Find Car Insurance Quotes That Suit You

Find car insurance quotes by entering your car registration, personal details and driving history into a comparison tool, which then returns prices from multiple insurers for the same cover in one go. The average motor premium UK drivers actually paid was £560 in Q1 2026, according to the Association of British Insurers Motor Insurance Premium Tracker, so knowing how to compare properly can make a real difference to what you pay.

A quote is an insurer’s price for covering you and your car, based on the risk they think you present. The same driver can be quoted very different prices by different insurers, which is why comparing matters. Free Price Compare compares cover from a panel of 130+ insurers, and most people quoting with us do so on their phone.

Last updated: August 2026

Written by the Free Price Compare editorial team | Reviewed August 2026

What a car insurance quote actually is

A car insurance quote is an insurer’s offer to cover you and your car for a set period, usually 12 months, at a stated price based on the information you provide. Terms like “car car insurance quotes”, “drivers insurance quote” and “car insurance quotations” all describe the same thing: a personalised price for motor cover. The figure reflects the insurer’s view of how likely you are to claim and how much a claim would cost them.

Insurers price the same driver differently because each one weighs risk factors in its own way. Your age, address, car, mileage and claims history all feed a pricing model, and no two models are identical. That is why a driver quoted a high price by one insurer can be quoted far less by another for near-identical cover.

Comparison quotes are estimates until you confirm your details and buy. The ABI Motor Insurance Premium Tracker measures prices customers actually pay across over 28 million policies a year, not quoted prices, which is a useful reminder that your final purchase price can differ slightly from an early quote if any detail changes.

Do I legally need car insurance?

Yes. You must have at least third party car insurance to drive or keep a vehicle on a public road in the UK, under the Road Traffic Act 1988, and Citizens Advice confirms this baseline legal requirement. The only common exception is if you keep the car off the road and declare it off-road with a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN).

Third party cover is the legal minimum. It pays for injury or damage you cause to other people, their vehicles and their property, but not for your own car. Continuous Insurance Enforcement means the DVLA and the Motor Insurers’ Bureau can penalise you if your car is registered but uninsured, even if you are not driving it, unless it is declared SORN.

Because you need valid cover before you can legally drive away, it makes sense to line up quotes before you collect a new car. If you have not bought it yet, most comparison tools let you quote using the make and model rather than a registration number, then swap in the reg once it is yours.

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How much does car insurance cost on average?

The average motor insurance premium UK drivers actually paid was £560 in Q1 2026, according to the ABI Motor Insurance Premium Tracker. That was around £1 higher than Q4 2025 and £20 lower than Q1 2025, so prices have been broadly stable after earlier falls.

Your own price can sit well above or below that average, because it is a single figure across every type of driver, car and postcode. A settled driver in their fifties with a full no-claims bonus and a modest car typically pays less than a new driver with a powerful car in a high-risk area. The ABI notes repair costs stayed high in early 2026, with the average accidental damage claim reaching £3,699, which keeps upward pressure on premiums.

Figures are indicative and may change. For more detail on typical prices, our guide on how to compare car insurance quotes and save money breaks down what drives cost.

What details do I need to get a quote?

To get an accurate car insurance quote you need your car registration (or make and model), your address and postcode, your driving licence details, your occupation, your estimated annual mileage and how many years of no-claims bonus you hold. Having these ready means the quote you see is closer to the price you will actually pay.

• Vehicle details: registration number, or make, model and year if you have not bought the car yet.
• Personal details: full name, date of birth, address and how long you have lived there.
• Licence information: type of licence, when you passed and any points or convictions.
• Usage: annual mileage, where the car is parked overnight and whether it is for social, commuting or business use.
• Claims and no-claims history: any claims in the last five years and your no-claims bonus years.

Accuracy matters. If the insurer’s description of your car differs from what you actually own, for example the engine size or trim, the quote can be wrong and a claim could be affected. Check that the vehicle details pulled from your registration match your car before you buy, and correct them if they do not.

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Is fully comprehensive always the most expensive?

No, fully comprehensive is not automatically the most expensive cover. For many drivers it is priced similarly to, or cheaper than, third party only, because insurers often associate third party policies with higher-risk drivers who cannot get affordable comprehensive cover. Around 88-89% of Free Price Compare car insurance quotes are for comprehensive cover, and that rises to roughly 88-91% of actual purchases (Free Price Compare data, Jan-Jun 2026).

