There are 3 levels of insurance to choose from. The level you need will depend on your personal circumstances.
Third-party
Third-party, fire and theft
Comprehensive
*Based on Confused.com data December 2022 - May 2023.
On average, students living away from home pay £1,203.832 for car insurance. But how much you actually pay depends on several risk factors, including:
Here's a breakdown of how much students can expect to pay based on living in the same cities as the following universities:
| University 3 | Avg fully comp policy price 4 |
|---|---|
|
University of Birmingham
|
£875
|
|
University of Cambridge
|
£509
|
|
The University of Edinburgh
|
£519
|
|
Lancaster University
|
£477
|
|
University of Leeds
|
£781
|
|
University College London
|
£1,276
|
|
University of Manchester
|
£906
|
|
Newcastle University
|
£596
|
|
The University of Nottingham
|
£615
|
|
University of Oxford
|
£531
|
|
The University of Sheffield
|
£659
|
|
University of Southampton
|
£530
|
|
University of St Andrews
|
£472
|
|
The University of Warwick
|
£668
|
2Based on Confused.com data February 2023 - May 2023
3Universities have been taken from the 2023 UniRank league table. We've added just one London-based university as all would show the same car insurance price, based on West Central London. Prices are based on averages for the cities the universities are in.
4Confused.com price index Q1 2023.
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*Based on data provided by Consumer Intelligence Ltd, www.consumerintelligence.com (April '23). 51% of car insurance customers could save £445.29
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Here are a few things you could do to help get cheaper car insurance and save yourself some money:
Shop around and avoid auto renewal as insurers don’t always reward loyalty, so there’s a chance the price they offer you will be more than what you paid last year.
Add a named driver with a good driving history, as this may lower your price. Just make sure whoever's doing the bulk of the driving is the policyholder, otherwise you may be guilty of fronting.
Pay annually rather than monthly as it can be as much as 16%5 cheaper to pay for your insurance in one go, rather than in monthly instalments.
Estimate your mileage accurately as over-estimating could increase your price. The average mileage is about 6,621 a year5.
Increase your voluntary excess as the more you're willing to pay, the cheaper your policy is likely to be. But you should make sure you set it at a level you'd be able to pay if you needed. According to our data, the most common level of voluntary excess is £250*, with 62% of customers opting for this amount.
Consider pay per mile insurance, also known as pay-as-you-go car insurance, as these policies bill you only for the miles you drive. If you drive fewer miles, you could see a lower price.
Park in a secure place as parking in a secure garage rather than on the road means your car is less at risk of theft.
Improve your car's security with an immobiliser or a car tracker. Most modern cars already have an alarm or immobiliser fitted, but it's always good to double check.
Get a car in a lower insurance group as cars in high car insurance groups can be more expensive to insure than those in lower ones.
Avoid cars with modifications as most are likely to bump up the cost of your insurance.
Consider black box insurance or a telematics insurance policy, as these monitor how you drive to calculate a driving score. The better your score, the lower your insurance could be at renewal.
5Based on Confused.com data December 2022 - April 2023
If you're planning on taking your car to uni, you should be truthful with your insurer about where the car is being kept for most of the time. It might be tempting to say you keep it at home rather than uni to save yourself some money, but misleading your insurer could invalidate your policy.
Yes, if they occasionally drive the car you can add them as named drivers on the policy.
Age is one of the factors considered by insurers when calculating prices. Mature students are generally considered to be anyone who starts an undergraduate degree over the age of 21, or a postgraduate degree over the age of 25.
If you're under the age of 25, you're still considered a young driver. This means you're likely to still see relatively high insurance prices regardless of your status as a mature student.
Being a student is also considered a higher risk ‘occupation’. So even if you're not considered a young driver, you might still see an increase in your car insurance costs.
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lets you prove you’re a safe driver, and save money on your policy, even if you’re inexperienced or seen as high risk.
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covers you if you use your car for work, including travelling between offices or across the country.
is a legal requirement if you're driving in the UK. Find out more about choosing the right cover at the right price.
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Page last reviewed: 01 June 2023
Reviewed by: Louise Thomas
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