Your vehicle
A fully comprehensive car insurance policy should provide cover for you and your vehicle against a range of insured events, including fire, theft, and more
Unlock a year of rewards with SuperSaveClub [1]
Price Promise - we price match and more
Compare and switch in 5 minutes
We do the hard work for you, comparing deals from the biggest providers in the UK so you can get the right cover.
Modified car insurance is what you take out to cover your car if you’ve had it altered in any way. It’s a standard car insurance policy, however, the premiums will also factor in any changes that have been made to the vehicle. This is why if you do make any custom changes – or you purchase a vehicle that has been customised from the factory model – you should let your insurance provider know. Failure to do so could result in your policy being invalid when you come to make a claim.
Always consult your insurance company before you make any modifications. They can tell you what impact, if any, the changes will make to your policy and premiums
Insurers believe that modifications done outside the factory cannot be guaranteed and may compromise the integrity of the vehicle which can increase your premiums
Insurers use car insurance groups to set premiums and modifications can potentially void your rating
The most popular car modifications in the UK are alloy wheels, suspension changes and exhaust system changes. Other common customisations include tinted windows, tow bars and engine management systems.
Upgrades and modifications such as personalised number plates may not directly affect your car insurance premium, but you will need to notify your insurer if you make them, and an admin fee may be charged to update your records.
Before making any modifications to your car, check whether they are legal. There are rules about tinted windows and noise restrictions for altered exhausts, for instance. If you decide to have your engine remapped you need to ensure it doesn’t make your car’s emissions non-compliant. Even something as simple as upgrading your wheels counts as a car modification, and if they’re more expensive they’ll cost the insurer more to replace and might be attractive to thieves.
Sarah Tooze Car & Van Insurance Expert
Insurance policies for modified cars offer everything you’ll get with most car insurance policies – depending on the level of cover you take out, you should be able to get cover for:
A fully comprehensive car insurance policy should provide cover for you and your vehicle against a range of insured events, including fire, theft, and more
This cover will also extend to any modifications you’ve had made or installed – so long as you’ve declared them to the insurer
You’ll also be covered for any damage you do to a third party, their vehicle, or their property
Car insurance policies also offer a range of extra features like car key cover, windscreen cover, and breakdown cover – some are included as standard, while others are usually available at an extra cost
The way modifications can affect your car insurance price depends on a number of factors. Typically, however, modifying your car will increase the cost of your car insurance.
Reasons for increased price:
Increased risk of accidents or theft
Increased value of the car
Insurers can't guarantee the quality of any modifications
Exceptions:
Modifications that make your car safer may reduce your premiums
If you’ve had your car modified, you might want to consider the following to help balance the higher insurance costs:
Paying your car insurance premiums annually usually works out cheaper than spreading the cost over 12 months
Paying a higher voluntary excess tells insurers you’re unlikely to bother with small claims that wouldn’t be worth the cost
If you can go for over a year without claiming you’ll start to accumulate a no-claims discount on future premiums
The less time you spend on the road the lower your chances of being involved in an accident, so giving a lower estimated mileage can cut your premiums
Pay-as-you-go car insurance lets you pay for cover either by-the-mile, by-the-hour or based on your driving, and can be a cheaper alternative for some drivers
You might be able to find a cheaper deal on your car insurance if you compare quotes rather than auto renewing your policy
MoneySuperMarket has won the Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award, an independent seal of excellence, which recognises businesses that consistently deliver a world-class customer experience.
Keep up to date and find out all you need to know with our latest guides.
Car insurance is almost always more expensive for younger drivers, and this is true for modified cars too. Unfortunately for young drivers, they are associated with a higher claim risk due to their inexperience on the road – as a result, insurers charge higher premiums.
If you’ve modified a car after purchasing it, you just need to inform your insurer of all the work that has been done to the car so they can factor it in when deciding your premiums.
Not all modifications push up car insurance premiums. If you install additional security measures to prevent your car from being stolen, such as an alarm, you may see your premiums fall because your provider considers you a lower risk.
The same holds true for immobilisers and tracking devices but call your insurer to check whether a reduction will be made and how much it will be.
You can customise your vehicle whenever you choose, but you must notify your insurance company who will then decide on how the modifications affect your premiums.
The important thing to understand is that the existing insurance policy covers your car for its original condition. Once that is changed, the policy needs to be adjusted to suit or you risk invalidating the insurance.
There are some cases where you may need a specialist modified car insurance policy.
Most minor, legal modifications can be covered by standard car insurance. However, some modifications can affect which insurance rating group your car fits into. This means that your cover may be more expensive or, in some cases, a modification could void your cover, especially if you fail to tell your provider about it.
If you have plans to make modifications to your car there are specialist policies available that will cover both big and small modifications with no hassle. These special policies are priced differently to standard car insurance and may have different terms so it's up to you to decide whether the cover is worth the cost.
At MoneySuperMarket, we do not offer quotes for specialist policies. However, we can find you quotes for car insurance providers that will cover existing modifications made to your car.
You work hard to earn your money, and we don’t think you should waste a penny of it paying over the odds on your household bills. That’s why at MoneySuperMarket, we’re on a mission to save Britain money.
Whip your credit score into shape with Credit Score
Super save over and over again with Energy Monitor
There are always more ways to save with MoneySuperMarket
So how do we make our money? In a nutshell, when you use us to buy something, we get a reward from the company you’re buying from.
You might be wondering if we work with all the companies in the market, or if our commercial relationships with our partners might make us feature one company above another. We’ve got nothing to hide, and we want to give you clear answers when it comes to questions like these, so we’ve pulled together everything you need to know on this page.
What our customers say about us
See all reviewsExcellent price saved £115 on my renewal quote very pleased.
Anonymous
Very good experience, easy to navigate site, being able to do a comparison was really useful, transferring to chosen company to purchase car insurance was straightforward.
Madeleine Webber
Easy to use comparison sight. This helped to reduce my renewal premium by over £300
Anonymous
The whole process was quick, easy and saved me nearly £200 on my car insurance renewal! On top of that, I'm apparently getting £15 back, just for going through moneysupermarket. I don't know if, or how it's going to happen, but it was unexpected.
Colin Renwick
Simple to use app easy explanation. Would recommend
Susan Britton
Using the site was straightforward and easy to negotiate. There were plenty of different quotes given for different levels of car insurance. We found the right insurance for us and were very satisfied with our quote.
William Slack
The website was so straightforward and simple to use. Easy choices to make and the cost was clear to see; with no hidden extras.
Gill Bayes
Car Insurance site was intuitive and easy to follow. They offered the best first time policy for my son.
Anonymous
Easy site with good results
Graham Barnard
Brilliant had quote purchase done in 10 mins 👏
Anonymous
Good competitive price and cover. Simple process and confirmation.
Anonymous
Easy to use and keeps important information on the site.
Ken Heaver