Cheap car insurance for carers & care workers

Carers and care workers often rely on their cars to do their jobs helping others. This makes finding the right insurance deal essential, especially when many in this profession are low paid. It’s also important to have the right cover for the type of driving you use the car for. So, here’s our guide for carers and care workers to get cheap car insurance.

What sort of car insurance do carers need?

If you only commute to one place of work, a standard policy that includes commuting will cover you for this. However, if you visit patients or clients in multiple sites, you need Business Class insurance and there are three levels of this. Beyond that, any care worker who regularly transports patients in their own car will need to take out a commercial policy with public and private hire use similar to taxis.

The three Business Class policies are:

Business Class 1 (Class A)

What’s covered: As well as Social, Domestic and Pleasure use of the car for the named driver and spouse, it allows you to drive between multiple fixed places of work.

What’s not covered: Most policies exclude using the vehicle as a tool of trade so you cannot carry patients, deliver any goods or transport documents. Also, any named driver other than the spouse on the policy will not be covered for business mileage.

If this sounds like you, click here for a car insurance quote*

Business Class 2 (Class B1)

What’s covered: A Class 2 policy includes business mileage for named drivers and most insurers will insist named drivers use the vehicle for the same business as the main policy holder.

What’s not covered: Different drivers cannot use the car for separate businesses other than the main policy holder’s.

If this sounds like you, click here for a car insurance quote*

Business Class 3 (Class B2)

What’s covered: It covers the main policy holder to visit an unlimited number of destinations that are not fixed for any employment-related travel.

What’s not covered: Carrying patients or their relatives in a work capacity.

If this sounds like you, click here for a car insurance quote*

Example cost of insurance

How carers and care workers can lower their premiums and get a lower car insurance premium

When you're buying, look for cars in a lower insurance group. Three low insurance cars that we think are particularly well-suited to carers are listed below.

Get quotes from specialist insurance providers*. There are several offering policies tailored towards carers and care workers. And remember to shop around. Limit the number of named drivers on the policy or restrict it to just yourself. Always be honest with the insurance company. Failing to provide full information could leave you without cover in the event of a claim.

If you have use of a company vehicle for work, tell your insurer this.

Anything else?

Many care providers rely on their workers to use their own cars and these vehicles are known as ‘grey fleet’. This term describes any car not owned by the employer but used for business travel on their behalf. Many carers and care workers’ cars fall into this category, so they need Business Class insurance.

Some companies that provide care workers will supply a car or van. If they do, make sure you are covered on the policy, but if you use your own car for work purposes you’ll still need Business Class insurance.

Some care workers and carers may be asked to drive a car belonging to a patient or client. This is quite common for some disabled people who need a carer or assistant to use the car. Check the policy covers any driver or you as a named driver before getting behind the wheel.

Younger care workers and carers may need a specialist insurer to get Business Class cover as many mainstream providers don’t offer this to under-25s.

If you use your own car for work purposes, check if you can claim mileage or fuel allowances to help offset the running costs.

See also:  Our guide to Cheap Car Insurance for all car owners

Which cars would suit carers?

This is a list of three cars that we think are particularly we suited to carers looking for cheap car insurance. Each has been picked for its low insurance, low price and longevity.

Dacia Sandero – Car Insurance Group 3E The Sandero made headlines when it went on sale thanks to a list price of less than £6k. Although the basic Access model that money gets you is indeed basic. You'll need to brush up on your eye-spy skills for those long journeys as it doesn't even get a radio. PCP finance options are generally less than £100/month - but be careful with the mileage limits.

 

Hyundai i10 - Car Insurance Group 2E The Hyundai i10 is not only keenly priced, but comes with a five-year, unlimited mileage warranty, ideal for the higher-mileage care worker.    We think the i10 is an excellent small car which isn't just meant for round town. Of course, it's ideal as a runabout but it's not out of its depth on the motorway with impressive refinement for a small hatch. It may not have the character of something like the Volkswagen Up, but the smart money would always go on the i10.

 

Toyota Yaris – Car Insurance Group 2E When it comes to reliability you can't go wrong with a Toyota - which is key if you're a care worker and your job depends on being reliable.   Rather unusually, the Yaris is actually cheaper to insure than the smaller Toyota Aygo. Whereas the smaller car starts at Group 5, the Yaris 1.0 VVT-i Active is Group 2 - a very low rating for a hatchback this size.

 See also: Top 25 lowest insurance cars

 

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