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Average UK Car Insurance Cost (2026)
Last updated: April 2026 · Next update: July 2026 · Methodology ↓
The average UK car insurance premium in 2026 is £579.52, down 9% year-on-year (a saving of around £62). Premiums range from £471 in South West England (the cheapest) to £798 in London (the most expensive). Drivers aged 17–24 pay an average of £1,099, while drivers aged 65+ pay £407.
Source: Quotezone Car Insurance Price Index, based on a random sample of 100,000+ UK car insurance policies quoted between March 2025 and March 2026.
Quotezone Car Insurance Price Index – data for journalists
A quarterly index tracking average UK car insurance premiums by region, age group and month, drawn from Quotezone’s live quote data.
- Latest headline figure: £579.52 average UK annual premium (Q1 2026), down 9% YoY.
- Methodology: random sample of 100,000+ UK car insurance policies quoted between March 2025 and March 2026.
- Coverage: 12 UK regions, 5 age groups (17–24, 25–34, 35–44, 45–64, 65+), monthly and quarterly averages.
- Last updated: April 2026. Next update: July 2026.
- How to cite: Quotezone Car Insurance Price Index, Q1 2026 — quotezone.co.uk/car-insurance/average-car-insurance-premium-by-region
- Download the data: Download full dataset (CSV) · Download methodology (PDF)
- Media enquiries: press@quotezone.co.uk
The average car insurance cost in 2026 was £579.52
Find data on UK car insurance prices in 2026
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How much is car insurance in the UK?
The month that your car insurance renewal is due will impact how much you pay. For example, people renewing in January of 2026 were quoted an average of £25 less than those who renewed in March 2026.
The good news is that costs are gradually falling overall. In March 2026, you could pay 9% less than you did at the same time last year. That’s a saving of £62 on your annual premium.
| Month | Monthly car insurance cost averages |
| March 2025 | £656.97 |
| April 2025 | £668.47 |
| May 2025 | £676.23 |
| June 2025 | £648.94 |
| July 2025 | £614.48 |
| August 2025 | £577.83 |
| September 2025 | £579.25 |
| October 2025 | £586.59 |
| November 2025 | £633.92 |
| December 2025 | £610.84 |
| January 2026 | £570.15 |
| February 2026 | £573.14 |
| March 2026 | £595.43 |
Are car insurance prices coming down?
After car insurance prices rose an eye-watering 42% in 2023, many UK drivers understandably demanded to know why car insurance was so expensive.
However, car insurance costs continued to fall compared to those of 2025. In 2025, prices were falling consistently after another drop in Q3; however, we’ve seen a slight increase in cost as we approached the new year. Thankfully, the good news is that we have seen further drops in the first quarter of 2026, which is great news for UK drivers who have been struggling with the increasing cost of car insurance in recent years.
| Quarter | Average UK car insurance premium |
| Q2 2023 | £717.24 |
| Q3 2023 | £808.74 |
| Q4 2023 | £885.21 |
| Q1 2024 | £816.64 |
| Q2 2024 | £806.64 |
| Q3 2024 | £770.78 |
| Q4 2024 | £769.19 |
| Q1 2025 | £651.25 |
| Q2 2025 | £664.68 |
| Q3 2025 | £591.57 |
| Q4 2025 | £607.50 |
| Q1 2026 | £579.52 |
Which UK region has the cheapest car insurance?
In 2026, the UK area with the highest car insurance cost is London, with an average of £798. People here pay an average of £218 more than the national average of £579.52. Northern Ireland drivers pay the third-highest premium at £624.60, reflecting a distinct NI pricing market.
South West England has the cheapest average car insurance cost at £471. This is £97 cheaper than the current national average.
The region paying premiums that are the closest to the national average is Yorkshire. Here, the average premium cost for car insurance is £577.
Car insurance cost statistics across the UK regions
| Region | Average Car Insurance Premium | |
| 1 | London | £798.20 |
| 2 | West Midlands | £654.25 |
| 3 | Northern Ireland | £624.60 |
| 4 | Yorkshire | £577.11 |
| 5 | North West England | £583.08 |
| 6 | East Midlands | £547.62 |
| 7 | East of England | £531.71 |
| 8 | South East England | £531.02 |
| 9 | North East England | £500.62 |
| 10 | Scotland | £506.15 |
| 11 | Wales | £486.36 |
| 12 | South West England | £470.52 |
How does UK car insurance cost change by age group?
| Age Group | Annual Premium |
| 17-24 | £1,099.34 |
| 25-34 | £831.75 |
| 35-44 | £631.60 |
| 45-64 | £457.77 |
| 65+ | £407.17 |
How much is car insurance for a new driver in the UK?
