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Check your excess, work out fuel costs, check an MOT and see what paying monthly really costs.
Licence renewal
Every 10 years
Renew your photocard every 10 years. From 70 it's every 3 years.
Eyesight rule
20 metres
You must be able to read a number plate from 20 metres, with glasses if you wear them.
Medical conditions
Up to £1,000
The fine for not telling the DVLA about a condition that affects your driving.
Driving in Europe
No green card
Not needed in the EU, but check what your policy covers abroad.
The basics
How your price works after 50
Insurers price on risk. By your fifties you usually have years of experience and often a long no-claims record, and both work in your favour. Insurers can also take age into account, and life changes such as retiring or adding a younger driver can push your price up or down, so it pays to check your details every year.
Your record
Years of driving, your no-claims years and any points, convictions or claims in the last five years.
Your car
Its insurance group, value and security, plus any adaptations or modifications you've made.
Your routine
Yearly mileage, whether you commute, where the car is kept overnight and who else drives it.
Save money
10 ways to lower your quote
Each of these is honest and worth trying. Run quotes with and without each change to see what makes the biggest difference for you.
1. Update your mileage when life changes
Retired, working from home or stopped commuting? A lower, realistic yearly mileage can cut your price. Your MOT history shows past mileage readings if you're unsure.
2. Tell your insurer you've retired
Your job and how you use the car affect your price. Switching from commuting to social use can lower it, and keeping it accurate keeps your cover valid.
3. Compare before every renewal
Insurers can't charge you more to renew than a new customer would pay through the same channel, but another insurer may still be cheaper. Start three to four weeks before your renewal date.
4. Quote with over-50s specialists too
Some insurers only cover drivers over 50. They can be competitive but aren't always cheapest, so get mainstream quotes as well.
5. Think before adding younger drivers
Adding a grandchild or adult child usually raises the price. If they'd only borrow the car now and then, short-term cover in their own name may suit better.
6. Look at a multi-car policy
Two or more cars at home? Insuring them together with one insurer can work out cheaper. Compare it with separate policies first.
7. Low mileage? Try pay-per-mile or black box
If the car rarely leaves the drive, a policy priced on the miles you drive or how you drive could suit you. Check the per-mile rate and any monthly fee.
8. Park off the road
A garage or driveway overnight can help your price. Always give the address where the car is really kept.
9. Pick an excess you could pay
A higher voluntary excess can lower the premium, but you'll pay it on top of the compulsory excess if you claim. Keep the total comfortable.
10. Drop add-ons you already have
You may already have breakdown cover through a motoring club or bank account, or legal cover elsewhere. There's no need to pay twice.
Discounts
Discounts worth asking about
Not every insurer offers these, so ask, and compare the final price rather than the size of the discount.
Long no-claims record
Ask how many no-claims years each insurer recognises and whether protecting your discount is worth the extra cost.
Over-50s specialists
Brands such as Saga only cover drivers over 50. Their quote is worth getting, alongside mainstream insurers.
Advanced driving
IAM RoadSmart runs advanced courses and a Mature Driver Review. Ask whether an insurer recognises them before you assume a discount.
Multi-car
Covering every car in the household with one insurer can bring the overall cost down.
Low mileage
Driving fewer miles after retiring usually means less risk. Make sure your quote uses your real yearly mileage.
Paying in full
Not a discount as such, but paying once a year avoids the interest that usually comes with monthly instalments.
Know your cover
Types of car insurance
There are three levels of cover. Experienced drivers often find comprehensive cover priced close to the cheaper levels, so compare all three before deciding.
Third party only
- Injury to other people
- Damage to other people's cars and property
- Not covered: Your own car
The legal minimum, and rarely the best value.
Third party, fire and theft
- Everything in third party
- Your car if it's stolen
- Your car if it catches fire
- Not covered: Accident damage to your own car
Can suit an older, lower-value car.
