When applying for car insurance, the insurer will ask you to specify your annual mileage – the average number of miles you drive over the course of a year.
If you don’t know your annual mileage off the top of your head, in this post we’ll discuss how you can calculate it.
How To Calculate Your Annual Mileage
For your current car, the easiest way is to check your MOT certificate will contain a record of your car’s mileage at the time of your last MOT. You can work out your annual mileage by comparing the mileage on your last few MOT certificates. If you do not have these certificates to hand, you can look up the MOT history of your vehicle on the government’s website.
If you’re a new driver, or if you’re getting insurance for a new car and you cannot refer to MOT certificates, then you’ll have to estimate your annual mileage yourself.
In this post, we’ll discuss the different ways you can estimate your annual mileage as accurately as possible.
What’s The Average Annual Mileage in the UK?
According to UK Government stats, most UK drivers drive an average of 7,000 miles a year. This includes an average of 2,300 miles commuting each year, and an average of 4,400 miles spent driving for personal reasons.
If you’re totally new to driving, and you’re not yet sure just how many miles you’ll drive each year, you could consider using something like these UK averages as your estimated annual mileage. If you find you’re driving a lot less – or a lot more – you can always notify your insurer, who can adjust your cover accordingly.
How to Work Out Your Annual Mileage
Another way to calculate your annual mileage is to consider exactly how you’ll be using your car. What sort of journeys will you be making, and how often will you be making them?
Consider:
- Commuting distance – Do you commute to and from your job, every weekday? How many miles will the commute be – there and back again? Remember to also let your car insurer know you will be using your car for commuting to ensure you have the right insurance cover in place.
- Personal driving – Will you be doing the school run? The weekly shop? And how often will you be driving to see friends or relatives? All of this adds up, so try to work out how many miles each trip will take, and how often you’ll make these trips.
- Holidays – Finally, you may occasionally take longer trips in your car, for road trips and holidays and so on. It’s hard to anticipate how much mileage you’ll rack up until you’ve planned these trips. So once you’ve worked out how much mileage you’ll do through your standard driving, consider adding an additional 1,000 miles or so, to account for these occasional extended trips.
Keeping On Top Of Your Mileage
Once you’ve told your insurer your estimated annual mileage, take a note of your car’s current mileage. This will help you keep track of your mileage over the course of the following year. You might want to set yourself a reminder to check on your mileage every quarter to see if you’re on track, and to contact your insurance company if you’re likley to exceed your limit.
What If I Drive More Than My Estimated Mileage?
If you make a claim on your insurance, and your insurers discover that you’ve driven more miles than you originally estimated, then they may reject your claim, or even cancel your policy. This could mean that you’ll have to cover all costs yourself. It would also make it harder to find a new car insurer if you’ve had a policy cancelled.
If you find you’re driving more than you expected, and you think you’ll exceed your estimated mileage, let your insurer know as soon as possible. They can then adjust your policy, and there’ll be less risk that you’ll invalidate your cover.
If you ultimately find that you overestimated your mileage, you can give a lower annual mileage when you renew your policy.
Why Do Insurers Want To Know Your Annual Mileage?
The higher your mileage, the more time you’ll spend on the roads and the more time you spend on the roads, the higher your chances of being involved in an accident.
It’s important to be as accurate as possible when estimating your annual mileage, because:
- Overestimating could mean you pay more than you need to
- Underestimating may cause problems if you need to make a claim – especially if your actual mileage is significantly higher than stated when buying your car insurance policy.
Low Mileage Car Insurance
If you typically drive fewer miles each year, let us know your estimated annual mileage when you get a quote and we’ll help find cover that suits your driving habits – and may even save you money.
You can get a quote and get instant cover online in minutes.
