A bad job: the professions with highest and lowest car insurance costs revealed

Professional footballers have retained the trophy for paying the most for car insurance for a second year.

The elite sportsmen and women pay four times more than the average driver for their car insurance, with an average premium of £1,942 a year.

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That might be expected given many footballers’ famous love for flashy and fast cars, but some other jobs including town clerk, bar staff and advertising assistant, are just as likely to carry hefty insurance premiums, according to new analysis.

The data, gathered from more than five million insurance quotes by MoneySupermarket, shows that the average driver pays £473 per year but that their jobs leave many people paying more than twice that.

Behind footballers, car wash attendants pay the next highest bills, with an average premium of £1,616 ahead of sportsmen (£1,559) and fast food delivery drivers (£1,537). Abattoir workers, scrap dealers and town clerks all also pay more than £1,300 a year.

Most Expensive Professions for Car Insurance
1 Professional Footballer £1,942
2 Car Wash Attendant £1,616
3 Sportsman £1,559
4 Fast Food Delivery Driver £1,537
5 Abattoir Worker £1,487
6 Scrap Dealer £1,396
7 Town Clerk £1,324
8 Ceiling Fixer £1,244
9 Advertising Assistant £1,223
10 Model £1,217
11 Car Dealer £1,200
12 Apprentice £1,187
13 Picker £1,165
14 Student - Living at Home £1,153
15 Fast Food Proprietor £1,150
16 Minicab Driver £1,149
17 Carpenters Assistant £1,144
18 Barman £1,141
19 School Student £1,115
20 Builders Labourer £1,077

At the other end of the scale, guest house owners (£258), typists (£271), and retirees (£275) have the cheapest car insurance rates. They are followed by registrars (£289) and examiners (£295), with potters, countryside rangers and acupuncturists also among those who pay well below the national average.

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Dave Merrick, car insurance spokesperson at MoneySuperMarket, commented: “Our research shows that for the second year running, footballers have the highest car insurance premiums. This is most likely due to the cars they drive, which can often be very high-end.

“As with last year’s results, a range of ‘everyday’ professions – such as delivery drivers - feature in the most expensive category. Insurance companies retain vast repositories of information on previous claims, which informs the way they calculate a premium. As a result, some professions are seen as more of a risk and are charged more. But it’s also important to note that other considerations will also be taken into account by insurers such as a driver’s age, their location and their previous claims history.”

It can sometimes pay to think carefully about how you describe your job. You can’t lie to insurers about your profession but some roles can be described in different ways and there can sometimes be startling differences between different definitions.

Least Expensive Professions for Car Insurance
1 Guest House Proprietor £258
2 Typist £271
3 Retired £275
4 Registrar £289
5 Examiner £295
6 Countryside Ranger £299
7 Medical Secretary £299
8 Chiropodist £305
9 Hypnotherapist £305
10 Potter £306
11 Invigilator £307
12 Local Government Officer £308
13 Complementary Therapist £309
14 Archivist £312
15 Acupuncturist £312
16 Warden £316
17 Library Manager £318
18 Janitor £319
19 Psychodynamic Counsellor £321
20 Curator £322
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