How to find cheap car insurance

How much does car insurance cost?

Several organisations track prices within car insurance pricing and regularly publish trends. Differing calculation methods and dates of publication can mean that the average figures don't always align.

While these figures outlines what the 'average' person might pay (or be quoted), in real life there isn't an 'average' car insurance customer.

Insurance is personally priced. You might pay more than this because of a range of factors including being younger; having a more expensive car, or a job title seen as high risk, or driving convictions and past claims.

Your local area's crime and claims numbers also matter, as does whether you park on the street or a garage.

But don't resign yourself to paying above the odds. Our nine-step guide explains how to get a cheaper premium.

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1. Don't leave it too late

Buying your insurance days before you want the policy to start is likely to increase prices.

Your current insurer should send a renewal notice around a month before your policy expires and this is the ideal time to shop around for new cover.

So you're not dependent on your insurer, add a reminder to your diary, and contact your insurer if you've not received a renewal notice. 

Even the time of day you run your quote can have an effect: we've found some insurers as much as double their premiums for customers who shop around in the early hours of the morning.

2. Comprehensive cover isn't always more expensive

Surely buying less insurance leads to lower prices?

Not in reality. Third-party only cover - the legal minimum, only covering claims made against you by other people - and third-party, fire and theft cover, aren't always cheaper than comprehensive cover.

This is because insurers often view people buying third-party only cover as much riskier than those buying comprehensive cover.

Run quotes for both types of cover. Even if comprehensive cover costs a little more, it could save you a huge amount of money if you have an accident.

Also a word-of-warning: 'comprehensive' is one of the most misunderstood words in insurance. We've found that cover offered by comprehensive policies can contain huge gaps, as our car insurance reviews reveal.

• Find out more: Best car insurance companies in the UK 2025 

3. Compare quotes and comparison sites

To really make the most of comparison sites, you need to try multiple sites.

While you'll find a lot of big-name insurers across all the main sites, their panels of insurers vary and, in some cases, the prices too.

The main price comparison sites for insurance are Compare the Market, Confused.com, GoCompare and MoneySuperMarket. Others include Quotezone and Mustard.  

Though the first time you get quotes from several sites can feel like a slog, when you renew the sites will have your details saved, requiring only a quick review.

Don't forget insurers that either aren't on comparison sites (such as NFU Mutual) or only sell some of their policies on their own websites, for example, Aviva, the Co-op, Direct Line, the Post Office, Saga and Tesco.

Using multiple comparison sites won't affect your credit rating, as the 'soft searches' aren't viewable by other companies. It's only if you apply for policies with monthly payments that a 'hard search' is conducted.

4. Ditch add-ons

Once you've got a list of quotes, it's time to get tough and cut unnecessary extras.

It's possible you're better off buying these yourself from other providers, in the case of breakdown cover and personal accident cover (consider life insurance instead).

Whereas there are other add-ons, such as enhanced courtesy-car cover, legal expenses insurance and key cover, you may be able to cope without.

Even if you're intent on keeping add-ons, consider that some policies might include these as standard, as our reviews reveal.

It could be cheaper to buy the more inclusive policy than the initially cheaper one, once add-ons are factored in

Here are the main types of add-ons:

• Find out more: car insurance add-ons and fees explained

5. Add a named driver

If you're considered a high-risk driver, putting a lower-risk driver on the policy as a 'named' driver can bring the overall premium down.

For instance, drivers under 25, who face the steepest premiums, can benefit from having an older and more experienced driver on their policy.

Bear in mind, however, that it's illegal to put someone down as the main driver if this isn't the case. This practice is known as 'fronting', and is a type of insurance fraud that can lead to your policy being invalidated.

6. Consider a blackbox or telematics policy

Some of the cheaper policies you might see involve a device being added to your car, or use an app on your phone (telematics policies), so the insurer can track your driving.

While you might associate these with younger drivers, they're worth considering whatever your age.

If your day-to-day driving passes criteria laid out by the insurer (these can range from not driving at specific times of the day, staying within a certain mileage, to measurements of your safety in cornering and braking), you'll be rewarded with discounts in your premium.