New drivers typically sit in the 17–24 band, which paid an average price of £1,099.34 for car insurance in Q1 2026 — around £520 more than the UK average of £579.52. Telematics and black-box policies often bring new-driver prices down by pricing cover based on actual driving behaviour rather than age alone. (Quotezone Car Insurance Price Index, Q1 2026)
How much does car insurance cost for over 70s and over 80s in the UK?
Drivers aged 65 and over pay the lowest average car insurance price of any UK age group at £407.17 per year — around £172 below the national average of £579.52. Prices in the 80+ bracket vary considerably between insurers because fewer mainstream providers actively compete in this segment. (Quotezone Car Insurance Price Index, Q1 2026)
How much is car insurance per month in the UK?
Car insurance prices are continuing to fall across all UK regions throughout 2025. This is great news for those with policies that renew towards the end of the year, as they can benefit from the lowest monthly premium averages since the 2023 spike.
Drivers in London can also celebrate, as average prices continue to stay below£1,000 since the dip in June of 2025.
| Apr’ 25 | May ’25 | Jun’25 | July’25 | Aug’25 | Sept’25 | Oct’25 | Nov’25 | Dec’25 | Jan’26 | Feb’26 | Mar’26 | |
| London | £1,007.44 | £1,012.72 | £951.43 | £892.82 | £845.96 | £844.34 | £805.52 | £855.89 | £835.89 | £781.58 | £798.205 | £815.78 |
| West Midlands | £784.21 | £808.39 | £767.93 | £724.05 | £688.18 | £678.35 | £684.16 | £723.74 | £706.6 | £644.675 | £648.6 | £668.36 |
| North West England | £713.04 | £727.04 | £697.51 | £654.14 | £609.66 | £607.73 | £607.87 | £643.39 | £606.52 | £576.725 | £572.19 | £601.44 |
| Yorkshire | £689.91 | £712.39 | £684.81 | £650.2 | £593.63 | £586.6 | £601.45 | £657.55 | £616.76 | £566.18 | £571.895 | £594.06 |
| East Midlands | £649.10 | £670.19 | £636.51 | £591.77 | £560.61 | £555.47 | £558.77 | £609.655 | £582.25 | £543.35 | £543.62 | £555.82 |
| East of England | £608.72 | £623.90 | £588.86 | £551.72 | £525.12 | £527.83 | £538.23 | £580.55 | £556.12 | £527.64 | £525.30 | £543.695 |
| South East England | £619.10 | £618.78 | £600.02 | £567.19 | £541.86 | £527.87 | £527.64 | £562.395 | £553.33 | £526.04 | £527.455 | £543.09 |
| North East England | £546.16 | £581.26 | £544.18 | £519.96 | £500.46 | £502.09 | £514.48 | £526.04 | £525.22 | £494.825 | £500.61 | £504.38 |
| Wales | £555.96 | £553.72 | £524.20 | £511.83 | £495.12 | £483.16 | £489.52 | £523.115 | £503.64 | £481.24 | £479.20 | £499.11 |
| Northern Ireland | £623.41 | £586.96 | £575.72 | £571.6 | £546.56 | £554.73 | £588.79 | £637.32 | £660.765 | £610.05 | £628.975 | £634.76 |
| Scotland | £550.72 | £563.64 | £536.90 | £514.92 | £503.32 | £500.19 | £503.92 | £532.695 | £524.26 | £503.59 | £502.83 | £516.345 |
| South West England | £512.28 | £500.28 | £499.46 | £484.45 | £465.28 | £469.72 | £461.31 | £488.70 | £486.435 | £467.22 | £467.795 | £474.91 |
Young driver insurance maintains 10 year low in 2026
However, there is some good news for 17-24 year olds in 2026. Data shows that premiums for young drivers have dropped to their lowest in 10 years in Q4 of 2025, with the most recent averages resting at £1,099 – only slightly up from £1098 in the last quarter of 2025.
These new drivers are experiencing a slash in prices across the board, with costs in half of UK regions now below £1,000.
The average regional car insurance cost in the UK by age
Young drivers have the highest average premiums across every UK region. In London, drivers aged 17-24 could pay £1,430 a year for car insurance. That’s 153% more than older drivers, who pay around £566.
