Written 2 months ago by Angel Croitor

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You would think that car insurance rates would the same across the board whether you’re a teacher, a radio presenter, or a politician and we wouldn’t blame you – it makes sense that whatever your job title or location is shouldn’t affect your car insurance quote right? That’s where you’d be wrong and our team at Midlands Today have done their research – and the results don’t quite make sense.

Sinead Hubble, producer for Midlands Today, has to renew her insurance in the next month for her 2010 Mazda 6. She is a female driver and has over fifteen years of driving experience without any claims, driving accidents, or a single mark against her or her licence.

That’s the extent of the details an insurance company would use to calculate a quote for you, we assumed, but she discovered that simply changing her town and her job title meant she would receive a lower quote than when she inputted her initial details.

“My initial quote with AXA online this morning was €1859 – but if I looked for a quote in Tullamore it was €1642.”

Once she changed her job from radio producer to receptionist she found she saved over €600. When she merged the two miniscule changes together she found that she could save up to €750 simply for choosing a different job title and a different town when looking for a quote – make of that what you will.

What other jobs seem to be of less risk to car insurers? Teachers, TDs, and Lumberjacks to name a few. Sinead says that if she was a TD she could “get insurance for 1104”.

So what’s the moral of the story? Lie to your insurer? No, obviously not. However, if your job could be described as ‘manager’ or ‘administrator’, it could be argued the specific sectoral details are unnecessary. In other words, could your role be accurately described as fitting in a cheaper category?

Similarly, for younger motorists, is it more beneficial to list your address at accommodation rented for only part of the week or is your parent’s homestead the better option. The safest advice is to check with an independent broker first.

Don’t believe us? Test it out for yourself and tell us what you found at midlandstoday@midlandsradio.fm

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