In theory, yes. If you drive fewer miles, the risk of being involved in an accident and making a claim will be lower. This means you’re likely to pay less for your insurance. However, as mentioned earlier, this won’t always be the case.<\/p>
Your car insurance premium will be based on a number of different factors, not just your annual mileage. Insurers will also look at your age, your job title, where you live, the type of vehicle you drive, whether you have made any claims in the past and whether you have any motoring convictions.<\/p>
All of these factors will play a part in calculating your risk and how much you’ll pay for your car insurance. Younger, less experienced drivers or those who have motoring convictions tend to pay more for their insurance than older, more experienced drivers who have a clean driving licence.<\/p><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/li>
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\n \n Can't I just guess the number of miles that I drive?<\/span>\n \n <\/use>\n <\/use>\n <\/svg>\n <\/button>\n <\/h4>\n <\/div>\n \n
No, it’s really important that you don’t simply guess your annual mileage. If you underestimate how many miles you drive per year and you later claim on your insurance, your policy could be invalidated and your insurer could reject your claim.<\/p>
In addition, if your insurer believes you deliberately lowered your annual mileage to get cheaper car insurance, you may find it harder to get cover in the future.<\/p>
On the flipside, if you overestimate your annual mileage, you’ll end up paying more than you need to for car insurance.<\/p><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/li>
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\n \n Does mileage matter when buying a used car?<\/span>\n \n <\/use>\n <\/use>\n <\/svg>\n <\/button>\n <\/h4>\n <\/div>\n \n
The number of miles a used car has covered overall won’t matter when you’re buying insurance. All that insurers will be concerned about is how many miles you’re planning to drive in the coming year.<\/p>
So, if you’re buying a car with a high mileage, this doesn’t automatically mean you’ll pay more for your car insurance if you don’t plan to drive very often. Rather than focusing on the total mileage when buying a used car, it’s better to look at the overall condition of the vehicle as this could have an affect on your insurance premiums.<\/p><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/li>
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\n \n What is the best annual mileage for insurance?<\/span>\n \n <\/use>\n <\/use>\n <\/svg>\n <\/button>\n <\/h4>\n <\/div>\n \n
There’s no clear-cut answer to this, but research by By Miles suggests that an annual mileage of 11,000-12,000 will give you the most competitive insurance quote at an average of \u00a3576.42.<\/p>
However, mileage won’t be the only factor when calculating your insurance premium, so the best way to make sure you are getting the best deal is to shop around and compare your options carefully.<\/p><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/li>
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\n \n Is my insurance void if I go over mileage?<\/span>\n \n <\/use>\n <\/use>\n <\/svg>\n <\/button>\n <\/h4>\n <\/div>\n \n
Not necessarily. If you realise your annual mileage will be higher than you originally thought, it’s important to inform your insurer as soon as possible. Your insurer can then adjust your premiums and you’ll remain covered. However, if you don’t inform your insurer and it’s later discovered you were not honest about your mileage increase, any future claims could be rejected.<\/p><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/li>
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\n \n Do car insurance companies check mileage?<\/span>\n \n <\/use>\n <\/use>\n <\/svg>\n <\/button>\n <\/h4>\n <\/div>\n \n
Car insurance companies won’t check your annual mileage and instead rely on motorists to provide accurate mileage estimates when taking out insurance.<\/p>
However, if you are involved in a serious accident, your insurer could ask a mechanic to assess your vehicle. As part of this, your car’s service record could be checked to see whether you have kept up with annual services, and your MOT certificate could be examined too.<\/p>
Both of these will contain details about your car’s annual mileage, which means your insurer could discover you haven’t been honest. It’s always safer not to take the risk and never hide the truth from your insurer.<\/p><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/li>
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\n \n What is the lowest acceptable mileage for an insurance quote?<\/span>\n \n <\/use>\n <\/use>\n <\/svg>\n <\/button>\n <\/h4>\n <\/div>\n \n
Depending on the insurer, you usually won’t be able to get a quote if your mileage is less than 200 or 500 miles per year. If your annual mileage is likely to be below this, it’s worth looking for a specialist low mileage policy or a pay-as-you-go insurance policy instead.<\/p><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/li>
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\n \n Is car insurance cheaper if you do fewer miles?<\/span>\n \n <\/use>\n <\/use>\n <\/svg>\n <\/button>\n <\/h4>\n <\/div>\n \n
Taking steps to reduce the number of miles you drive each year, such as walking more often, taking public transport or riding your bike, could help to lower your car insurance premiums.<\/p>
However, your insurance quote will be based on a range of different factors and you won’t usually see any change in your premium until you renew. That said, some insurers will offer refunds if your mileage is lower than you originally thought.<\/p><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/li><\/ul>