Is your car insurance affected if you park on the street?

Do you wonder if parking your car on the street, in the garage or on the drive affects the cost of your insurance premium? When you take out a policy you’ll be asked where it’s parked, but does this actually affect the policy price?

Let’s take a look at whether you could pay more on your car insurance if you park your car on the road overnight.

Where do you park?

It’s hard to give a direct answer whether you could save money by parking on the drive because different insurers work out what you pay for insurance differently. Some insurers might think that your car is less likely to be bumped by passing cars or stolen if it’s in the garage or driveway. This could mean they’ll see you as less of a risk – meaning you could pay less.

On the other hand, some other insurers might think that if your car is parked in the garage and the keys stolen from your home, the car is an easy target. Because of this, it’s difficult to say for sure whether you’ll get cheaper insurance if you park your car off the road. But where you live can certainly affect what you pay for your policy.

If you do leave your car in the garage at night, try shopping around for car insurance deals – you might find that some insurers quote you a good price. 

Other ways to save

Parking your car in a garage or on your drive isn’t the only way you could get cheaper car insurance. Here are a few other ways you could save on the cost of your policy.

• Voluntarily increase your car insurance excess so you could pay less on your monthly premiums.
• Add a second driver to your policy – but make sure you avoid fronting.
• Tweak your job description – yes, your job really can affect your car insurance
• Shop around before you auto-renew to see the best deals available.
• Avoid car modifications - these could put up the cost of your policy.
• Consider extra qualifications like Pass Plus, especially if you’re a young driver.
• Don’t assume that third-party insurance is the cheapest option – you might get a better deal with comprehensive cover.

When taking out insurance, a top priority for most drivers is to get the best price with the right amount of cover. Don’t cut corners and simply aim for the lowest price – it’s important to make sure your policy covers you for everything you need it to. So when you apply for a car insurance policy, make sure you know what it covers.