Car Insurance Pricing Index

Car insurance costs depend on a combination of factors. Insurers look at your age, the type of vehicle you want to insure, your current job title, your claims history, your Eircode, your annual mileage, and any additions you choose to make to your car. By comparing quotes from 14 different insurers, we always make sure to find the best value insurance for you.

Taking all of this into account, we've created the ultimate pricing index for car insurance in 2026 to help you compare premiums based on the make and model of your car, the county you live in, your occupation, and several other factors.

Contents

• Average Car Insurance Price by Province
• Average Car Insurance Price by County
• Average Car Insurance Prices by Age
• Car Insurance Costs for New Drivers
• Insurance Prices for the Top 10 Most Popular Models
• The Cheapest Car Brands to Insure in Ireland
• The 10 Cheapest Electric Vehicles to Insure in Ireland
• The Occupations with the Lowest Car Insurance

Average Car Insurance Price by Province

Living in an area with higher crime rates and dense traffic can push up your car insurance costs. Your home location is a key factor in how insurers calculate your premium. In Ireland, some rural counties still command higher rates due to a history of more frequent claims, despite their countryside setting.

Across the four provinces, Munster now has the lowest average premium at €632, closely followed by Connacht at €634. Leinster comes in third at €661, while Ulster is the most expensive at €686.

Average Car Insurance Price by County

The table below ranks all 26 counties by their average car insurance premium, with this year's ranking (May 2026) set against last year's (May 2025) so you can see who has moved.

Kilkenny is now the cheapest county to insure a car

Kilkenny has edged past Waterford to take the top spot, with an average premium of €584. At the other end of the scale, Longford remains the most expensive county at €785, followed by Louth (€745) and Limerick (€710).

Mayo and Roscommon have seen the biggest improvements this year, each climbing three places to 5th and 15th respectively. Leitrim, Kildare and Laois moved in the opposite direction, each slipping three places.

Average Car Insurance Prices by Age

The cost of car insurance typically varies with your age, because pricing is primarily based on risk. The 'riskier' you are to insure, the more expensive your policy is likely to be.

Younger drivers, from 17 to 29, usually pay the most, making them the highest-risk age group on the road. This is largely because they haven't had the chance to build up much experience behind the wheel.

Insurance for 17–19 year olds is still the highest, at an average of €2,212, but there's encouraging news for the youngest drivers: that's down from €3,944 in last year's index, a fall of almost half in just twelve months. A driver aged 20–29 will typically pay around €1,091 a year. There are ways to lower these insurance costs. You could add an experienced driver with a good history to your policy, or choose a car from a lower insurance group (more on that later).

It's worth noting that costs tend to be higher for all novice drivers, regardless of age, as insurers view inexperienced drivers as higher risk and they rarely have a no-claims discount to offset their premium.

Motorists over 70 generally enjoy lower rates than younger drivers, thanks to their extensive experience and substantial no-claims history, though premiums do begin to tick up again for the over-75s (€632).

Car Insurance Costs for New Drivers

Insurance costs fall by around 37% once you've held your licence for three to five years.

Experience is one of the biggest factors in your premium. The longer you've been driving (provided you haven't made a claim), the lower your costs tend to be.

Insurance Prices for the Top 10 Most Popular Models

Of the most popular car models on Irish roads, the cheapest to insure on average are the Hyundai Tucson (€569), the Nissan Qashqai (€584) and the Skoda Octavia (€585).

The Cheapest Car Brands to Insure in Ireland

Your choice of brand plays a big part in keeping your premium down.

Our findings show Dacia is the cheapest brand to insure, at an average of €545, helped by lower-value models that are typically cheaper to repair or replace.

Insurance is one of the biggest annual motoring costs, and the car you choose makes a real difference. Insurance providers may consider:

• The size of the car
• The car's value (how much it is worth)
• The age of the vehicle
• What safety equipment it's fitted with
• What security features it has
• How susceptible it is to accidental damage
• How much it would cost to repair, and how long that would take

Keep in mind that any modifications to a car can affect its insurance premiums significantly too.

The 10 Cheapest Electric Vehicles to Insure in Ireland

Electric vehicles keep growing in popularity as charging infrastructure expands. So which EVs are the cheapest to insure? The Kia Niro EV leads the way at €447, followed by the Nissan Leaf Acenta (€489) and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 (€494).

The Occupations with the Lowest Car Insurance

Believe it or not, your occupation plays a real role in what you pay. Our data shows legal secretaries come in with the cheapest cover, at an average premium of €521.

Insurers use your occupation as a risk indicator, and different companies weigh it differently. People who work in an office or remotely may drive less often or have shorter commutes, so they're often seen as lower risk and tend to receive a lower premium. Experience on the road matters too: jobs with an older demographic, along with a stable work schedule and driving environment, can help bring the cost down.

Knowledge is power, but a quote is savings. Compare 14 insurers in minutes: get your car insurance quote today!

Methodology

Average prices are shown from new business and renewal sales between June 2025 and May 2026, including any fees. We then repeated this for the previous 12 months to allow a comparison.