The three cover levels are: comprehensive, which pays for your own car as well as third party costs; third party, fire and theft, which adds fire and theft protection to third party; and third party only, the legal minimum that covers damage to others but not your own vehicle. Comprehensive usually also includes cover for windscreen damage and personal injury as standard.

Because pricing is not intuitive here, it is worth requesting quotes at more than one cover level and comparing them side by side. If comprehensive is the same price or cheaper, there is little reason to accept a lower level of protection. Our page on how to compare car insurance in the UK explains what each level includes.

How can I get cheaper car insurance?

You can get cheaper car insurance by comparing quotes across many insurers, choosing a car in a lower insurance group, increasing your voluntary excess sensibly, and paying annually rather than monthly where you can afford to. Small, accurate adjustments to how you describe your cover often move the price more than people expect.

• Compare widely: prices for the same driver vary between insurers, so a comparison across a large panel finds the outliers a single quote cannot.
• Pay annually if you can: monthly premium finance adds interest, so paying for the year up front usually costs less overall.
• Adjust your excess carefully: a higher voluntary excess lowers the premium, but only raise it to an amount you could afford to pay after a claim.
• Check your mileage: over-estimating annual mileage can inflate your quote, so give a realistic figure.
• Consider the car: cars in lower insurance groups cost less to cover, and around 43-48% of Free Price Compare quotes are for cars valued between £1,000 and £5,000 (Free Price Compare data, Jan-Jun 2026).

Renewal is the moment to act. If your renewal price has jumped, comparing fresh quotes before you accept it is the single most reliable way to bring the cost down. Our guide to cheap car insurance in the UK covers more ways to reduce your price.

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Can I add a named driver to lower my price?

Adding a named driver can lower your price if that person is statistically lower risk, for example an older, experienced driver added to a younger driver’s policy. A named driver is someone else insured to drive your car under your policy, while you remain the main policyholder. It can also increase the price if the added driver is higher risk.

The named driver must use the car occasionally, not be the main user. Deliberately naming an experienced driver as the policyholder when a higher-risk driver does most of the driving is known as “fronting”, and it is a form of insurance fraud that can void your policy and lead to refused claims. Add drivers honestly, and try quotes both with and without them to see the effect.

Does getting a quote affect my credit score?

Getting a car insurance quote does not affect your credit score, because insurers use a soft credit search that only you can see on your report. A soft search leaves no visible footprint for lenders and can be run as many times as you like without harm. You can compare quotes freely without worrying about your credit rating.

The exception is premium finance. If you choose to pay monthly, that is effectively a credit agreement, and applying for it can involve a hard credit check that other lenders can see. The FCA regulates how insurers and brokers sell premium finance, including how the cost of paying monthly is presented. Paying annually avoids the credit check entirely.

Which comparison approach gives the best quotes?

The best comparison approach is one that returns prices from a large, whole-of-market panel of insurers, because more insurers means more chance of finding the price outlier that suits your profile. Comparison across a wide panel is more useful than checking a single insurer, since the same details produce very different prices from one insurer to the next.

Some insurers do not appear on every comparison tool, and a few sell only direct, so it can be worth checking one or two direct quotes alongside a comparison. Free Price Compare compares across a panel of 130+ insurers and more than 60 insurance products in total, and the share of people who quote and then buy has risen from around 6% in 2022 to around 9% in 2025 (Free Price Compare data). If you want a full walkthrough, see our guide to comparing car insurance quotes in the UK.

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Why the same insurer can show different prices

The same insurer can show different prices across comparison tools and its own website because of differing commission arrangements, cover defaults and how each channel packages extras. A quote is only comparable if the cover, excess and add-ons are the same, so a lower headline price can hide a higher excess or fewer inclusions.

Check the excess, the level of cover and any optional extras before deciding a quote is cheaper. A policy showing a lower premium with a much higher compulsory excess may cost you more if you claim. Reading the cover summary, not just the price, is how you make a fair comparison and pick genuine value rather than a stripped-back policy.

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Information correct as of 28 August 2026. Prices, tariffs, policy details and providers change frequently, so please check the latest details before making a decision. This article is for general information only and does not constitute financial advice. Free Price Compare is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).