{"id":337213,"date":"2021-05-04T09:00:41","date_gmt":"2021-05-04T08:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.finder.com\/uk\/?p=337213"},"modified":"2025-11-25T09:21:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T09:21:10","slug":"classes-of-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.finder.com\/uk\/car-insurance\/classes-of-use","title":{"rendered":"Classes of use: How they affect the cost of your car insurance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your use class tells your insurer whether you’re using the car for commuting, or just, say, the school run and shopping. Having the wrong use class on your policy can mean your insurer won’t pay out if you need to claim. Find out more about this, and what else you need to know about classes of use in car insurance.<\/p>

How you use your car can affect your car insurance premiums, whether it’s for taking the kids to and from school and trips to the shops or to get to work and business appointments, it’s important you tell your insurer.<\/p>

Car insurance classes of use describe how you use your car. If you use your car for your job, to get to work and for work meetings for example, you may pay more because they are deemed to be at higher risk of having an accident. While those who only use their car for short leisure trips are likely to be quoted a lower price for insurance.<\/p>

What is a class of use in car insurance?<\/h3>

When you buy or renew your car insurance<\/a>, you will be asked lots of questions about your personal circumstances and the way you drive. This includes the class of use, which means how you usually use your car. This describes whether you use your car for leisure or business purposes, or both, and the class can have an impact on the cost of your car insurance.<\/p>

Drivers who use their cars for social and domestic purposes are likely to pay less for their car insurance than those using their cars for business purposes. This is because business drivers are more likely to spend more time in their cars and travel in rush hour, increasing the risk of them having an accident and making a car insurance claim.<\/p>

However, if you have the wrong level of cover and you do need to make a claim, your insurer may reject your claim and invalidate your policy.<\/p>

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If you’re driving with the wrong type of car insurance, you could be breaking the law and could be hit with serious penalties. To make sure you have the right type and level of cover, talk to your insurer and they’ll be able to guide you to the right policy for you.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

What are the different classes of use?<\/h3>

There are three main car insurance classes of use to choose from, which you’ll be asked about when getting a car insurance quote.<\/p>

Social, domestic and pleasure (SDP)<\/h4>

The insured car can be used by the named drivers on the insurance policy for any driving which is non-work related. This includes any normal daily driving such as picking children up from school, going to the supermarket, or visiting friends or family members.<\/p>

Social and commuting (SDP + C)<\/h4>

Drivers are covered for everything noted above in social, domestic and pleasure use but they are also able to commute to work. Each insurer has its own definition for commuting so check the small print first but usually it is described as making the same journey every day, such as driving to an office or to a station car park if you’re then getting the train to work.<\/p>

Business use (SDPC + business use)<\/h4>

Business class of cover is slightly more complicated. Most insurers describe different levels of business class insurance, so it’s always worth checking the small print to make sure you’re buying the right kind of cover.<\/p>

Most business class insurance<\/a> will cover everything included in social, domestic, pleasure and commuting classes but will also cover drivers for using their car for business use. This includes driving to different sites for work or driving to meet clients, for example.<\/p>

Is business class the same for all jobs?<\/h3>

There are a few different levels of cover with business class. You’ll often be asked the following before being given a quote:<\/p>