\n Drivers in Northern Ireland are seeing almost no benefit from falling car insurance costs, with premiums here barely budging compared to the rest of the UK.\n<\/p>\n
\n New figures reveal Northern Ireland recorded the smallest decrease of any region, with average prices falling by just \u00a32 over the last quarter.\n<\/p>\n
\n Elsewhere, motorists have seen more meaningful savings. Drivers in the West Midlands enjoyed average drops of nearly \u00a350, while Londoners saw prices fall by more than \u00a330.\n<\/p>\n
The findings are based on the latest data from\u00a0car\u00a0insurance experts at\u00a0CompareNI.com<\/a>,\u00a0who analysed the most recent quarter of statistics to see how insurance costs for Northern Ireland drivers stack up against those in Great Britain.<\/p>\n \n While Northern Ireland boasted some of the most competitive car insurance prices back in 2024, it has\u00a0jumped up the regional rankings\u00a0over the past year and is now the third most expensive, with average prices currently sitting at \u00a3624 \u2013 almost 8% above the national average.\n<\/p>\n \n Despite premiums here dropping by less than 1% this quarter, Northern Ireland remains broadly in line with the trend of falling premiums across the UK over the past year.\n<\/p>\n \n \u00a0\n <\/p>\n \n UK REGION\n <\/p>\n \n ANNUAL PREMIUM Q1 2026\n <\/p>\n \n DROP SINCE Q4 2025\n <\/p>\n \n London\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a3798.20\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a332.53\n <\/p>\n \n West Midlands\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a3654.25\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a349.77\n <\/p>\n \n Northern Ireland\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a3624.60\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a32.06\n <\/p>\n \n North West England\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a3583.08\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a332.76\n <\/p>\n \n Yorkshire\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a3577.11\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a344.45\n <\/p>\n \n East Midlands\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a3547.62\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a332.07\n <\/p>\n \n East of England\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a3531.71\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a322.15\n <\/p>\n \n South East England\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a3531.02\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a314.03\n <\/p>\n \n Scotland\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a3506.15\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a312.19\n <\/p>\n \n North East England\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a3500.62\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a321.02\n <\/p>\n \n Wales\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a3486.36\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a316.60\n <\/p>\n \n South West England\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a3470.52\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a38.68\n <\/p>\n \n \u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n As is typically the case, young motorists across Northern Ireland continue to face some of the steepest costs anywhere in the UK, with drivers aged 17-24 forking out \u00a31,386 on average.\n<\/p>\n \n While that represents a drop of over \u00a380 compared to Q4 2025, it is still around 26% more than the national average for that age group.\n<\/p>\n \n Unsurprisingly, 17 and 18-year-olds were the most expensive to insure \u2013 with drivers aged 18 in Belfast being hit with higher costs than anywhere else in the UK at over \u00a33,150 \u2013 almost \u00a3600 more than their counterparts in London.\n<\/p>\n \n However, data shows premiums for Belfast drivers plummet by over \u00a3700 by the time they reach 19-years-old, showing how time and experience behind the wheel can have a dramatic impact on insurance costs.\n<\/p>\n \n The latest figures also show stark differences in price between district councils, with some areas paying more than double for their insurance than others.\n<\/p>\n Research reveals that while 20-year-old motorists in Causeway Coast and Glens<\/a> are paying \u00a3936, those in Belfast are forking out an average of \u00a32,217 per year \u2013 a staggering 137% increase.<\/p>\n \n There are many reasons why the price of insurance tends to be higher for young drivers, with lack of experience and an increased risk of accidents being major risk factors for insurers.\n<\/p>\n \n Figures show drivers aged 17-23 are responsible for almost a quarter (24%) of fatal or serious accidents in Northern Ireland, despite only holding about 8% of licences. In 2024, there were 164 road casualties where a young driver was responsible.\n<\/p>\n \n In a bid to reduce the number of young people killed or seriously injured on our roads, Northern Ireland is set to become the first UK region to adopt graduated driver licensing in October this year.\n<\/p>\n \n New measures such as a six-month wait for learner drivers before taking a practical test, as well as restrictions on night-time driving and passenger numbers – will\u00a0allow newly qualified drivers to gain valuable experience and develop safer habits before gaining access to full driving privileges.\n<\/p>\n \n If the new system helps lower the number of road accidents, potentially reducing claims, this could in turn help to make car insurance premiums more affordable for young motorists.\n<\/p>\n