Multi car insurance

Multi car insurance provides cover for multiple cars for a standard 12 month period. Usually if you add more cars to your policy during this time, the renewal dates sync up. This means your insurance for all cars renews at the same time once the initial 12 months are over.

It’s also possible to get a linked multi car insurance policy, which allows each car to keep its own renewal date. When your policy runs out, you're offered a quote for each car. These policies may also allow you to have different levels of cover for different cars on the policy.

Multi car policies usually allow you to cover up to 5 vehicles on a single policy, although this can be up to 7 with some insurers. They can be helpful for families living at the same address as you'll be able to drive any car on the policy as long as you’re listed as a named driver. This may have an impact on the price of the policy, though.

Most multi car policies require all cars on the policy to be registered to the same address. But some insurers also cover family members living at different addresses, such as children studying or working away from home.

Multi car insurance is calculated the same way that standard car insurance prices are worked out. Insurers look at dozens of factors to build up an idea of how big of a risk your driver profile is, and offers you a prices based on that risk. The main difference is that some insurers add a discount at the end for multiple cars.

Depending on the provider you choose, they may let you add more cars to the part-way through a policy. When you do this, they'll quote you a price based on the amount of time the car will be on the policy. For example, if you add another car when you're 3 months into a policy, they'll quote you a price for insuring the car for the remaining 9 months of the policy.

The insurer considers every person and car on the policy. So when comparing policies, it's worth thinking about the following for each driver and car:

Your address is used by insurers to judge your likelihood of making a claim. Certain postcodes will have higher crime rates than others.

Your age and driving experience are considered as younger, less experienced drivers tend to pay more for car insurance as they're more likely to be in an accident.

Your occupation can give insurers insight into your driving habits. Some jobs require more time spent driving, which increases your risk of an accident.

The type of car you drive and what group it’s in. All cars are assigned an insurance group ranging from group 1-50. Generally, the higher the car insurance group the more expensive your policy is.

Your mileage should be as accurate as possible. The number of miles you drive each year affects your prices.

Like a standard single-car policy, you can choose from three levels of cover:

• Third-party car insurance
• Third-party fire and theft
• Comprehensive car insurance

You'll also need to state how you use your car. Social use only covers normal day-to-day driving, so if you use your car to get to work you need to select social and commuting. If you use your car for work at all away from your normal place of work, you need business use.

• Third-party car insurance is the lowest cover level available and the minimum legal level of cover required to drive. It covers you if you damage someone else's property or injure them while driving. It also covers your passengers.
• Third-party, fire and theft car insurance covers everything that third-party does. But it also covers repairs or replacement if your car is stolen or damaged by fire.
• Comprehensive car insurance offers the highest level of protection. It covers you and your car, plus other people and their property. It can also be the cheapest option.