Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Department is taking steps to reduce disparities in car insurance costs between residents of the UK who were born in the UK and those who were born outside the UK.

Motor insurers are responsible for setting the price of motor insurance premiums based on their underwriting experience, and it is for them to decide the level of risk that they take in issuing any policy to a given applicant.

They use a range of criteria to assess the potential risk a driver poses. This includes the applicant’s age, postcode, the type of vehicle and their driving record and experience. It might also include other risk factors such as whether the driver was born in the UK or abroad.

This is a commercial decision for individual insurers and the Government does not intervene or seek to control the market. There are no plans to change this approach.