Multi-car insurance
Cover for all your household’s cars. Get a quote for multi-car insurance.[1]
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Hastings Direct
Simplify your car insurance with Hastings Multicar Insurance.
Whether you have two cars or more, their flexible cover can ensure every car in your household is protected under one policy.
Hastings have been around since 1997 and have over 3 million live customer policies, so you can be certain you’re dealing with experts in Multi Car insurance.
Their Hastings Direct and Hastings Premier policies are also rated 5 stars on Defaqto.
Admiral
Admiral MultiCar insurance covers multiple cars on one policy, you’ll get their standard car insurance cover – but with a discount for every car added.
MultiCar is available to immediate family even at different addresses with each policyholder building their own separate No Claims Bonus.
Any car covered for three months gets a full year’s bonus if you don’t claim.
Their Admiral, Gold and Platinum comprehensive cover has Defaqto’s highest rating.
What is multi-car insurance?
Multi-car insurance covers multiple cars 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.
With some providers, you can also add multi-car breakdown cover and other optional extras that apply to 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 the individual policies expire.
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 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 – 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 university.
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 university
Cons
- Putting a less-experienced driver or someone with motoring convictions on your multi-car policy could increase the overall cost. It’s a good idea to compare quotes for individual policies as well in this case to see if it works out cheaper
- 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.
What factors affect the cost of multi-car insurance?
There are many factors that can affect the final cost of your premium. These include:
1
The type of car
Generally, the higher your cars’ insurance groups, the more you’ll pay to insure them.
2
Your age
Car insurance premiums are generally more expensive for younger drivers.
3
Your driving history
This includes any accidents and driving offences you might have had in the past, as well as how long you’ve been driving.
4
Your location
Where you live gives insurers an indication of the crime rate in your area and where you’re likely to park your cars overnight.
5
Your annual mileage
The more miles you drive, the more likely it is that you might have an accident.
6
Your occupation
Your cover could be more expensive if your job means you spend a lot of time on the road.
7
Any previous claims
If you’ve made a previous claim on your car insurance, insurers will see you as an increased risk.
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.
Breakdown cover
If your car breaks down and you’re unable to continue your journey, it will either be fixed by the side of the road or towed to a garage for repairs.
Find out more about breakdown cover >
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.
Courtesy car cover
If you have a breakdown, most multi-car policies will include a courtesy car to keep you on the road.
European cover
If you’re driving in convoy to Europe, your multi-car policy 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
Windscreen cover
If the windscreen cracks on one of the covered cars, multi-car insurance will usually cover windscreen repair.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Compare car insurance and see if you can save
If you have more than one car then multi-car insurance could save you money. There’s no guarantee it’ll be the cheapest option though. Compare car insurance for separate policies first and see if you could save.
Tom Banks – Car insurance expert
Frequently asked questions
How does no claims discount work on multi-car insurance?
No claims discounts (NCDs) work the same on linked policies as on standard car insurance. Each driver earns their own NCD and only theirs will be affected if they make a claim.
What happens at renewals?
Some multi-car insurers will sync 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.
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.
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.
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 must live at the same address. Check the policy wording before you buy.
Page last reviewed: 23 January 2025
Page reviewed by Gavin Richards
[1]Gocompare.com introduces you to Admiral, which is a trading name of EUI Limited, and Hastings Direct to provide multi-car insurance quotes. All providers are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Gocompare.com’s relationship with EUI Limited and Hastings Direct is limited to that of a business partnership, no common ownership or control rights exist between us.