The factors that go into deciding how much your car insurance will be can be broken down into various factors.

Perhaps most importantly is the car itself -

-what Car insurance group is it in?

Every vehicles is given a group rating by The Association of British Insurers (ABI)†.

The ratings are based on the risk of the vehicle and takes into account the following factors:

- the value of the vehicle.

- the age of the vehicle - as this impacts on the value and likelyhood of replacement parts.

- damage
Different cars are likely to be damaged to different levels as they are built differently and reach different safetly levels according to strict tests. Euro NCAP measures the safety of cars and how they perform when damaged. This gives them a safety rating.
You can search the Euro NCAP site to see what safety rating your own car has. It is a useful site to use when considering what car to buy next!
The damage may be affected by the type of body shell the car has, so this is a consideration too.

- cost of replacement parts: The cheaper replacement parts are the cheaper insurance is likely to be. Consider a hugely popular car - the spares for this will be more easily found and are likely to be cheaper than for a rare car.

- how easy the car is to repair - if it will take a long time to repair then this bumps costs up.

- the cost of a new car. How much it would cost to replace the car.

- Performance - takes into account the acceleration and top speed.

- Car security - what security features fitted as standard equipment. What additional measures have been added.

- Trends based on real evidence - if Insurers find that a particular type of car is more often in accidents then the risk puts the insurance up.

How YOU affect your insurance costs -

Your own Claims history can have a big impact on your car insurance costs. If you do not keep a car constantly then you will have breaks in your claims history and this generally puts your car insurance costs up. This can be quite dramatic too - pushing one persons quote up to £2000 because they did not have more than 1 years no claim history despite having had a car for many years in the past.

Drivers - who are they and how old they are can have an impact on your costs. Drivers under 25 or with speeding convictions may find their insurance costs higher and having them on your policy would also increase it.

Driving convictions - the more you have the more expensive your insurance is likely to be. Consider than next time you're driving - that a speeding ticket may only be a £60 fine and a few points but it could increase your car insurance. Generally your insurer will ask for details of convictions in the last 3 to 5 years.

Medical conditions - Insurers should not charge extra for medical conditions if you hold a licence without any restrictions.
But if you have a restricted licence your insurer may need to take this into account when reviewing the risk.
They may also take adaptations to vehicles into account if it means it will cost more to replace the adaptation if your car was damaged.

Ensure you are fit to drive and take note of the things you need to notify the DVLA about here

Mileage - how many miles you do can make your cover more expensive. Some companies like you to do at least 2000 miles a year. If you are very low mileage then ensure you tell them!

Occupation - what you do for a living can impact on your insurance. If you work late at night then this may put your insurance up. Some jobs are higher risk due to the times worked.
You may have higher risk if you carry tools or equipment in your vehicle. Stand up comedians, entertainers, chefs, those in the licenced trades, sports persons may also have higher insurance costs.

Vehicle use - whether you use it only for pleasure or for business too. minimum risk for insurance would be considered driving between family and friends or to go shopping. Always declare if you use your car for work.

The different categories of vehicle use are:

- Social, domestic & pleasure -Does not cover you for the drive to work or to a station.
- Social, domestic, pleasure and commuting - covers you for basic social driving and driving to and from one fixed place of work. It also includes travelling and parking at a railway station
- Business use - you can use your car in connection with your job, such as driving to more than one place of work
- Commercial travelling - you can use your car for things like door to door sales

If in doubt consult your insurance company. Also if your employment changes you should notify them.

Your address -
Certain areas have a higher level of car crime and insurance premiums tend to reflect that risk.
Areas with more traffic - eg: cities - may mean more risk of accidents.

Where you leave your car at night - is it in a garage, on a drive or on the road? Tell them where you normally leave it. If you never use the garage then do not lie!

If you move you need to tell your insurance company. This applies if you spend more time at another address such as if you have a partner who lives at a different address and you spend a lot of time there, or if you're a student away at college, or you work away during the week.

Remember to keep your insurance company up to date with any changes.