? In a nutshell, when you use us to buy a product, we get a reward from the company you’re buying from.

But you might have other questions. Do we provide access to all the companies operating in a given market? Do we have commercial relationships or ownership ties that might make us feature one company above another?

We commit to providing you with clear and informative answers on all points such as this, so we have gathered the relevant information on this page.

 

Contact moneysupermarket.com at Moneysupermarket House, St David's Park, Ewloe, Flintshire, CH5 3UZ. © Moneysupermarket.com Ltd 2021

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