Cheaper car insurance unlikely to last

In its quarterly index of the typical cost of car insurance for motorists who shop around, AA Insurance reports that the average premium in Bradford was up by 0.2 per cent on the last quarter - to £661.79 - making it the ninth most expensive place to insure a car in Britain, and it warned that the trend of falling prices elsewhere was unlikely to continue.

Janet Connor, the insurer’s managing director, said: “There are already signs that some insurers are looking to put their prices up and I believe that this time next year, the AA’s index will be reflecting a rising trend.

“But I don’t expect to see the sharp premium inflation we saw between 2009 and 2011, when over a 12-month period premiums rose by more than 40 per cent.”

Bradford East MP David Ward has long campaigned for more affordable premiums in the city, and in a report in June he called for Graduated Driving Licences to be introduced to make insurance less expensive for young drivers. He also called for tougher action on uninsured drivers and car insurance fraud.

The AA’s Ms Connor said the criminality of some people has a detrimental effect of the premiums paid by honest motorists in the same places: “The premium reflects the likelihood of a claim being made and, in some urban areas, there is much greater risk of a collision taking place, or of car crimes such as theft of or from a vehicle, uninsured driving or attempts at ‘cash for crash’ fraud.”

London was named the most expensive place in Britain to insure a car, at £922.44, but five per cent cheaper than the previous quarter. The capital was followed by the postcode area of IG, which includes Ilford, Chigwell, Woodford Green, Buckhurst Hill, Loughton and Barking, with Greater Manchester in third place.

But across Britain as a whole, the annual cost of comprehensive car insurance cover has fallen to £504, according to the AA’s latest figures.