Car Insurance With No Claims Bonus
Compare Cover Even Without a No-Claims Discount
Whether you’ve never built one up, or lost it after a claim, having no no-claims bonus doesn’t mean you’re stuck with the highest possible price. Compare a panel of FCA-regulated insurers who understand your situation.
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Why Compare Car Insurance With No No-Claims Bonus?
Whether you’re a new driver who’s never had the chance to build a no-claims bonus, or you’ve lost yours after a claim, this is a genuinely different situation from having a claims history for other reasons, related to but distinct from our broader car insurance with claims guide.
Not every insurer treats a zero no-claims bonus the same way. Some default straight to their highest pricing tier, others have specific schemes designed for exactly this situation.
MultiQuoteTime gives you quotes from a panel of FCA-regulated UK insurance providers in one quick form, so you can see how different insurers actually treat your situation before assuming you’re stuck with the standard rate.
What Does It Mean to Have No No-Claims Bonus?
A no-claims bonus (NCB) is a discount that builds up each year you drive without making a claim. Without one, whether because you’re new to driving, haven’t owned a car recently, or lost yours after a claim, insurers generally start you at a higher price point than someone with several years’ discount behind them.
The value is genuinely significant: Compare the Market found drivers with just one year of no claims typically save £745, or 32%, on their premium. How many years you can build up, and how much discount each year is worth, varies a lot by insurer, ranging from as little as 4 years to reach the maximum with Saga or Santander, up to 20 years with esure, and maximum discounts ranging from 24% up to 80% depending on the provider.
No-Claims Bonus Discount Chart: A Typical Example
Every insurer sets its own scale, but this pattern gives a realistic sense of how the discount typically grows with each claim-free year.
| Claim-Free Years | Typical Discount |
|---|---|
| 1 year | Around 30-50% |
| 2 years | Around 50-60% |
| 3 years | Around 60-65% |
| 5+ years | Often 60-75%, up to 80% with some insurers |
This is illustrative, not a guarantee, exact percentages and maximum years vary significantly between insurers. Always check your specific insurer’s own scale.
It’s worth knowing this isn’t always as unfair as it sounds. Even a genuinely blameless situation, like a parked car being hit by an untraceable driver, can result in a lost no-claims bonus, since the insurer has no one else to recover the cost from.
Real Schemes That Can Help
A few genuine mechanisms exist across the market for exactly this situation, though availability and terms vary by insurer, always confirm directly rather than assuming.
Introductory Bonus Schemes
Some insurers offer new or claim-free drivers an introductory discount equivalent to a no-claims bonus, even without your own personal claims history, effectively letting you start partway up the discount scale rather than at the bottom.
Mirrored No-Claims Discounts
A small number of insurers will match an equivalent discount if you’re switching from another provider with a limited or zero no-claims history, this benefits customers moving between providers who would otherwise lose ground on pricing.
Named Driver Experience Recognition
If you’ve built up a genuine claim-free driving history as a named driver on someone else’s policy, a small number of insurers will recognise this. See the section below for which insurers actually offer this, and what to watch out for.
What Does This Type of Cover Include?
Cover works the same as any standard car insurance, having no no-claims bonus affects the price, not what’s actually included.
Third-Party Liability
Covers injury or damage you cause to other people, their vehicles, or their property. This is the legal minimum required to drive on UK roads.
Fire and Theft
Protects your own vehicle if it’s stolen or damaged by fire, included from third-party fire and theft level upwards.
Accidental Damage
Comprehensive cover pays for repairs to your own car after an accident, regardless of who was at fault.
What Mistakes Can You Avoid With No No-Claims Bonus?
A few common slip-ups can cost more than having no discount ever did.
Assuming You’ll Always Pay the Standard Rate
Not every insurer treats a zero no-claims bonus the same way, some have genuine schemes for exactly this situation, worth asking about directly.
Not Asking About Named Driver Experience
If you’ve genuinely driven claim-free as a named driver elsewhere, some insurers will recognise this, don’t assume it’s automatically invisible to a new quote.
Only Getting One Quote
Comparing a genuine panel matters more here than for almost any other factor, since pricing approaches vary so widely.
Ignoring Vehicle Choice
A car in a lower insurance group can meaningfully offset the effect of having no no-claims bonus on your overall premium.
How to Save on Car Insurance With No No-Claims Bonus
A few practical steps can help bring the cost down, on top of asking about the schemes above.
1. Compare a Genuine Panel
Insurers price a zero no-claims bonus very differently from each other, comparing properly matters more here than almost anywhere else.
2. Ask About Introductory and Mirrored Discounts
These schemes aren’t always advertised prominently, ask directly rather than assuming you’ll pay the standard rate.
3. Consider a Black Box
Telematics cover can help demonstrate safe driving directly, offsetting some of the effect of having no discount history. If you’d rather avoid one, our no black box insurance guide covers the alternatives.
4. Choose a Car in a Lower Insurance Group
Every car is placed into an insurance group, choosing one lower down the scale can meaningfully reduce your premium.
5. Improve Security and Parking
An immobiliser, alarm, and keeping your car off the road, ideally on a driveway or in a garage, all work in your favour on price.
6. Spread the Cost If Needed
If a higher starting premium makes paying upfront difficult, no deposit car insurance options can spread the cost differently.
Eamonn’s Take
Eamonn Turley · Commercial Insurance Editor, MultiQuoteTime
Named driver experience is the one most people don’t think to ask about. If you’ve spent a few years driving carefully as a named driver on a parent’s or partner’s policy, that’s genuine evidence you’re a safe risk, even without a no-claims bonus in your own name. Not every insurer will recognise it, but it costs nothing to ask, and it’s a much stronger starting point than being treated as a completely unknown driver.
What You Need to Get a Quote at MultiQuoteTime.co.uk
Nothing complicated, just have these to hand and you’re done in a couple of minutes.
- Your details: name, address, date of birth and occupation.
- Vehicle details: registration, make, model, and where it’s kept overnight.
- Why you have no no-claims bonus: new driver, returning after a gap, or lost it after a claim, be accurate rather than vague.
- Named driver history: if you’ve driven claim-free as a named driver elsewhere, have those details ready in case it’s relevant.
- Annual mileage: your genuine estimate, not a guess to lower the quote.
Which Insurance Companies Give a No-Claims Bonus to Named Drivers?
This is worth a section of its own, because most insurers genuinely don’t do this, and the answer isn’t as simple as a single yes-or-no list.
It’s the Exception, Not the Rule
Research from Which? and Defaqto found only around 13% of comprehensive car insurance policies allow a named driver to earn their own no-claims discount. For most insurers, only the policyholder builds up an NCB, named drivers simply don’t accrue one at all.
AA Car Insurance Is a Confirmed Current Example
AA states that named drivers on an AA policy could earn their own driver no-claims discount, based on how long they’ve been a named driver with a full UK licence. This is one of the clearer, currently confirmed examples on the market.
Check the Fine Print, Even Where It’s Offered
Where insurers do offer a named driver discount, it’s often only usable if that named driver later takes out their own policy with the same company, rather than being a portable discount they can take anywhere. Terms and availability also change over time, so always confirm directly with the specific insurer rather than relying on older information.