Compare Multi-Car Insurance Quotes

Multi-car insurance lets you insure all the cars in your household under one policy, instead of having to cover each vehicle separately. Insurance providers will usually allow you to cover up to five different cars on the same policy, also offering discounts for each car that's added.

Multi-car insurance will often work out cheaper than separate policies; however, there are exceptions, so you should always compare car insurance prices to make sure you're getting the best deal.

In terms of cover, you'll get exactly the same level of cover insuring one car as you would insuring multiple cars on the same policy – the key difference is in the price.

You can, if you wish, choose to have different levels of cover and indeed different levels of voluntary excess with each vehicle whilst still taking advantage of the multi-car discount on offer. 

If you want to take out a 12-month multi-car insurance policy, then it will come into effect on the latest renewal date of the cars in question. So, if one of the cars you want covered is insured until March under the terms of its current policy, and the other is insured until May, then the multi-car insurance policy will be active for 12 months from May. Temporary or short-term cover will be provided to the first car between March and May to make up the difference.

Multi-car insurance policies come in two main forms:

• Linked Multi-Car Policies: Each car on the policy can have different levels of cover and additional features. For instance, you might opt for comprehensive coverage with breakdown assistance for one vehicle and a basic third-party fire and theft policy for another, like your teen's car. The policies can have different start and end dates.
• Multiple Car Cover on One Policy: This type of policy synchronises the renewal dates for all cars on the policy, consolidating them under a single plan. The level of cover is generally the same for each vehicle and driver, but it’s important to verify the details in your documents.

When it comes to comparing car insurance, it's always crucial that you weigh up the pros and cons of taking out that particular kind of policy instead of others. Here are some advantages and disadvantages of multi-car insurance policies:

Pros:

• Insurers offer discounts for each car added to the policy, so you can benefit from cheaper premiums.
• Everyone using the policy will have just one renewal date and premium, making the whole process of payment simpler.
• If another driver on the policy needs to make a claim, it won't affect the other drivers' no-claims bonuses, meaning they won't be negatively affected when it comes to taking out a new policy.
• Some insurers will provide cover for cars that aren't kept at the registered address, for example, children who have gone to university.

Cons:

• Not always cheaper. If you're an experienced driver, then you could see your premiums increase if an inexperienced driver is included in your policy.
• Paying for a multi-car insurance policy annually means you must pay a hefty lump sum every year. However, choosing to pay monthly will mean you end up paying more in interest over the year.
• If one driver has to make a claim on a multi-car insurance policy, it can increase the premiums for other drivers on the plan.

While the discounts associated with a multi-car policy can be particularly desirable, this doesn't necessarily mean that such a policy will always be cheaper than the alternative.
You should always make sure that you shop around and check how much it would cost to insure each car individually before you settle on the first multi-car insurance deal that you're offered.

Things like the age and level of experience of all the drivers involved will affect the cost of the premiums offered. For example, if the drivers included a 39-year-old with a fully intact no-claims bonus and a 17-year-old who has had a licence for 3 months, then the premiums offered would be cheaper than the average for younger drivers but more expensive for the older driver.

This means that the older driver could get a better deal by simply taking out an individual policy. However, if the older driver, as a parent, had kindly planned to pay for their child's insurance anyway, then they'd be making an overall saving by taking out a multiple car policy.

You should also make sure you pay close attention to the terms of the policy relating to no-claims discounts. In some cases, if one driver on the policy has an accident, then everyone else's no-claims discount will be reset and obviously, no one wants this to happen.

The different types of cars included on a multi-car insurance policy will also affect the premiums.

Every car built to UK specifications is placed in one of the 50 insurance groups as set out by the official Group Rating Panel. These groups act as a guideline for the cost of the insurance policy, with those in the lowest numbered group costing the least to insure (and vice versa).

If, in one household, one of the cars being insured is a small, old hatchback, and one is a high-class Aston Martin, then in order for the policy to be fair (and low generally), you should maybe think about taking out a separate, specialised policy for the Aston, and placing the other cars in the household on the multi-car policy.

To lower the cost of your multi-car insurance, consider enhancing the security of your vehicles with industry-approved alarms and immobiliser, which can reduce the risk of theft and lower your premiums. Another option is to increase your voluntary excess, though it's important to keep it affordable for when you need to make a claim. Including older, more experienced drivers on the policy can also help reduce the premium, especially if younger drivers are involved. Lastly, comparing quotes from different providers can help you find the best deal for your needs.

Multi-car insurance is ideal for households with more than one car, including families, couples with individual vehicles, people who own multiple cars, and those in shared houses with several vehicles. Typically, all cars must be registered at the same address, though some insurers may cover vehicles at different addresses, such as when children move to university. If insuring all your vehicles under one policy seems beneficial, it's a good idea to compare prices to find the best multi-car insurance quote.

Multi-car insurance isn't a one-size-fits-all model, and the value of any policy will be determined by the cars and drivers in the household. For this reason, it's always wise to shop around and compare multi-car insurance quotes against the corresponding single car policy quotes.

As an example, in a house of one adult over 40 and one inexperienced young driver, the overall cost of both policies may be reduced by a multi-car policy. However, while the inexperienced driver will be paying less than they normally would on a single car policy, the older driver pays slightly more. This could be handy if the older driver is a parent who will ultimately pay for both policies.

Yes, you can be insured on as many cars on a multi-car policy as you like, so long as you drive each of them. It's likely that any accidents will count against the no claims record of the main driver, however.

In some multi-car policies, having older or more experienced drivers listed as named drivers on the cars of more inexperienced drivers could reduce the premiums.

Generally, it's cheaper to have experienced drivers listed as named drivers on the policies of inexperienced or young main drivers.

However, it's important to make sure that named drivers do actually drive the vehicles they're named on, and that they do not drive the vehicle more often than the main driver. Otherwise, you could be guilty of fronting, a type of car insurance fraud.

Your own insurance policy will dictate exactly which cars you can drive. If you've taken out a multi-car policy on more than one of your own cars, you can drive any of them. Likewise, if you're a named driver on another car in a multi-car policy, you can drive that car. You can't legally drive any vehicles on which you aren't a named driver unless you have a driving other cars (DOC) clause in your own insurance policy. Check this with your provider, as it's often not included as standard.

If you do need to drive a vehicle and aren't named on the policy, you can take out temporary car insurance, for a single trip or for a set period of time. If in doubt, always check the policy documents.

So long as your partner is a named driver on your insurance policy or has a driving other cars (DOC) clause in their own policy, you can let them drive your car. If they aren't eligible, they will need to take out temporary car insurance or be listed on your policy in order to drive your car.