Whether you’re an astronaut or an electrician, one thing's for sure: you NEED car insurance.
Now, car insurance providers consider some types of jobs to be higher 'risk' than others, which is why car insurance premiums can be cheaper for those with certain job titles and more expensive for others.
So . . . we'll be telling you how your occupation affects what you pay, and what you can do to cut down that cost.
How Does Your Job Title Impact Your Car Insurance Premium?
You see, insurance is all about 'risk'.
The more driving your job entails, the more 'risk' you have of being involved in an accident.
Insurance companies don't just hand out their insurance for free. They want to avoid having to pay out in the event that you make a claim, which means they're going to charge you more if they deem you a higher risk driver – either because of your job or for other reasons.
With that in mind, who do you think's going to get the cheaper car insurance premium: Sam the gardener who drives a whopping 20,000 miles per year, or James the software developer who works from home and does 5,000?
How Big a Role Does Your Job Title Play in Car Insurance Premiums?
Quite big, but maybe not as big a factor as what car you drive.
Still, you could easily end up paying hundreds more than someone who works from home or whose job doesn't involve as much driving.
Other factors that come into play when determining your overall insurance costs, such as:
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Your age: If you're in your mid to late 60s, you'll pay just a third of what 18-20-year-olds pay.
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What insurer you're with: An obvious one. Different insurers are going to offer you different rates.
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The vehicle you drive: More expensive/higher spec cars typically fall into a higher car insurance group. The higher the insurance group, the more you’ll have to pay to insure the car.
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Your driving history: If you’ve got a driving conviction to your name or have submitted a recent car insurance claim, insurers will regard you as higher risk and therefore charge you more.
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Your Mileage: The less distance you drive, the less risk you have of getting into an accident and making a claim.
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Where you park: If you leave your car overnight in a garage or on a driveway, insurers think thieves are less likely to steal it, leading to a cheaper premium.
Will My Car Insurance Company Check With My Employer?
No. Car insurance companies generally won't check to see whether your job title is what you say it is.
However, they WILL check it in the event that you're involved in an accident or have to make a claim.
If it's discovered that you've been dishonest, your car insurance policy could be rendered invalid and you may even be charged with insurance fraud.
So don't treat it like a game of poker. Because it's high stakes if you do.
What Are the Cheapest Job Titles for Car Insurance?
According to data from Marsh Finance, these were the cheapest jobs for car insurance costs as of June 2023:
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Mechanic - £298.61
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Administrator / Civil Servant - £308.44
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Designer - £312.91
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Design Engineer - £312.91
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Account Executive - £313.37
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Commercial Manager - £313.63
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Estimator - £313.75
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Engineer - £314.95
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Account Manager - £315.29
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Financial Analyst - £315.75
Notice how these job titles all involve remote working, or not a lot of driving on the job?
Mechanics get the number 1 spot in the cheapest job titles for car insurance due to their in-depth knowledge of cars and everything that can go wrong with them. (Hint: Become a mechanic!)
Ones which involve a lot of driving around.
Think jobs like delivery driver, HGV driver, bus driver, courier driver . . . basically any job title with 'driver' at the end of it.
Plus most sorts of tradespeople who have to travel to different houses and construction projects scattered all over the place.
It could also just be a job that involves a lot of irregular hours, like a security guard. Sure, they don't drive on the job, but they probably commute to and from work during night-time hours, which insurers deem as 'high risk' due to the likelihood of a car accident happening at that time.
Again, using the same data from Marsh Finance, these were the most expensive job titles for car insurance costs as of June 2023:
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Fast Food Driver - £1536
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Apprentice - £1382
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Fast Food Caterer - £1371
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Fast Goods Proprietor - £1343
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Construction Worker - £1251
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Abattoir Worker - £1234
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Barber - £1222
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Car Valet - £1211
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Delivery Courier - £1187
'Apprentice' is an interesting one. Yes, they're usually in trade/construction jobs which involve a lot of travel, but insurers are also factoring in the knowledge that a great number of apprentices tend to be young, meaning less experience on the roads.
What Can You Do If You Are In a Higher Risk Occupation?
Change jobs.
Just joking . . .
Of course, don't just assume that you can't get affordable car insurance because you've got a job title like 'delivery driver' or 'traveling salesman'.
As mentioned, your job title isn't the only determining factor, so there's lots of other things you can do to drive those premium costs down.
Plus, you could do the following . . .
Should I Adjust My Job Title When Buying Car Insurance?
Yes, as believe it or not, it might be possible for you to make tweaks to your job title to make it sound more appealing to insurers!
Let's say you're a journalist for a newspaper. An equally valid job title could be 'writer', which insurers will prefer as it gives off more stay-at-home vibes, and unless you're a purely broadcast journalist, writing is mostly what you'll be doing.
But it's important to be honest. Tweaking your job title is acceptable as long as the new title still reflects what you do on a daily basis. So if you want to make sure you're not bending the truth, there's various sites where you can run a search on acceptable job title alternatives.
Making an acceptable tweak to your job title can potentially take off upwards of £100 on your car insurance quote.
Do I Get Cheaper Car Insurance If I'm Retired?
Usually, but not always.
If you're retired, you'll likely be offered cheaper car insurance because you've got lots of years of driving experience under your belt, and you're no longer likely to be battling the daily commute during rush hour, which insurers see as a particularly risky time to be driving.
However, being retired might not always have as much positive impact as, for example, being employed compared to being unemployed.
Sometimes, the fact you're retired won't make much of a difference to your car insurance quote though, especially if you were in a 'low-risk' job previously.
What Occupation Do I Declare If I Have 2 Jobs?
Both.
A car insurance provider will first of all ask about your main job/profession (if you have more than two jobs, then put the one at which you work longer hours).
However, they'll then likely ask a follow-up question: 'Do you have another occupation?'
And in the event that you have a third or a fourth job (do you even sleep?!), you'll need to declare those as well.
Do You Have to Tell Your Insurer If You Change Jobs?
Yes, you MUST let your insurer know if you change your occupation.
Same as with a change in address or when you get a new car, insurers need to know anything about that could alter your 'risk' factor, whether for good or bad.
If you have to make a claim but you didn't tell your insurer that you changed jobs, then your policy could be invalidated because you weren't truthful.
Is Car Insurance Cheaper If I'm Unemployed?
Actually, no.
In fact, if you're unemployed, you'll probably be regarded as a higher risk driver than someone in employment.
That's because insurers assume you'll be on the road more, driving to and from job interviews on a regular basis.
Summary
Your job is definitely a factor that insurance providers take into account when determining costs for a car insurance policy, and different jobs have different rates for premiums.
And whilst there are certain tweaks you can make to your job title, it's important not to lie as this could invalidate your insurance.
As well as that, there's plenty of other ways that you can get cheaper car insurance.
FAQs
What jobs get the cheapest car insurance?
Jobs which get the cheapest car insurance usually don't involve a lot of road travel, so think desk jobs like secretaries, legal secretaries, insurance underwriters, paralegals, etc. Car insurance is all about risk on the road, and if you aren't going to be driving as much, you're deemed less of a risk.
Does being employed make car insurance cheaper?
Not always, but it usually works out cheaper than if you were unemployed. That's because some insurance providers assume an unemployed person is going to be making more road journeys to and from job interviews, which could be at any time of the day, including rush hour.
What can make my car insurance cheaper?
First and foremost, choosing a cheaper car to insure. Different cars are placed in different insurance groups (depending on spec and other factors), so best get one that's in a cheaper group if you're really keen on cheaper insurance. Other things like reducing your mileage and paying in one instalment can also have an effect.