How's does car insurance work

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Your driving record. If you have none, they'll assume the worst. Infringements such as speeding, previous insurance claims and cancelled policies can increase your premium. Going for several years with no infringements will make it cheaper since you're lower-risk.

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Age and gender. Young male drivers are statistically the most likely to crash so they get higher premiums.

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Black box. It's a device installed in your car that measures how you drive. It can reduce premiums, but if you corner, accelerate or brake hard, they are increased. Not all of them are very accurate - it can be a risk, especially if someone borrows your car.

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Type of coverage. By law, you have to have third-party coverage - this insures you for damage you cause to other property, vehicles and people. However, you can pay more and have your own car covered as well (as in, if it's destroyed, they pay you the value of it) in case of an accident, fire, theft or breakdown.

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Excess/deductible. If you make a claim, you must pay a certain amount as an excess (say £100). The insurance company pays the rest. A higher excess means lower premiums, but you'll pay more if you need to make a claim.

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Location. If you're in a high-crime area and covered for theft, you will pay more as you're more likely to have your car stolen.

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Type of car. Larger engines, sportier and more expensive cars will cost you far more to insure, especially as a new driver.