Lowering your yearly mileage can decrease your premium.
Most insurance companies will quote you for around 10,000 – 12,000 miles a year by default.
However, it’s always best to work out the number of mile’s you will ACTUALLY DRIVE in a year. 1 simple method is: work out how many miles you’ll do in a typical week, then multiply that by 52 to give you your annual mileage.
If it’s GENUINELY likely to be less than the default mileage, you may get a lower premium quote.
It is important to be honest about this as your insurance provider might ask to see old MOT certificates and/or service histories to confirm your mileage in the event of a claim.
Also, trying to game the system can sometimes backfire in an unexpected way. Going TOO LOW on your annual mileage estimate can automatically RAISE the premium! Underwriters often get nervous about ‘occasional drivers’ and this is reflected in higher premiums.
The definition of irony:
Driver claims to do 2,000 miles per year to cheat his insurer into a ‘lower premium’.
Insurer charges driver a higher than ‘normal mileage’ premium to offset the risk posed by an occasional driver. Driver has an accident after clocking up 11,000 miles, 11 months into his policy.
Insurer can now void driver’s policy and/or charge driver with fraud.
Moral of the story: be honest about your mileage!