This trend is true even for the areas that have cheaper car insurance costs. Young drivers in Scotland pay an average of £620 more than 65+ year-olds.
| 17-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-64 | 65+ | |
| London | £1,430.40 | £1,049.97 | £811.99 | £633.10 | £566.27 |
| Northern Ireland | £1,386.26 | £786.33 | £567.57 | £459.45 | £489.69 |
| West Midlands | £1,182.51 | £941.94 | £706.17 | £496.18 | £422.34 |
| Yorkshire | £1,120.49 | £866.21 | £655.29 | £442.44 | £391.34 |
| North West England | £1,066.86 | £868.37 | £675.89 | £466.38 | £411.13 |
| Scotland | £989.56 | £751.10 | £573.16 | £393.55 | £369.47 |
| North East England | £981.90 | £773.50 | £583.50 | £383.33 | £357.84 |
| East Midlands | £968.14 | £816.82 | £606.05 | £432.73 | £379.21 |
| East of England | £960.21 | £775.35 | £590.26 | £417.38 | £380.32 |
| South East England | £925.95 | £753.29 | £587.95 | £430.86 | £397.86 |
| Wales | £879.04 | £687.25 | £541.19 | £346.44 | £326.84 |
| South West England | £827.24 | £675.80 | £512.28 | £343.67 | £340.17 |
Get all the data from 2015-2025
| Year | Month | Average Premium Costs |
| 2015 | Sept | £1,304.86 |
| 2015 | Oct | £1,403.95 |
| 2015 | Nov | £1,519.14 |
| 2015 | Dec | £1,479.14 |
| 2016 | Jan | £1,436.82 |
| 2016 | Feb | £1,476.39 |
| 2016 | March | £1,475.42 |
| 2016 | Apr | £1,407.85 |
| 2016 | May | £1,427.61 |
| 2016 | June | £1,432.45 |
| 2016 | July | £1,367.20 |
| 2016 | Aug | £1,393.30 |
| 2016 | Sept | £1,412.43 |
| 2016 | Oct | £1,475.23 |
| 2016 | Nov | £1,505.30 |
| 2016 | Dec | £1,521.66 |
| 2017 | Jan | £1,511.52 |
| 2017 | Feb | £1,481.08 |
| 2017 | March | £1,545.08 |
| 2017 | Apr | £1,532.51 |
| 2017 | May | £1,589.50 |
| 2017 | June | £1,598.02 |
| 2017 | July | £1,572.35 |
| 2017 | Aug | £1,520.15 |
| 2017 | Sept | £1,553.29 |
| 2017 | Oct | £1,587.89 |
| 2017 | Nov | £1,573.46 |
| 2017 | Dec | £1,568.65 |
| 2018 | Jan | £1,542.55 |
| 2018 | Feb | £1,456.43 |
| 2018 | March | £1,410.37 |
| 2018 | Apr | £1,455.96 |
| 2018 | May | £1,367.88 |
| 2018 | June | £1,321.90 |
| 2018 | July | £1,248.39 |
| 2018 | Aug | £1,210.03 |
| 2018 | Sept | £1,241.25 |
| 2018 | Oct | £1,261.14 |
| 2018 | Nov | £1,369.71 |
| 2018 | Dec | £1,323.84 |
| 2019 | Jan | £1,334.93 |
| 2019 | Feb | £1,384.20 |
| 2019 | March | £1,339.92 |
| 2019 | Apr | £1,357.76 |
| 2019 | May | £1,421.33 |
| 2019 | June | £1,377.75 |
| 2019 | July | £1,367.36 |
| 2019 | Aug | £1,330.92 |
| 2019 | Sept | £1,367.55 |
| 2019 | Oct | £1,418.47 |
| 2019 | Nov | £1,448.43 |
| 2019 | Dec | £1,446.70 |
| 2020 | Jan | £1,486.19 |
| 2020 | Feb | £1,471.45 |
| 2020 | March | £1,500.00 |
| 2020 | Apr | £1,446.44 |
| 2020 | May | £1,443.18 |
| 2020 | June | £1,361.81 |
| 2020 | July | £1,361.42 |
| 2020 | Aug | £1,442.89 |
| 2020 | Sept | £1,460.12 |
| 2020 | Oct | £1,530.52 |
| 2020 | Nov | £1,461.46 |
| 2020 | Dec | £1,545.44 |
| 2021 | Jan | £1,424.23 |
| 2021 | Feb | £1,237.23 |
| 2021 | March | £1,239.86 |
| 2021 | Apr | £1,211.94 |
| 2021 | May | £1,308.53 |
