Multi-car insurance
Cover for all your household’s cars. Get a quote for multi-car insurance from Admiral[1]
What's multi-car insurance?
Multi-car insurance covers several vehicles under one policy with a single provider.
You'll get all the benefits of standard car insurance, but there’s usually a discount for each car you add to the policy.
You can also add multi-car breakdown cover that protects all drivers and cars on the policy.
How does multi car insurance work?
Multi-car policies are usually designed to cover all the cars at a single address, although some will be able to cover immediate family, like grown-up children, who live elsewhere.
If all the cars in your household currently have insurance that ends on different dates, don’t worry. You can set future start dates, so each one will be added to your multi-car insurance when its single policy expires.
Even though you’re insuring them all with the same provider or policy, each car still earns its own no claims discount.
Some policies will have a limit on the number of cars or drivers they can cover, so check for this if you have a large household or a lot of cars.
Types of multi-car insurance
Not all multi-car policies work the same way – there are two main types:
Linked multi-car policies
Each policy has different cover, benefits and add-ons – so you might add breakdown cover and legal expenses to your comprehensive policy but also have a basic third-party fire and theft policy for your teen, all under your multi-car insurance.
Policies can start and finish on different dates too.
Multiple car cover on one policy
With multiple car cover, your renewal dates are synced up – it’s one policy for all the cars.
The cover is usually the same for every driver and car, but always check the paperwork to be sure.
Should I choose multi-car insurance?
Multi-car insurance generally suits families where all drivers live at the same address. That's because it’ll usually only cover vehicles kept at the same address, but if one car needs to be kept away from home for extended periods, some multi-car policies will allow this – good news for children away at uni.
Check terms and conditions to see if your insurer will cover family members living at different addresses.
You might find it easier dealing with one insurer instead of several, but be aware that not all providers cover all cars on a single policy.
The main advantage is the multi-car discount, but there are other pros and cons to consider:
Pros
- Insuring all drivers and cars under one multi-car insurance policy can make it easier to manage paperwork and any claims
- Despite all drivers being under one policy, each driver retains their no-claims bonus. That means your no-claims bonus shouldn't be affected if someone else needs to claim. But do check policy documents to be sure
- Some policies cover cars that spend some of the year away from home, which helps if you've got older children at uni
Cons
- The insurer has to factor in everyone's risk of a claim when they give you a price. That means a less-experienced driver, or someone with motoring convictions could push premiums up for everyone else on the policy. If that's the case, it'll probably be cheaper to insure your cars separately
- Depending on how the policies are linked, if one driver makes a claim it could push the future price up for other drivers on the policy
- You pay for multi-car insurance in the same way you do for single car insurance – annually or monthly. If you have synced renewals, that means one big bill to pay yearly. If that's not affordable, you'll end up paying interest to pay monthly – potentially eating into your multi-car discount
Is multi-car insurance cheaper?
There’s no guarantee it’ll be cheaper than separate policies, but it’s worth checking. To find out what works out cheaper for you, compare car insurance quotes, add them up, then try a multi-car quote to see if it costs less.
Just make sure you compare like-for-like in terms of the level of cover and features you need. So if you want comprehensive insurance including legal cover and insurance for driving in Europe, only compare prices on policies that include those things.
The driver’s age and the car insurance group are two of the biggest factors affecting the price. That means a multi-car policy that combines a 50-year-old driving a BMW i8 with an 18-year-old in a modified Citroen C3 will be priced based on the risk each poses to the insurer, combined into a single premium.
There are plenty of other factors that go into the price though. Your driving history, whether you’ve claimed before, got penalty points and even where you live all affect the price.
Multi-car policy features and add-ons
There’s no standard list for what’s included in a multi-car policy. Some will cost extra, so make sure you only add and pay for what you really need.
