01 October 2007

Profession Penalises Drivers | Cheap Car Insurance and Home Insurance from Confused.com

New research from Confused.com, the UK's leading car insurance price comparison service, has revealed that profession penalizes premiums. In some cases car insurance can rocket by as much as £850* simply if you switch job.

To assess the impact of career on car insurance, Confused.com took a profile of a 32 year old male driving a Ford Mondeo LX, living in London (NW1), with maximum no claims bonus, and investigated how fully comprehensive premiums changed when they switched job. This research focused upon the top 13 UK insurance providers and revealed some fascinating findings.

Footballers living in London took the biggest kicking, forking out £1,348 for insurance on a Ford Mondeo LX, while insurance for comedians was no laughing matter, having to pay out a whopping £1,227 for the same vehicle at the same address.

Perhaps unsurprisingly stuntmen took a hit paying out £1,112 for their insurance. Amazingly fortune tellers, who should be able to foresee the cost of their career, also faced massive premiums of £1,069.

At the other end of the scale a secretary would pay only £501 for their insurance on the Mondeo, just below were police officers who are commonly upheld as among the safest drivers in the UK.

Table of results

15 most expensive professions	Average premium	Cheapest Quote	Saving
Footballer	£1,348.33	£745.91	£602.42
Comedian	£1,227.34	£746.45	£480.89
Stunt Man	£1,112.99	£683.55	£429.44
Fortune Teller	£1,069.09	£607.95	£461.14
Circus Employee	£953.47	£388.97	£564.50
Mini Cab Driver	£704.48	£551.25	£153.23
Journalist National Press	£651.48	£374.00	£277.48
Builder	£627.20	£368.41	£258.79
Firewood Merchant	£616.71	£385.23	£231.48
Cleaner	£615.58	£388.97	£226.61
Bee Keeper	£613.54	£388.97	£224.57
Mechanic	£609.57	£368.41	£241.16
Driving Instructor	£606.46	£351.94	£254.52
Bin Man	£603.36	£388.97	£214.39
Sales - Telephone	£602.65	£385.23	£217.42
15 cheapest professions	Average premium	Cheapest Quote	Saving
Secretary	£501.38	£364.65	£136.73
Police Officer	£574.20	£341.10	£233.10
Computer Consultant	£578.36	£370.26	£208.10
Paramedic	£581.62	£353.43	£228.19
Bank Manager	£582.20	£387.09	£195.11
Doctor	£582.38	£396.44	£185.94
Lawyer	£584.60	£370.26	£214.34
Teacher	£585.09	£359.05	£226.04
Fireman	£586.07	£341.10	£244.97
Nun	£592.64	£370.26	£222.38
Geographer	£592.68	£349.70	£242.98
Naturalist	£592.73	£349.70	£243.03
Office Worker	£593.55	£364.65	£228.90
Chauffer	£594.92	£351.94	£242.98
Underwriter	£595.12	£370.26	£224.86

Data provided by www.Confused.com. Correct as of 20/09/07

Commenting on the latest research, Debra Williams, managing director of Confused.com, said: 'Insurers assess risk in many different ways, one of which is profession. While one insurer may have a terrible claims history for circus employees, another may not. This is why it is always vital to shop-around for insurance to ensure that you are not being unfairly penalized for the driving habits of others within your profession. For example, by searching the market thoroughly, a circus juggler could cut their insurance by over £560, showing that a life on the road needn't cost you the earth.'

Confused.com is the UK's fastest and most comprehensive car insurance price comparison service, instantly searching and comparing prices from 97 per cent of the insurance market, returning real-time, fully underwritten quotes in less than two minutes. On average, drivers using Confused.com save £215.

Editor's notes

• *On average a 32 year old male footballer driving a Ford Mondeo LX (see profile below) would pay out £1,348 for their annual car insurance. The same driver with their profession stated as a secretary would pay just £501, a difference of £847
• Based on previous research in which Confused.com profiled 365 professions to find the most expensive and least expensive insurance, Confused.com re-ran prices for the fifteen most expensive and cheapest professions. Research was undertaken in September 2007.
• Confused.com is the UK's leading insurance price comparison service, allowing people to search and compare the best premiums for car, home and travel insurance.
• Confused.com provides real-time, fully-underwritten quotes in less than two minutes - this means the price you see is the price you pay, guaranteed.

• All research was based on a 32 year old male residing in London (NW1), driving a Ford Mondeo LX, 1798cc, 2000-2007 (gp 8), with fully comprehensive insurance for social and commuting, with maximum no claims bonus.

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