What is Multi-Car Insurance?

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Multi-Car Insurance Ireland

Designed for the modern world, these policy types reflect the changing households we all live in, with more than one car at a single address.

Whether you live in a busy family household or share a home with friends, a multi-car insurance policy can help reduce your overall insurance costs.

Many insurers let you insure multiple vehicles at the same address with linked policies. This means partners, family members, or flatmates living together might qualify. They could get a multi-car discount.

Multi-car policies are good for collectors. They also help classic car owners with more than one vehicle. By grouping cars under one arrangement, you may be able to lower premiums while maintaining appropriate levels of cover for each vehicle.

What is Multi-Car Insurance?

Multi-car insurance is a product offered by insurance providers to cater for changing households and generational demographics. Never before have so many households had more than one car. So, rather than each driver taking out their own individual policy, it’s now possible to take out linked policies that include different ranges of cover for different cars or single policies that have one cover type for all the cars that are included in it.

Can Multi-Car Insurance Lower Costs?

Insurers may offer a household discount when two or more vehicles are insured together, although the level of reduction depends on the drivers and vehicles involved. Data from major insurance companies in Ireland suggest that these savings are readily available to people who want to link or share policies at the same address. It’s a simple, streamlined, and advantageous way to reduce policy costs without introducing complex scenarios.

Multi-Car Insurance Benefits

Multi-car insurance policies in Ireland benefit both customers and providers. It’s in the interest of providers to win as much custom from a single address as possible. Making it attractive to stay in a group insurance scheme helps individual providers retain as many individual customers as possible, so they offer multi-car insurance incentives to achieve this.  

These incentives include:

  • Policies grouped under one scheme.

  • Potential household discount.

  • Simplified administration.

  • Option to retain individual no-claims bonuses (on linked policies)

  • Flexibility across different vehicle types.

Downside of Multi-Car Policies

Multi-car policies fall into two types: single and linked. A single multi-car policy covers all drivers under the same policy and with the same renewal date, whereas linked policies can have drivers with different cover levels and renewal dates, but they are linked as a group. 

The downsides of a single multi-car insurance policy include:

  • Renewal dates: If all cars are on a single policy, they must all be renewed at the same time. This incurs a high single annual premium payment rather than spreading the cost across multiple policies.

  • High-risk driver weight: Adding a young, inexperienced driver to a single multi-car policy can increase the cost for all members, as inexperience and age are heavily weighted due to the added risk.

  • Coverage: Single multi-car policies typically offer the same coverage levels. In this scenario, if one member needs comprehensive cover, all members on the single policy will receive the same level of cover and cost.

  • Changing vehicles: If one member wants to change their car type during the policy term, this can be a complex administrative process.

What does Multi-Vehicle Insurance Cover?

Multi-vehicle insurance is a policy designed for multiple vehicles under a single policy. It is a flexible and convenient way to build discounts and simplify renewals. One very positive part of multi-vehicle insurance is that it includes any type of vehicle on one policy – you can combine cars, vans or motorbikes on the same policy or linked policies. Multi-vehicle insurance for cars and vans is a terrific group insurance policy that meets the needs of mixed households while offering discounts and benefits to a broader group.

Types of Multi-Car Cover

The best multi-car insurance policy is one that covers all types of households (families, shared accommodation, students, apartment blocks), offers plenty of flexibility across cover types, and retains individual no-claims bonuses for policyholders.

A linked multi-car insurance policy is the most flexible option, allowing different cover levels for each member.   

The least flexible approach is to take a single policy and add multiple vehicles. Each will have the same level of cover and renewal dates.

This is the legal minimum multi-car insurance policy level for driving in Ireland. If all members of the policy are at this level, they are covered for damage or injury to other people or their vehicles, but not for their own or for themselves.

If members of a multi-car insurance policy share this level of cover on a single policy, they will receive the benefits of third-party insurance but are also protected for fire and theft in relation to their own car, van or motorbike.

If you choose multi-car comprehensive insurance on a single or linked policy, then you will have the highest level of insurance in Ireland, covering third-party liability as well as your own car’s damage or replacement in the face of accidents or theft. 

How does No-Win, No-Fee Work with Multi-Car Insurance?

Under multi-car insurance policies in Ireland, no-win, no-fee cases operate in the same way as with a standard policy.  

No-win, no-fee is a system by which you can pursue a personal injury claim, engaging the services of a solicitor, but with no fees paid upfront. If the case is unsuccessful, you do not have to pay a fee, but if the case does succeed, you pay a percentage of your compensation to the solicitor. In Ireland, this is sometimes referred to as “no-foal no-fee”.

  • Individual claims: With a linked multi-car policy, each driver has their own no-claims bonus, allowing each driver to make claims as needed without affecting the other drivers in the group.

  • Protecting costs: Normally, you will have a legal insurance protection policy in place. It is normally the solicitor in a no-win, no-fees case that checks at the outset that this is in place.

  • Win fees: your solicitor will claim a percentage of your compensation as their fee when a case is successful. This is often capped at 25%.

  • Policy impact: The accident being pursued will affect the driver’s no-claims bonus, but it won’t affect the NCB of other drivers on a linked claim.

How Much Can You save with multi-car insurance?

Generally, you can expect to save between 10 and 20% in annual insurance costs when you build a linked or single multi-car insurance policy. Cheap car insurance is one of the main benefits of insuring two or more cars on the same policy. Administrative burden is reduced, and the provider benefits from having more customers under one address.  

Multi-car insurance providers in Ireland

Many providers in Ireland offer multi-car insurance quotes. You just need to shop around to find the best option for you. Providers in Ireland include:

Aviva - Home Insurance
Allianz - Home Insurance
AXA - Home Insurance

Multi-car insurance FAQ

Yes, on a multi-car policy, you can change cars, add drivers and remove vehicles from a group. Sometimes there is an administrative load with this, so check with a provider about how flexible their process is before committing to one.

You don’t have to be living as a couple to share a policy. You can be in a flat or homeshare situation, or in some cases, in the same apartment block. In certain cases, people from the same family but at different addresses can benefit from a multi-vehicle policy, so it’s worth checking out before you choose a provider. 

As with all insurance, you need to be a named driver on a policy to drive the car involved. If you are on a multi-vehicle policy, each car will have its own named drivers. If you are not named for a specific car, you are not covered to drive it.

Multi-vehicle policies generally last for 12 months, so you are normally contracted for that period. There are ways to exit a group scheme early, but check with the provider, as this may be weighted against such flexibility.

Yes, each driver retains their own no-claims bonus in a group insurance scheme, regardless of whether other drivers make claims arising from accidents or injuries.

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