Drivers

The cost of your car insurance will depend on specific details: who drives the car makes a huge difference to the cost of the insurance premium. Insurers carefully calculate the likelihood of you making a claim based on your past behaviour, as well as the past behaviour of other people who have a similar record. If you insure additional drivers on your policy, an insurer will ask for the age, gender, marital status, occupation, driving record, claim history and licence type of all the drivers you insure. This information builds up the 'risk profile' (the probability of a claim being made) of each driver, and thus enables the insurer to price your insurance accordingly.

Age
Young and new drivers tend to pay much more for their car insurance premiums. Lack of a no claims discount means missing out on discounts of up to seventy-five percent; many young drivers drive old, inexpensive cars to ensure their premiums are affordable. Statistically, seventeen to twenty-one year-olds are ten times more likely to be involved in an accident than older drivers. For insurers, this means it is more likely that they will have to pay out, and premiums reflect this. Generally, once you turn twenty-five insurers will consider you as lower risk and reduce premiums accordingly, especially if you have a built up some no claims discount in the meantime. Before this however, you should concentrate on keeping premiums as low as possible by maintaining a flawless driving record; avoiding driving convictions and making no 'fault claims' (see Blame / Responsibility).

Gender
If you are female, car insurance providers will regard you as lower risk, and thus your premium will inevitably be lower than for a male of the same age and experience. If you are male this means that your premiums will be higher, but if you are married, adding your wife onto your policy may reduce your perceived risk and therefore lower your premium.

Marital Status
If you are married, tell your insurer. According to the majority of car insurance companies, a married couple are less likely to make a claim. If you are not married but are cohabiting, some insurers may offer a slight discount.

Occupation
Your occupation has an effect on your premiums; some insurers may not cover you if your job is considered 'high-risk'. Jobs are considered high-risk if they:

• require you to drive at night
• increase the likelihood of driving after drinking alcohol
• require you to drive under pressure
• increase the probability of violence, vandalism or other malicious damage

Examples of high risk occupations include: sports professionals, market traders, journalists, bookmakers, professional entertainers (actors, actresses, circus/fairground employees, models and musicians), security guards / doormen, and hotel, restaurant or bar-workers.