Compare third party car insurance quotes online

Compare Northern Ireland third party insurance quotes

Third party car insurance is the minimum level of cover required by law in Northern Ireland, and because it’s the least comprehensive type of insurance you can take out it used to be the cheapest option too.

While that’s still sometimes the case, it’s not a hard-and-fast rule anymore because many NI car insurance providers have started raising their premiums for third party insurance to reflect the fact that riskier drivers often opt for that type of policy.

In fact, many motorists have found that fully-comprehensive car insurance in Northern Ireland is now sometimes just as cheap as third party insurance, which is why we always recommend that NI drivers compare quotes for fully-comp even if they’re planning to take out third party cover – and then go with the policy that offers the most comprehensive coverage at the most competitive price.

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Third party car insurance in Northern Ireland – a no-nonsense guide

Why have insurers raised the premiums for third party insurance in Northern Ireland in recent years?

Third party car insurance has traditionally been the level of cover favoured by younger drivers in Northern Ireland, as well as any other NI driver with a worse risk profile, and since younger drivers have a much higher risk of being involved in an accident than a more seasoned driver the end result is that motorists with third party only cover have generally been more likely to claim on their insurance.

Many Northern Ireland insurance providers have begun adjusting their premiums in recent years to reflect that elevated risk, which has led to third party only car insurance becoming as costly as (or sometimes even more expensive than) fully-comp.

How can I reduce the cost of my Northern Ireland third party insurance?

First and foremost, you shouldn’t automatically accept your existing provider’s renewal quote – even if the price they’re quoting sounds like a top-notch deal there’s a very good chance you’ll find an even better price if you use CompareNI.com to compare car insurance NI quotes from a wider range of providers.

Beyond using CompareNI.com each time your insurance is due for renewal, the following steps could also help to lower your premiums a little:

• Parking your car in a garage or on a private driveway: Common sense suggests that cars that are parked on the side of the road have a higher risk of being stolen or damaged by a passing vehicle. Insurance providers do sometimes take that fact into account when calculating their premiums, so your quote might be a wee bit cheaper if you’re able to park in a garage or on a private driveway.
• Installing additional security features: If your car doesn’t have an alarm or an engine immobiliser then you could save a bit on your insurance by installing these additional security features.
• Agreeing to a higher excess: You’ll sometimes be offered cheaper third party car insurance if you agree to a higher excess, since it means you’ll be covering a larger share of the costs yourself if you have to make an at-fault insurance claim.
• Comparing quotes for fully-comp insurance: As we’ve already mentioned, fully-comp insurance is sometimes just as cheap as third party only cover these days…and in some cases it can even be quite a bit cheaper, so you could end up saving on your insurance by switching to fully-comp.

What happens if my car is stolen and I have Northern Ireland third party only?

If your car is stolen and your cover is third party only you’re going to find yourself in a very difficult position, because you’ll have to cover the cost of replacing the vehicle yourself.

That’s one of the biggest downsides of third party only cover – and one of the reasons it used to be quite a bit cheaper than fully-comp.

*51% of consumers could save £504.25 on their Car Insurance. The saving was calculated by comparing the cheapest price found with the average of the next five cheapest prices quoted by insurance providers on Seopa Ltd’s insurance comparison website. This is based on representative cost savings from September 2023 data. The savings you could achieve are dependent on your individual circumstances and how you selected your current insurance supplier.