| 2021 | June | £1,331.77 |
| 2021 | July | £1,410.33 |
| 2021 | Aug | £1,380.71 |
| 2021 | Sept | £1,344.00 |
| 2021 | Oct | £1,405.45 |
| 2021 | Nov | £1,378.60 |
| 2021 | Dec | £1,388.00 |
| 2022 | Jan | £1,360.00 |
| 2022 | Feb | £1,350.67 |
| 2022 | March | £1,391.89 |
| 2022 | Apr | £1,368.09 |
| 2022 | May | £1,325.78 |
| 2022 | June | £1,310.85 |
| 2022 | July | £1,281.14 |
| 2022 | Aug | £1,300.45 |
| 2022 | Sept | £1,379.95 |
| 2022 | Oct | £1,448.42 |
| 2022 | Nov | £1,471.61 |
| 2022 | Dec | £1,503.90 |
| 2023 | Jan | £1,532.49 |
| 2023 | Feb | £1,617.09 |
| 2023 | March | £1,716.57 |
| 2023 | Apr | £1,760.98 |
| 2023 | May | £1,879.28 |
| 2023 | June | £1,969.15 |
| 2023 | July | £2,038.09 |
| 2023 | Aug | £2,176.26 |
| 2023 | Sept | £2,344.98 |
| 2023 | Oct | £2,426.09 |
| 2023 | Nov | £2,436.35 |
| 2023 | Dec | £2,370.87 |
| 2024 | Jan | £2,463.31 |
| 2024 | Feb | £2,509.46 |
| 2024 | March | £2,454.42 |
| 2024 | Apr | £2,383.29 |
| 2024 | May | £2,327.44 |
| 2024 | June | £2,134.39 |
| 2024 | July | £2,151.84 |
| 2024 | Aug | £2,082.73 |
| 2024 | Sept | £2,114.05 |
| 2024 | Oct | £2,145.68 |
| 2024 | Nov | £2,252.02 |
| 2024 | Dec | £1,987.34 |
| 2025 | Jan | £1,919.65 |
| 2025 | Feb | £1,784.03 |
| 2025 | March | £1,744.49 |
| 2025 | Apr | £1,445.59 |
| 2025 | May | £1,344.54 |
| 2025 | June | £1,246.93 |
| 2025 | July | £1,123.45 |
| 2025 | Aug | £1,144.13 |
| 2025 | Sept | £1,098.00 |
How much is car insurance for a 17, 18 or 19 year old in the UK?
London remains the most expensive region for young drivers aged 17, with average premiums of £2,555 – more than £900 higher than South West England (£1,635). Several high-population regions, such as the West Midlands and Yorkshire, also show higher costs for new drivers, underlining how your location, claims risk and repair costs impact pricing.
In contrast, South West England is consistently the cheapest region across all ages, highlighting how location alone can materially affect premiums for young drivers.
| Region | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| London | £2,555.08 | £2,573.70 | £1,556.80 | £1,372.24 | £1,330.90 |
| Yorkshire | £2,097.72 | £1,763.86 | £1,050.44 | £1,040.78 | £1,046.76 |
| West Midlands | £2,080.66 | £1,777.11 | £1,057.39 | £1,118.83 | £1,080.08 |
| Northern Ireland | £2,036.26 | £1,998.91 | £1,496.32 | £1,227.41 | £1,128.35 |
| North East England | £1,990.76 | £1,569.04 | £920.26 | £891.16 | £911.16 |
| North West England | £1,985.26 | £1,832.38 | £1,016.74 | £996.87 | £975.66 |
| East Midlands | £1,932.79 | £1,471.71 | £914.99 | £839.99 | £943.84 |
| Wales | £1,866.23 | £1,289.24 | £829.24 | £810.79 | £796.54 |
| Scotland | £1,859.87 | £1,398.10 | £958.19 | £896.84 | £897.72 |
| East of England | £1,805.55 | £1,423.87 | £883.38 | £893.09 | £855.99 |
| South West England | £1,661.45 | £1,268.51 | £776.70 | £770.08 | £733.40 |
| South East England | £1,635.01 | £1,451.33 | £875.44 | £864.71 | £876.35 |
How much is car insurance by Northern Ireland district council?
