Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

Why is the cost of auto insurance so high?

 



Why has car insurance gone up so much?


It's possible that the expenses of renewing your insurance will be greater than normal. But why is this the case, particularly in the event that you haven't filed an insurance claim? We investigate the variables that can cause auto insurance rates to increase in 2023 and 2024.

Are insurance costs actually going up?

As to ABI's report, there has been a consistent annual increase in insurance premiums over the past few quarters.

According to the survey, in Q4 2022, the average premium paid for a new policy increased by 7% from the previous quarter, while the average premium paid for a renewal increased by 8%. According to additional study, prices increased by 21% in Q2 2023 compared to Q2 2022, indicating that this pattern has persisted into 2023.

What then is the reason behind this? You must first comprehend the methodology used to determine insurance rates in order to fully comprehend this.

How do insurance premiums get determined?
















In essence, insurers determine premiums by assessing the degree of risk involved and making sure that the amounts they set for certain people are sufficient to pay claims made by those who require them.

Examining the documentation of your insurance policy will likely reveal that it covers a wide range of services, all of which must be covered by the policies that are in place. Your policy may consist of:
  • Unrestricted coverage for personal injuries to third parties
  • Damage to third-party property up to £20 million
  • Cover for own vehicle accidental damage
  • Protection against car theft and fire
What is the reason for the rise in insurance costs?

Recent increases in premiums are a result of excessive inflation. In the end, the insurance company still has to pay for all of the expenses incurred when a policyholder files a claim, but inflation drives up these expenses.

This implies that the price of maintaining and obtaining parts for your car, like changing the battery or resolving electrical issues, will go up.

Inflation has also resulted in an increase in other expenses like legal fees and renting a car while your own is being fixed.

As a result, in order to pay for the insured losses, insurers have forced to increase rates.

Why is my insurance premium higher than inflation?














Sadly, a large portion of the expenses related to paying claims have gone up faster than inflation.

According to ABI's research, the average cost of vehicle repairs climbed by 46% in Q2 2023 compared to Q2 2022, while the cost of renting out substitute vehicles during repair grew by 52% over the same time period. These two instances demonstrate how prices have risen significantly faster than inflation, which peaked in October 2022 at 11.1%.

Despite the fact that auto insurance rates are intended to offset the cost of claims, according to recent research from ABI, claim payouts have climbed more quickly than average, rising by 29% annually compared to the average insurance premium in Q2 2023 (21% annually).

Given the current decline in inflation rates, might we anticipate a fall in insurance premiums?












Not always. It's improbable that the above-mentioned price hikes will decrease. While the rate of inflation has decreased, this does not imply that goods and services are becoming less expensive; rather, it simply indicates that they are growing more slowly.

What is the difference between premiums and pre-coronavirus levels?

You may be shocked to hear that, despite the fact that inflation has been rising annually since 2019, the average premium was lower in the first quarter of 2023 than it was in the fourth quarter of 2019. Q1 2023 saw an average premium of £478 compared to Q4 2019's average of £483.

Exist any additional variables influencing insurance rates?

Yes, there are a lot of additional factors driving up insurance costs.

A number of supply chain problems over the past few years have caused delays in obtaining certain auto parts. These delays raise the insurer's expenses, which has a domino effect. For example, if a part is not available for many days, the automobile cannot be fixed, requiring insurance to cover the cost of the customer's courtesy car for an extended period of time.

In addition, as technology has advanced, repair costs have generally gone up. This is due to the fact that modern cars are more advanced than their predecessors and frequently have screens, cameras, and other sensors that are more costly to fix or replace.

For the first time, I'm getting auto insurance, and it's really pricey. Has this been the case always?














The process of calculating risk involves several components. Your insurance costs may be relatively high if you're a new driver, particularly if you're in your late teens or early twenties. This is typically the result of you not having accrued a no claims bonus (NCB), which serves as insurance companies' "proof" that you pose a little risk.

Furthermore, beginning of January 1, 2022, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) prohibited insurance companies from offering discounted coverage to newly licensed drivers because these costs were frequently transferred to devoted clients who had been with their carrier for a number of years.

This implies that insurance for your first year or two of driving may cost more than it would for someone in your situation a few years prior.

Why does insurance for Land Rovers cost so much?















In addition to the above mentioned concerns, the cost of Land Rover insurance has gone up dramatically in the past several years. The primary cause of this is the rise in luxury car thefts, especially in cities, which includes Land Rovers.

Insurance firms have raised the cost of insuring these vehicles in order to cover the increased risk. Some insurers are declining to provide full coverage for Land Rovers.