Northern Ireland Drivers’ Car Insurance Jumped £73 in Three Months, WTW Shows

Northern Ireland Drivers’ Car Insurance Jumped £73 in Three Months, WTW Shows

• The average UK car insurance premium for full cover rose to £719 in the three months to May 2026, the second quarterly rise in a row after two years of falling prices.
• Northern Ireland saw the sharpest regional increase, up 8 percent, or £73, taking the average premium there above £1,000 for the first time from December 2023 onward.
• Drivers in their fifties, not the usual young driver age bands, saw the biggest quarterly percentage rises of any age group, up £29 to £36.

Car insurance prices are rising again after two years of steady falls, and the sharpest increases are not landing where drivers might expect. According to the latest Confused.com Car Insurance Price Index, produced with WTW and based on more than six million customer quotes a quarter, the average premium for full cover reached £719 in the three months to May 2026, up 1 percent, or £8, on the previous quarter. It follows a rise of 2.3 percent in April and 0.3 percent in May, and marks the second consecutive quarterly increase after nine straight quarters of falling prices from a peak of £995 in December 2023.

Premiums are still 5 percent, or £38, lower than a year earlier, down from £757 to £719. But the direction of travel has changed, and insurers are warning it could continue. Tim Rourke, EMEA P&C Leader for Insurance Consulting and Technology at WTW, said the market looks to be approaching an inflection point, adding that insurers continue to face “repair cost inflation driven by vehicle complexity and supply chain disruption, and continued pressure from credit hire costs,” and that “if these cost trends persist, market profitability will come under even greater strain without premium increases over the remainder of 2026.”

Why over 50s are feeling it more than young drivers this quarter

The index breaks premiums down by age, and the results run against the usual assumption that young drivers always take the brunt of any price rise. Drivers aged 50 saw the biggest quarterly percentage increase of any age band, up 5 percent, or £29, taking their average premium to £611. Drivers aged 51 were close behind, up 6 percent, or £36, to £610.

By contrast, younger drivers actually saw prices fall over the same three months. Twenty two year olds benefited from a 5 percent drop, down £73 to £1,392, while 17 year olds saw a 3 percent fall, down £46 to £1,695. Young drivers still pay far more in absolute terms, roughly three times what a driver in their fifties pays, but the direction of price movement has flipped, at least for this quarter, with older drivers now facing the steepest rises.

Where a driver lives makes just as much difference as their age. Northern Ireland recorded the largest regional increase anywhere in the UK, with premiums rising 8 percent, or £73, from £947 to £1,020. It is the first time the region’s average premium has passed £1,000 after prices peaked across the UK in December 2023. At the other end of the scale, the West Midlands recorded the smallest quarterly rise of any region, up just 0.1 percent to £860.

Inner London remains the most expensive region overall at £1,088, though it was the only region in the UK where premiums actually fell over the quarter, down 0.4 percent from £1,093. Outer London followed at £899, ahead of the West Midlands at £860 and Manchester and Merseyside at £807. Looking at individual areas rather than regions, West Central London remains the single most expensive postcode area in the country at £1,272, even after a 6 percent quarterly fall of £77. Enfield saw a 3 percent fall to £912.

At the cheaper end, Llandrindod Wells in Wales remains the least expensive place in the UK to insure a car, at £471, even after an 8 percent quarterly rise of £33. Shrewsbury, Torquay, Dorchester and Exeter all still sit below £500 on average, showing that where prices are lowest, drivers have more room to absorb an increase before it becomes painful.

Steve Dukes, chief executive of Confused.com, said the window for drivers to find a cheaper deal by shopping around is starting to close. “While car insurance prices are still lower for customers shopping around now, our data shows this window is narrowing,” he said. “Prices have been increasing now for a few months, and drivers could soon start to see this when they shop around or renew, which is when competitive pressure across the market will intensify.”

Can you avoid it

Shopping around at renewal remains the single most effective step a driver can take, and the index itself shows why timing counts. Insurers have historically priced policies lowest around 20 to 26 days before the renewal date, so getting quotes in that window, rather than on the day a policy expires, can still make a real difference even as the broader market firms up. Comparing prices across more than one comparison site is worth the extra ten minutes, as each site does not always return quotes from the same panel of insurers.

Drivers in their fifties who have just seen one of the sharpest rises in the market should check whether they are still on their insurer’s best available deal rather than being rolled onto a renewal price automatically. Insurers do not always offer existing customers the same rate a new customer would get for an identical policy, so a direct call to query the renewal quote, or a fresh set of comparison quotes, can uncover a cheaper like for like policy with a different provider. It is also worth checking eligibility for low mileage discounts, multi car policies if there is more than one vehicle in the household, and any pensioner or loyalty discounts a particular insurer offers, as these are more commonly available to older drivers than to those in their twenties.

Paying annually rather than monthly avoids the interest that most insurers charge for spreading the cost, which can add the equivalent of a high interest loan on top of the premium itself. Reviewing the voluntary excess is another lever worth checking each year: raising it can lower the premium, though only by an amount worth calculating against the risk of a larger bill if a claim is ever made. Fitting an insurer approved tracker or immobiliser can also unlock a discount on some policies, especially for higher value or frequently targeted models.

For drivers in Northern Ireland facing the sharpest regional rise, it is worth checking whether smaller regional insurers or brokers who specialise in the local market can better a mainstream comparison site quote, as national price comparison tools do not always capture every insurer operating in the region. Anyone whose renewal quote has jumped sharply and who cannot immediately explain why, for example after no claims and no change of car, should ask the insurer directly what changed, as pricing errors and incorrect assumptions about mileage, parking location or security features do happen and can usually be corrected once flagged.

Black box or telematics policies remain worth a look for younger drivers still paying the highest premiums in cash terms, even with the recent falls in their age bracket, though they are less commonly the best option for a driver in their fifties who already qualifies for standard rates. Building up a protected no claims discount can also soften the impact of a rate rise over time, though it is worth setting the cost of the protection itself against how much it actually saves on the premium each year, as on an older, lower value car the maths does not always work in the driver’s favour.

Finally, the index is a reminder that a quiet renewal season does not mean a driver’s price has not moved. With premiums now rising in most parts of the country and most age groups after two years of steady falls, a renewal notice that looks similar to last year’s, or even slightly lower, is not automatically proof of a good deal. Getting an independent quote before accepting a renewal, rather than after, is the only way to know for certain whether a given premium reflects the wider market or simply an insurer’s assumption that a loyal customer will not check.

Sources: WTW and Confused.com, Car Insurance Price Index, “Car insurance premiums record first quarterly rise in over two years”, wtwco.com, published 24 June 2026, covering the three month period from March 2026 to May 2026 and based on more than six million customer quotes submitted to Confused.com per quarter.