WITH an average cost of €678 a year, Limerick motorists are paying the third highest car insurance rates in the country.
Topping the list as the county with the highest car insurance costs is Longford at €783, followed by Louth at €709.
Limerick completes the top three with the average cost of €678, which is €129 more than Waterford which is the county with the lowest insurance costs with an average of €549 a year. Kilkenny motorists pay €554 a year while the average cost in Wicklow and Wexford is €571.
The figures come from insurance brokers Chill whose Head of Personal Line Sales, Ian O’ Reilly, explains that car insurers analyse a number of points when setting their charges and one of these is where their policy holders live.
“Car insurance premiums take your location into account such as living in a city where there is a greater risk of crime and increased traffic. This consequently means an accident or theft is more likely, so as a result, your car insurance premium goes up,” he said.
“Similarly, in Ireland, some rural counties have higher insurance premiums than others because of the higher rates of claims.
“The best way is to shop around and search for the best deal. Don’t just automatically renew, see what’s on the market. Other factors such as removing or adding additional drivers, and increasing your voluntary excess could bring your overall insurance costs down”.
More information, including the average car insurance costs across all counties and the car models with the highest premiums here
