Drivers to face biggest rise in car insurance for five years as bills rise by a fifth in just a year
The average annual cost to insure has rocketed from £600 to £750 in a year
DRIVERS are on a collision course with the biggest rise in car insurance for five years, as the average bill rises by more than a fifth in just 12 months.
The new figures will likely drive motorists around the bend, with the current cost of annual car insurance at £715 - compared to £600 last year, according to researchers.
Older drivers have been hit the hardest, with an annual rise of 24 per cent in costs.
Despite the hike for older generations, a 61-year-old motorist will still only pay £418 per year compared with a typical 17-year-old, who pays £2,013.
Experts suggest the increase is down to a combination of tax, fraudulent insurance claims and the demise of big discounts for new customers.
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£13 is believed to have been added to the average bill as a result of Chancellor George Osborne's increase to insurance premium tax last November.
The news of the price hike comes as bogus claims for whiplash cost insurers £2billion a year, which are passed on to customers' premiums.
Firms are also cutting back on offers of cheap rates to new customers because too many are taking advantage of the schemes.
Ian Crowder, from the AA, said: "The cheap policies insurers sell to entice new customers don’t make any money. Now that more customers shop around every year insurers are realising it’s not sustainable."
But it was Confused.com who carried out the research.
Spokeswoman Amanda Stretton said: "We’ve not seen price rises of this magnitude for five years.
"The hikes are being felt across the board, for drivers of all ages and genders, in all regions.
"If prices continue to rise at the rate we’ve been seeing, we could be facing the possibility of average comprehensive premiums breaching the all-time high seen in 2011, when they peaked at £858."
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