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First-car discount
The first car on the policy gets its own multi-car discount. Open the policy and tell the insurer how many cars you intend to add later so it can calculate your discount
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Courtesy car cover
If you have a breakdown, most multi-car policies will include a courtesy car to keep you on the road
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European cover
If you're driving in convoy to Europe, multi-car can cover you for European driving - but check the small print and speak to the insurer to extend your cover if it's not included
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Windscreen repair
If the windscreen cracks on one of the covered cars, multi-car insurance will usually cover windscreen repair
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Stereo and sat-nav cover
If your in-built car stereo or sat-nav breaks or gets stolen, multi-car policies will have personal possessions cover
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Personal injury cover
Personal injury cover covers you if you're in a traffic accident and found to be at fault, up to a limit
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Emergency helpline
Like other comprehensive car insurance policies, multi car can give you access to a 24-hour emergency helpline. If you're in an accident that's your fault, you can call for advice and assistance
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No claims bonus match
Depending on the insurer, it may match the no-claims bonus on the second and third car that you add to the multi-car policy
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Uninsured driver protection
Some insurers will cover your excess and protect your no claims bonus if you’re in an accident with an uninsured driver and it wasn’t your fault
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New car replacement cover
Some insurers will replace your car with one that’s the exact same make, model and spec if it’s written off at less than a year old
No-claims discounts on multi-car policies
On linked policies, no-claims discounts (NCDs) work in just the same way as on standard car insurance policies. Each driver earns their own and only theirs will be affected if they make a claim.
But for multiple car cover under one policy, renewal dates are synced up for all policyholders.
That causes two problems:
- If you switch to a multi-car policy part-way through an existing policy, you'll miss out on your NCD for that year
- You might have to pay cancellation fees
Some insurers let you add each vehicle as it reaches renewal time. Others give you a quote for the second car when you’re getting cover for the first. That quote's then guaranteed until the second car’s up for renewal.
If your chosen insurer doesn’t do this, you could sync up all cars in the household on the date that the final car is due for renewal and take out short-term insurance in the interim for the remaining cars. But that can be a more expensive option, when you could just insure for the year, protect your NCD, and be done with it.
Frequently asked questions
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What happens at renewals?
Some multi-car insurers will sync-up the renewal dates, usually based on the date the first car was added to the policy. That means all your renewals will be due on the same date in future.
Other insurers simply have each car effectively on a separate policy that finishes when it would with a single car policy.
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Will I be able to drive all the cars in the policy?
Just like with any other type of car insurance, you can only drive cars on a multi-car policy where you’re named as a driver for that vehicle in the policy documents.
For example, you have three cars in your household – yours, your spouse’s and your son’s. You’re named as a driver on your multi-car insurance for all three cars (as the main driver on your car and as an additional driver on the other two), but your son is only named as the main driver on his own policy.
You will be insured to drive all three cars but your son will only be able to drive his own car.
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How many years am I tied into a policy?
Multi-car policies usually last 12 months, but that might be shorter if you have a policy where you can add each car as its renewal date comes up.
So if you start the policy in September with one car, the policy will last a year until the following September.
But if you’re adding a second car that doesn’t have its renewal due until April, you’ll add it in April and both cars would then have the same renewal date five months later in September.
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My children live away at university. Can I add them to my multi-car insurance?
Some insurers will cover vehicles that are kept away from the main home for part of the year, but others will specify that they have to live at the same address. Check the policy wording before you buy.
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Can I buy a multi-car policy to insure just two cars?
Yes, and lots of households only insure two cars on a multi-car policy.
Just make sure that you're making a saving over buying two separate policies from different providers, as the discount will be greater for each extra car you add to a multi-car policy.
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Can I add vans or motorbikes to a multi-car policy?
You won’t be able to add vans or motorcycles to your multi-car insurance policy – you’ll need to take out separate van or motorcycle insurance.
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What level of multi-car cover do I need?
You’ll have three levels of cover to choose from on your multi-car policy:
Third-party only – only covers damage or injuries you’ve caused to others
Third-party, fire and theft – covers everything third party only does, as well as your cars being stolen or catching fire
Fully comprehensive – Covers everything third party fire and theft does, plus damage to your own cars
[1]Gocompare.com introduces you to Admiral Insurance to provide multi-car insurance quotes. Admiral Insurance is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Gocompare.com’s relationship with Admiral Insurance is limited to that of a business partnership, no common ownership or control rights exist between us