A blackbox or telematics 'pay-per-mile' policy could also save you money if you drive significantly less than the national average mileage (7,000 miles a year, according to the Department for Transport).

You may be able to estimate your mileage based on your MOT certificate or by checking the MOT history of a vehicle online.

If you only need access to a car for a short time, consider getting temporary car insurance or a policy with a rolling monthly contract that can be cancelled without incurring significant fees.

• Find out more: black box car insurance for low mileage drivers

7. Double-check cheap quotes

So you've found a quote much cheaper than the rest. But is there a catch?

• Sometimes a great price can be explained on closer inspection by a steep excess (what you have to pay when you claim). You can amend what's called a 'voluntary' excess when running the quote, but many insurers also include a 'compulsory' excess, too. 
• Even if the insurer is familiar, it's possible the policy they offer on a particular comparison site has lower levels of cover - weigh that up against the price. Our car insurance reviews distinguish between these policies.
• Factor in the costs of add-ons and the potential costs of fees – see our comparison of insurers' fees.

When you click through to an insurer's site, you'll be asked to agree to a set of 'assumptions'. This is information assumed to be correct about you that you haven't provided via the comparison site.

Check this carefully. If any of it is inaccurate, your quote could be incorrect.

8. Pay annually rather than monthly

Insurers will give you the option to pay for your cover in two ways: as a lump sum or in monthly instalments. 

While paying monthly might seem like a sensible way of spreading the cost, you may actually be charged hundreds of pounds more over the year.

By paying in monthly instalments you are, in effect, taking out a loan from your insurer. Most will charge you interest for it, and rates aren't cheap – in some cases over 30% APR. 

If paying monthly is your only real option, be sure when shopping around to compare the insurers' monthly, rather than annual, premiums. Or you could consider paying using an 0% purchase credit card.

• Find out more: our campaign to reduce the cost of pay-monthly insurance

9. Haggle with your existing insurer

Before you buy cover, give your existing insurer a call, and ask them to beat the other quotes you've found.

Surveys we've run over the years have shown haggling does work and can save you hundreds of pounds, not bad for a few awkward minutes on the phone.

Try these tactics to maximise your chances of success:

Watch out for 'ghost brokers'

Ghost brokers are scammers posing as car insurance brokers and they can be found thriving on social media platforms. A Which? investigation in 2022 found 36 social media profiles – operating across three websites – that touted cheap insurance and appeared to be run by scammers.  

Ghost brokers claim to be able to arrange cheap cover for hard-to-insure customers, but to do this they will secretly manipulate their customers’ details by, for instance, changing addresses, driving histories and adding named drivers.

Victims will sometimes be provided with doctored documents to mask the amendments. The resulting policy looks fine to start with, but it will be found to be worthless if the driver tries to claim. 

• Insurance brokers should be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The Financial Services Register lists details of all of the firms, individuals and other bodies that are currently regulated by the FCA.
• You can also check if your policy is listed on the Motor Insurance Database. This records the policy details of all vehicles insured in the UK – if your vehicle is not listed, check with your insurer as it's possible your car isn't properly insured.

If you’ve received suspicious correspondence from an insurer, let the insurer know as soon as possible using contact details you have verified independently. It’s also worth keeping a close eye on your credit report. This will allow you to pick up on any searches by companies you don’t recognise, which could indicate a fraudulent application made in your name.

If you think you’ve been the victim of any type of fraud, contact the police. Take photographs, make sketches and gather documentation or any other details that might be useful to an investigation.

• Find out more: what to do if you're a victim of identity theft

Long-term ways to get cheap car insurance

Got more questions on car insurance? Take a look at our guides:

• Best car insurance companies
• Making a car insurance claim
• Car insurance no-claims bonus explained
• Car insurance: add-ons, fees and charges explained
• Modified car insurance explained
• Electric car insurance explained
• How black box car insurance works
• Learner driver insurance explained
• Temporary car insurance explained
• Multi-car insurance guide
• Gap insurance explained
• How to insure a classic car
• Car insurance for young drivers