Car Insurance Pricing Index

Car insurance costs are dependent on a combination of factors. Insurers will look at various components including; your age, the type of vehicle you are looking to insure, your current job title, your claims history, postcode, annual mileage, and any additions you may choose to make to your car. By comparing 14 different insurers, we always make sure to find the best value insurance for you.

We've created the ultimate pricing index to help you compare insurance premiums based on the make and model of your car, what county you live in, your occupation, as well as several other factors.

As the cost of living remains a concern across Ireland, we have updated our data to see how things have changed in the car insurance space compared to July 2022 - January 2023.

Contents

• Average Car Insurance Price by Province
• Average Car Insurance Price by County
• Average Car Insurance Prices by Age
• Car Insurance Costs for New Drivers
• Average Prices for the Top 10 Most Popular Models
• The Cheapest Car Brands to Insure in Ireland
• The 10 Cheapest Electric Vehicles to Insure in Ireland
• The Occupations with the Lowest Car Insurance

Average Car Insurance Price by Province

If you're looking to save on car insurance, the location you call home plays a significant role in determining your premium. Living in a city where there is a greater risk of crime and increased traffic is more than likely to push your car premium up. Similarly, in Ireland, some rural counties have higher insurance premiums than others because of the higher rates of claims.

Amongst the four provinces in Ireland, Connacht has the lowest average premium price at an average of €638 and Leinster is the most expensive at €700.

Average Car Insurance Price by County

County Laois has seen the biggest drop in price

Late last year Laois was the 16th cheapest county for car insurance, however as of August 2023 they have shot up by 12 places and are now the fourth cheapest at €606. Clare and Roscommon have also significantly dropped in price this year, both rising up by seven places.

County Westmeath and Tipperary have had two of the largest price increases from last year to now.

Average Car Insurance Prices by Age

The cost of car insurance typically varies depending on your age. This is because the cost of your car insurance is mainly all about risk. The ‘riskier’ you are to insure, the more expensive your car insurance policy is likely to be.

Younger drivers, from the age of 17-29 typically pay more for their premiums than older drivers, making them the most ‘risky’ age group on the road. This stems from the fact that young drivers haven’t had the opportunity to gain as much experience on the roads. In fact, 1-in-5 young drivers are said to be involved in a car accident within six months of passing their test.

The good news for new drivers under the age of 19 is that average insurance costs have decreased by just over €100 compared to last year. Typically insuring a driver between the age of 20-29 will cost around €1,143 per annum. However, there are ways to lower these insurance costs - you may choose to add an experienced driver with a good driving history to your policy, or it could be beneficial to choose a car from a lower insurance group to help make your policy cheaper (we will discuss more on this later).

As a general rule, drivers over 70 pay less for their car insurance than younger drivers, as they are usually more experienced and in most cases have spent a lot more time behind the wheel. A potential no-claim discount is built up meaning they are left with some of the lowest premiums in the market.

That said, it’s important to keep in mind that car insurance is most likely to be more expensive for new drivers regardless of their age bracket - this is because drivers with less experience are considered to be at high risk and are less likely to have any no-claims discount.

Car Insurance Costs for New Drivers

Insurance costs reduce by around 30% after 3 years of holding a licence

Experience is one of the biggest factors when it comes to car insurance premiums. The longer you’ve been driving, the lower your insurance costs will be (provided you have not made any claims).

Insurance Prices for the Top 10 Most Popular Models

Of the most popular car models the cheapest on average to insure in Ireland are the KIA Sportage, Hyundai Tucson and Nissan Qashqai.

The Cheapest Car Brands to Insure in Ireland

Our findings highlight that Dacia comes in as the cheapest out of all car brands analysed to insure - this is likely because they only sell a limited number of models which generally appeal to the older demographic.

Insurance is one of the biggest annual motoring costs and your choice of car actually plays a huge part in keeping your car insurance cheap. Insurance providers may consider the following:

• The size of the car
• The cars value - how much it is worth?
• The age of your vehicle
• What safety equipment it's fitted with
• What security features it has
• How susceptible it will be to accidental damage
• How much it will cost to repair and how long it would take
• It is important to keep in mind that any modifications to a car can affect its insurance premiums significantly too.

The 10 Cheapest Electric Vehicles to Insure in Ireland

Electric vehicles continue to rise in popularity, especially as the Irish Government are aiming for all new vehicle registrations from 2030 be EVs. But, which electric vehicles on the market are the cheapest to insure?

The Occupations with the Lowest Car Insurance

Believe it or not, your occupation actually plays a vital role in the price of your car insurance. Our data reveals that Prison Officers come in with the cheapest car insurance at an average premium of €413.

Your occupation is used by insurance companies as a risk indicator and it can be viewed by different companies in different ways. People who work in an office or are considered remote workers may drive less frequently, or have shorter commutes. This means that they are seen as a lower risk to insurance companies and are therefore more likely to receive a lower premium.

Experience on the road is also a major determining factor for your insurance premium. Jobs that are populated by an older demographic will result in a lower insurance premium. A stable work schedule and driving environment can also reduce the cost of your insurance.

Methodology

Average prices are shown from new business and renewal sales between July 2022 - January 2023, including any fees. We then repeated this for February 2023 - August 2023 to allow a comparison. For the occupation insurance prices we only used roles that had 50 or more quotes to obtain a clear average.