4X4s are among the most expensive vehicles on the road to run – they can be pricey to buy outright, they consume a lot of petrol and as the driver of one you can expect to pay for the highest bracket of road tax.
And while your insurance premiums are also likely to be higher than many others given the size of the engine in a 4X4, you needn’t pay over the odds if you make sure you shop around enough.
In This Guide:
- Is insuring a 4X4 always more expensive than insuring a smaller car?
- Do I have to take out a full insurance policy if I only use my 4X4 occasionally?
- How can I get the cheapest 4X4 insurance policy?
Is insuring a 4X4 always more expensive than insuring a smaller car?
Insurance providers use various factors to calculate the risk associate with insuring an individual, from the age demographic they belong to, to the power and engine size of the vehicle being covered.
All of these factors combine to form a profile of the prospective policy holder with respect to the likelihood that they will be involved in a claim-worthy incident.
Unfortunately for 4X4 drivers, their choice of vehicle means that they are likely to be paying more to insure it than they would if they were driving say, a small hatchback. However, this doesn’t mean that premiums need to be sky high; there are several ways in which costs can be kept down, regardless of your choice of vehicle.
Do I have to take out a full insurance policy if I only use my 4X4 occasionally?
No matter how often you use your vehicle, unless it is officially declared off road by means of a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN), it will need to be insured at all times.
If it is someone else’s vehicle that you want to use every now and then, then as long as they have an active insurance policy open, you can take out a temporary policy that will last from 1-28 days to cover you as and when you need it.
But beyond this, there is no escaping the need to keep your vehicle insured. Luckily, there are various steps you can take to make sure that you’re not paying any more than you need to in order to do so.
How can I get the cheapest 4X4 insurance policy?
Since you can’t avoid the fact that 4X4s generally fall in one of the highest of the 50 categories in which insurers place vehicles (and will therefore face higher premiums), you will have to take other steps to keep your costs down.
Saving starts with security: if you can demonstrate that you are keeping your car safe and secure when you park it by using an anti-theft device like a steering wheel lock, you will find your premiums reduced. The same goes for keeping your car in a garage rather than on the road.
Building up a no claims discount is also a great way to save on car insurance, but this cannot be done overnight – you’ll need to prove yourself a safe and responsible driver over time, the longer the better.