Why does your job affect car insurance?

If you’re not sure why your profession is influencing your car insurance premium, then you’re in the right place to put any questions to bed.

How long have you held your license for? Do you have any driving convictions? Do you have any medical conditions? How old are you? All questions you’re asked when comparing insurance quotes. And all questions you’d expect to impact your premium.

But the question that often confuses people when it comes to car insurance calculations, is “what is your job?”. If you’re unsure as to why your profession plays a part in your car insurance quote, then you soon will, because we’re about to take a drive around the reasons.

How car insurance is calculated

The number-crunching car insurers do is all based on risk. While some risks are more obvious, like your past driving history, others, like your occupation, often fly below the radar for most of us

The reason your career contributes to the car insurance quote you’re given is because some professions are statistically linked to higher accident rates, and vice versa.

How your job affects your insurance

Work-related travel

There are a couple of ways your job will affect the car insurance quote you’re given. The first one we’ll cover is if you regularly travel as part of your job. Reasonably so, as this can increase your premium quite simply because you’re driving more frequently, and the more time you spend on the road, the more likely you are to be involved in an accident.

Valuable goods

The second price-hiking reason is if you carry expensive equipment or stock in your car. Again, this one makes sense, because it means you’ve more valuables to claim against should they get stolen.

The nature of your job

The third and final reason is perhaps the most contentious and least understood. Even if you don’t use your car for work, but just to get to and from it, the nature of your job can influence your car insurance quote, and the reasons are mainly based on generalisations.

For example, nurses are known for having lower car insurance costs. Why? Because it’s seen as a female-dominated profession and, although it’s no longer legal to discriminate based on gender, the job description itself can still come with a lower price bracket.

Doctors and lawyers, on the other hand, are often faced with higher rates. The main reason for this being that their jobs are associated with high-stress levels, overtime and lack of sleep, all of which can contribute to a lapse in concentration on the road and, subsequently, more accidents.

Which jobs add the most to your car insurance quote?

According to a study conducted by Gocompare, which analysed around 1 million quotes, the top 10 most and least expensive jobs in the world of car insurance quotes are:

Most expensive jobs	Average cost
Fruit and vegetable picker	£971
Waiter	£864
Builders labourer	£841
Packer	£832
Painter	£814
Car valet	£808
Security guard	£800
Construction worker	£778
Barber	£772
Delivery courier	£767

 

Least expensive jobs	Average cost
Retired	£266
Security and PA	£288
Clerical assistant	£293
Local government officer	£298
Medical secretary	£298
Secretary	£303
Classroom aide	£310
Book-keeper	£318
Legal secretary	£321
Police officer	£323

Always fill in your job

There’s no point in us skirting around it. If you’re in a profession that’s penalised by car insurers, the temptation’s probably there to tell potential insurers a fib to save a few quid. But it’s really not worth it.

Not every insurer will necessarily have your job title in their drop-down, and if they don’t, they may even encourage you to bundle your profession into the best-suited alternative.

For example, putting yourself down as a ‘writer’ instead of a ‘copywriter’, or an ‘event organiser’ instead of a ‘wedding planner’. But there’s a big difference between tinkering with the margin and going over the line.

If you outright lie about your profession, you could actually invalidate your car insurance. As a result, if the worst should happen and you need to make a claim, you might not even be covered.

Car insurance for the unemployed

So, what’s the deal if you don’t have a job full stop, we hear you wonder? Sadly, it’s not good news. While those that are retired tend to benefit from cheaper premiums because they’re seen as experienced and reliable, the unemployed portion of the nation has the bad end of the bargain.

Generally, car insurance companies offer unemployed people higher premiums because they’re more likely to:

• Be driving during the day
• Be driving in unfamiliar territory when making their way to job interviews
• Make a claim.

If you were unsure before, we hope this article’s answered a few questions around why your job affects your car insurance quote. Good luck finding the best deal!