Northern Ireland operates as a distinct pricing market. Across the 11 NI district council areas, the Q1 2026 median premium ranges from £547.24 in Ards & North Down (the cheapest) to £870.69 in Belfast City Council (the most expensive) — a spread of £323. The NI overall median is £624.60, putting it third highest of all UK regions. (Quotezone Car Insurance Price Index, Q1 2026)
| NI District Council | Annual median premium |
| Belfast City Council | £870.69 |
| Derry City & Strabane | £659.08 |
| Newry, Mourne & Down | £643.92 |
| Mid Ulster | £641.27 |
| Lisburn & Castlereagh | £619.40 |
| Antrim & Newtownabbey | £613.11 |
| Fermanagh & Omagh | £603.76 |
| Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon | £597.36 |
| Mid & East Antrim | £556.85 |
| Causeway Coast & Glens | £554.09 |
| Ards & North Down | £547.24 |
How much is car insurance for a 17, 18 or 19 year old in Northern Ireland?
Young driver premiums in Northern Ireland vary widely by district. For an 18-year-old, the median annual price ranges from £1,766.37 in Mid & East Antrim to £3,151.66 in Belfast City Council. (Quotezone Car Insurance Price Index, Q1 2026)
| NI District Council | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| Belfast City Council | £2,628.64 | £3,151.66 | £2,418.80 | £2,217.62 | £2,048.45 |
| Lisburn & Castlereagh | £2,365.86 | £2,166.74 | £1,801.19 | £1,379.15 | £1,326.62 |
| Mid Ulster | £2,206.00 | £1,871.83 | £1,408.48 | £1,087.50 | £1,003.74 |
| Newry, Mourne & Down | £2,097.18 | £2,107.29 | £1,519.43 | £1,278.39 | £1,163.94 |
| Ards & North Down | £2,028.91 | £1,865.54 | £1,369.74 | £1,153.66 | £1,088.75 |
| Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon | £2,000.90 | £1,949.46 | £1,432.08 | £1,179.93 | £1,070.66 |
| Fermanagh & Omagh | £1,975.87 | £1,830.96 | £1,360.56 | £1,011.01 | £1,009.66 |
| Derry & Strabane | £1,937.28 | £2,221.01 | £1,532.25 | £1,426.31 | £1,157.69 |
| Antrim & Newtownabbey | £1,907.17 | £2,027.78 | £1,354.68 | £1,266.09 | £1,102.20 |
| Causeway Coast & Glens | £1,850.51 | £1,775.31 | £1,323.09 | £936.45 | £934.23 |
| Mid & East Antrim | £1,737.26 | £1,766.37 | £1,255.84 | £1,059.31 | £934.29 |
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How the Quotezone Car Insurance Price Index is compiled
Our team of insurance comparison experts at Quotezone have done the research to give you the latest data on car insurance prices in 2026.
These statistics come from an unbiased random sample of over 100,000 quotes from real UK customers using our comparison system.
Our car insurance price index gives the average cost of UK-wide car insurance premiums separated by age group and month to allow consistent comparisons of data over time.
Find out what you could pay with real UK car insurance cost data and our car insurance price calculator.
References
*Quotezone.co.uk – All data shown uses a random sample of over 100,000 UK car insurance policies from January 2023 – March 2026, across all age groups.
Want more info on this price index?
If you need to get in touch with our press team to discuss this price index or any historical data, please email press@quotezone.co.uk. For more insurance cost data, see our home insurance price index and van insurance price index.
If you are ready to start comparing insurance policies, then Quotezone is here to help – we can help you compare over 130 UK-based insurance companies. Over 97% of reviewers recommend Quotezone for comparing insurance quotes.
This article is intended as generic information only and is not intended to apply to anybody’s specific circumstances, demands or needs. The views expressed are not intended to provide any financial service or to give any recommendation or advice. Products and services are only mentioned for illustrative rather than promotional purposes.
Frequently asked questions about UK car insurance costs
What is the average car insurance cost in the UK in 2026?
Which UK region has the cheapest car insurance?
Which UK region has the most expensive car insurance?
How much does car insurance cost for a 17 year old in the UK?
How much is car insurance per month in the UK?
Are UK car insurance prices rising or falling in 2026?
How much do drivers aged 25-34 pay for car insurance in the UK?
How much do drivers aged 65+ pay for car insurance?
How much does car insurance cost for a new driver in the UK?
How much does car insurance cost for over 70s and over 80s in the UK?
Why is car insurance in London more expensive than other UK regions?
How does Quotezone calculate its Car Insurance Price Index?
How often is the Quotezone Car Insurance Price Index updated?
Reviewed by: Greg Wilson
Founder & Insurance Expert
Written by: Katie Gawley
Insurance Content Writer
Fact-checked by: Quotezone Editorial Team
This content follows our Editorial Guidelines
Last Updated: April 2026
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