Patrol Person, Apprentices and Car Wash Attendants among highest paying occupations for car insurance

• Meanwhile, higher ranking police positions, such as Police Sergeants pay the least for their car insurance, at £332, on average.
• This is followed by Police Staff, often office based, and Local Authority Employees, who pay £341 and £346 respectively.
• Data shows how finding alternative, similar, job titles could save drivers over £1,000 on their insurance.
• Why does my job affect my car insurance? Confused.com experts explain why your job could mean you pay more.

Patrol staff, apprentices, and car wash attendants are among the highest paying occupations for car insurance, new data reveals.

A patrol person, which could be defined as someone working as police patrol, or roadside recovery, are paying £2,208 for their car insurance, on average. That’s according to new data from the experts at Confused.com car insurance, which analyses the highest and lowest paying occupations when it comes to car insurance.

Apprentices follow in second place, with premiums costing £1,737 on average for drivers in these job roles.

Top 10 highest paying occupations for car insurance

Car insurance premiums are typically calculated on the risk of a driver, and the vehicle they drive. And while an occupation itself may not be a clear indicator of risk, the driving habits of these drivers could play a key part. For example, patrol staff, or waiters, could work unsociable hours, driving more often at night which could be considered a higher risk of an accident. Like apprentices, these roles may be filled with younger drivers. They typically carry a higher risk of claiming due to having less driving experience. This is reflected in the average price paid.

Fast food workers, either a driver or caterer, are more likely to spend more time on the road. People in this profession are often in busy or congested areas, putting them at higher risk of an incident, or making a claim. This could explain why premiums are typically higher for drivers in these occupations.

It’s not just the likelihood of incidents and claims that increase a driver’s insurance cost. Those in high-paying jobs might own a high value car. In the event of a claim, this would cost insurers more to repair, or replace. These costs are reflected in their premiums, even if they’ve never made a claim before.

Meanwhile, there are some occupations that pay significantly less than others. Again, this could be down to how and when they drive in relation to their job.

The data shows that more senior, or office based roles within the police see a significant difference in the price they pay for insurance. For example, Police Sergeants top the list as having the lowest car insurance costs, at £332, on average. This is followed by Police Staff - typically support or office based roles - at £341, and local authority employees, at £346.

Some roles within the police force often have advanced driver training, such as Police Sergeants, which could reduce their overall risk of an incident, or making a claim. And many jobs that feature within the lowest 10 paying occupations could be considered as desk-based jobs. These follow a 9-5 working pattern, often at a single location, meaning that they’re spending less time on the road on a typical day.

While there’s no ‘best job’ for car insurance prices, a driver’s occupation does impact the price they’re likely to pay. This is because of the driving habits it enforces on them. And, of course, age, driving experience and any previous claims or convictions are considered when it comes to an insurer determining their car insurance price.

However, when it comes to buying insurance, the list of occupations a driver can choose from can be very extensive. And in some cases, there could be more than one option that could be suitable, while still giving an accurate reflection of their job. Taking some of the top 10 most expensive occupations, for example, drivers could consider finding an alternative title, which could offer a better price. While their other details will still be considered, other job titles could carry a lower risk of claims, which could be reflected in their price.

For example, a patrol person is a rather broad term occupation. Being more specific with this could in fact save drivers a significant amount of money. If they work in roadside recovery patrol, selecting ‘AA Patrolman’ for example, drivers could save £1,468, on average. That’s as drivers within this occupation pay £740, on average for their car insurance. Or if they’re in police patrol, selecting occupations such as ‘Police Officer’ or ‘Police Civilian Crime Officer’, could save them upwards of £1,700 on their premiums, on average.

Equally, there are many options a Fast Food Delivery Driver could select, some of which could result in cheaper car insurance costs. For example, Hot Food Delivery Drivers pay £1,287, for their car insurance. That’s a £305 saving in comparison to the premiums paid by Fast Food Delivery Drivers, on average. Similarly ‘Fast Food Caterers’, who are paying £1,566 for their insurance could make a small change to ‘Caterer’, and save £721, on average.

Again, a Mechanic can be a very broad term when it comes to job roles. And being more specific to the trade they are in could save them a lot of money on their car insurance. For example, Motor Mechanics pay £910 for their car insurance, on average - £552 less than ‘Mechanics’. And Mechanical Engineers pay even less, at £707 - a £755 saving.

However, it’s important that drivers are only searching for accurate alternatives when it comes to their job titles. Changing your job title to something less accurate to get a cheaper policy could be considered a form of insurance fraud, and could invalidate a driver’s policy.

Rhydian Jones, motoring expert at Confused.com car insurance comments,

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Notes to editors