Comprehensive
- Everything in TPFT
- Repairs to your own car, even if the crash was your fault
- Often windscreen cover
- Not covered: Your excess, and anything the policy excludes
Often good value for experienced drivers. Compare all three.
Cover that fits your life after 50
Your circumstances may have changed since you last bought a policy. Pick the option that matches how the car is really used.
Your own annual policy
The usual choice for a car you drive regularly, and it keeps building your no-claims discount.
Adding your partner
Naming a spouse or partner who also drives can cost little extra. Compare quotes with and without them.
Short-term cover for family
Family visiting and want to borrow the car? Temporary cover in their name keeps any claim off your policy.
Motability Scheme
If you lease a car through the Motability Scheme, insurance is included and you can add up to three drivers.
Keep the DVLA and your insurer up to date
You must tell the DVLA about any medical condition that affects your driving, and you can be fined up to £1,000 if you don't. Tell your insurer too about anything its questions cover, as an undeclared condition or car adaptation could lead to a claim being refused. If you can't read a number plate from 20 metres, even with glasses, you mustn't drive.
Paying in instalments
Paying monthly: what to check
Spreading the cost can help if you're budgeting on a fixed income, but monthly payments are usually a credit agreement with interest, so you normally pay more over the year than paying upfront.
- The APR and the total you'll pay over 12 months, not just the monthly amount.
- Whether the first payment is a larger deposit than the rest.
- What happens if a payment fails. Missed payments can lead to your cover being cancelled.
- Whether a credit check is needed before you can pay monthly.
- Fees for changing or cancelling the policy part-way through the year.
If you can afford it, paying annually is usually cheapest. Our monthly vs annual calculator shows the difference. CompareDirect doesn't lend money or arrange finance.
Questions
Over 50s car insurance FAQs
Does car insurance get cheaper after 50?
For many drivers it does, because experience and a long no-claims record count in their favour. Insurers set their own prices, though, and quotes can start to rise again for older drivers, so compare every year.
Is there an upper age limit for car insurance?
The law doesn't set one, but some insurers have their own age limits for new customers. If one won't quote, others, including over-50s specialists, may still cover you.
Do I need to tell my insurer when I retire?
Yes. Your job and how you use the car are part of your policy details. Retiring often means less commuting and fewer miles, which can lower your price.
Do I have to tell the DVLA about a medical condition?
You must tell the DVLA about any condition that affects your driving, whatever your age. You can be fined up to £1,000 if you don't, and an undeclared condition can also affect your insurance.
Will adding a grandchild to my policy raise the price?
Usually, because younger drivers are a higher risk. They must never be listed as an occasional driver if they really drive the car most. That's called fronting, and it's insurance fraud.
Do I need a green card to drive in Europe?
Not in the EU (including Ireland), Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia or Switzerland. Check whether your policy gives full cover or only the legal minimum abroad before you go.
Are over-50s insurers always cheaper?
No. Specialists can be competitive and may include extras, but mainstream insurers sometimes beat them. Compare like-for-like cover and the total price.
Ready to compare?
Have your licence, the car's registration, your yearly mileage and your no-claims years to hand, then get personal prices from insurers direct.
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Guides and tools
Car insurance for over-70s
Licence renewals, health declarations and insurer age limits.
Read more
Low mileage car insurance
How pay-per-mile cover works and who it suits.
Read more
Multi-car insurance
Insuring every car in your household with one insurer.
Read more
No claims discount calculator
See how your no-claims years could affect your price.
Read moreSources
- GOV.UK: Renew your driving licence
- GOV.UK: Renew your licence at 70 or over
- GOV.UK: Driving eyesight rules
- GOV.UK: Health conditions and driving
- GOV.UK: Driving abroad and insurance
- FCA: General insurance pricing practices (PS21/5)
- IAM RoadSmart: Mature Driver Review
- Motability Scheme
This page is general information, not advice. Insurers set their own prices, discounts and terms, so always read the policy documents before you buy. CompareDirect does not sell or arrange insurance or credit. Photos are illustrative.