Motorists warned of ‘wildly different’ insurance prices across the UK

Drivers are paying wildly different sums for their car insurance depending on where they live in the UK. New data from the comparison site Quotezone has revealed which regions in the UK are paying more, and where they are making big savings.Motorists in London are forking out considerably more than drivers in other parts of the UK, with average premiums in the capital nudging close to £800.Some motorists may be tempted to move to the South West of England where average premiums are little more than half those in London at just over £400 a year.Across the UK as a whole drivers paid an average of £548.52 for their annual motor insurance policy.But regions comprising large rural spaces generally enjoy lower premiums than those that include large cities and urban areas where road accidents and car thefts are statistically more likely to occur.READ MORE: Motorists could face fines for simply defrosting their car windscreens Drivers are paying ‘wildly different’ sums for car insurance across the UK. (Image: Getty)Drivers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all paid less than the UK average at just £500 a year for their car insurance.Conversely, motorists in regions such as the North West and West Midlands, which are largely made up of highly populated urban areas, both paid more than £630 a year on average.As well as the likelihood of accidents and thefts, cities and densely populated urban areas generally have a younger population which is also a factor contributing to higher average car insurance premiums.The average vehicle value can also be higher in big cities, pushing average premiums up even more, this is particularly true in the capital.DON’T MISS Petrol and diesel cars should be ‘upcycled’ instead of scrapped [REVEAL] Car tax changes and grants key to support electric car uptake [INSIGHT] UK drivers warned of ‘nasty surprise’ when buying fuel at supermarkets [WARNING]  Motorists in London can expect to pay the most for their policies. (Image: Getty) Car insurance costs. (Image: EXPRESS)Finally, those car owners in the South West of England, including the rural counties of Devon and Cornwall, enjoyed the best value car insurance in the UK with average premiums of only £422.88.Quotezone.co.uk founder Greg Wilson said: ‘When it comes to paying for car insurance there are huge variations depending on where in the country drivers live. Insurance companies are very specific and can vary the cost of a policy depending on which postcode the driver lives in but by zooming out a little we can see there are some interesting regional differences as a whole.’Motorists in big cities tend to pay more and this is particularly true in London. With a greater population density, there are more cars on the road and the likelihood of a prang does increase. But there are also other factors at play including the local crime rate, the average age of drivers and the value of the vehicles they are insuring.’So while the data may tempt some drivers to up sticks and move down to Cornwall, they should be warned that the cost of their premium won’t necessarily decline. There are several other factors insurance providers must consider and each premium is calculated on an individual basis for the person in question. It is essential for all motorists to accurately inform their insurance company of their home address as well as any other location where their vehicle is likely to spend more than 30 days. Failing to do so may cause their policy to be invalid if they were to make a claim.’