premier league of bad risk postcodes for motor insurance

Steve1981

The football grounds where your car is most at risk


By the Editorial Team, BeatThatQuote.com
June 05 2009

Living within an easy distance of your club's football ground is a dream many people harbour. What devoted football fan wouldn't want to live round the corner from the home of their team - able to see the stadium from their front room, keep a constant lookout for their favourite players and drink in every second of the atmosphere on match days?

Unfortunately, setting up house within spying distance of your club could cost you in a way you might never expect.


It seems some of football's biggest names come far higher in the insurance risk league table than others. In fact, being a 'live-in' fan of the top five could seriously inflate the price of your car insurance premiums.


Offside!

Car insurer Churchill looked at claims dating back to 2004 in order to work out which Premiership grounds are 'offside' when it comes to car insurance.


The firm analysed claims from the postcode areas surrounding football grounds to find out whether people living within them were more (or less) likely to make car insurance claims than those residing elsewhere.

Churchill discovered that motorists living near 16 of the country's top 20 clubs had an increased likelihood of having to claim on their car insurance for accidents, theft or accidental damage to their vehicles.


Topping the wrong table

According to Churchill's research, these five clubs top the table when it comes to car insurance risk:

1. Tottenham Hotspur (White Hart Lane, N17): Claims up 59%

2. West Ham United (Upton Park, E13): Claims up 46%

3. Aston Villa (Villa Park, B6): Claims up 45%

4. Manchester United (Old Trafford, M16): Claims up 34%

5. Arsenal (Emirates Stadium, N5): Claims up 27%.

While Spurs fans would be thrilled to see their team at the top of most league tables, it's likely they'll be dismayed at winning first place in the insurance risk race.


Motorists living close to White Hart Lane are, according to Churchill, a whopping 59% more likely than average to claim on their car insurance policies.


Meanwhile, West Ham United and Aston Villa are in close competition for second and third place. West Ham just pips Villa to the post, as individuals who keep their cars in Upton Park's E13 postcode are 1% more likely to claim than those living in Aston (postcode B6).

Big-name clubs Manchester United and Arsenal achieve the dubious honour of winning fourth and fifth place in Churchill's risk list.

People living within the same postcode area as Old Trafford are 34% more likely than average to claim for car accidents, theft or criminal damage, while those whose cars are kept close to the Emirates stadium are 27% more at risk of needing to claim.


Mid-table performers

Clubs just outside the top five include Manchester City, Middlesbrough, Fulham, Chelsea and Portsmouth.

Car owners living within the same postcode as any of their grounds are at increased risk of needing to claim on their insurance.

Living close to the City of Manchester Stadium (M11) or Riverside Stadium (TS3) will inflate car insurance risk by 23% or 22% respectively, according to Churchill.

Elsewhere, homeowners who have the same postcode as Craven Cottage (SW6), Stamford Bridge (SW6) and Fratton Park (PO4) are all 20% more likely to need to claim on their car insurance.


Relegating risk

On the other hand, Churchill's data shows that living near some football grounds makes very little difference to the car insurance claims you are likely to make. In fact, it could even reduce the risk you pose to your insurer.

15. West Bromwich Albion (The Hawthorns, B71): Claims up 1%

16. Blackburn Rovers (Ewood Park, BB2): Claims up 1%

17. Stoke City (Britannia Stadium, ST4): Claims down 8%

18. Sunderland (Stadium of Light, SR5): Claims down 11%

19. Bolton Wanderers (Reebok Stadium, BL6): Claims down 11%

20. Wigan Athletic (JJB Stadium, WN5): Claims down 15%.

As you can see, West Brom and Blackburn fans have little to worry about when it comes to the impact of their local club on insurance costs.

People living close to the Stoke, Sunderland, Bolton and Wigan grounds, meanwhile, are less likely than average to make car insurance claims.


Reducing your risk

As Churchill's data makes clear, living in an area that your insurer has identified as high risk could make a real difference to how much your policy costs you.

According to the insurer, the areas surrounding Premiership football stadiums tend to be statistically riskier because they are often inner city locations. Places with high population densities generally experience a higher volume of car insurance claims, which leads insurers to charge customers more.

Whether you live by an inner city football stadium or out in the countryside, your postcode will have an impact on the price of your policy.

However, it isn't always easy to spot which areas an insurer will regard as especially risky. Factors such as the frequency of accidents are important, and some rural locations which might seem 'safer' than cities have high collision rates.

Wherever you live, the key to keeping the price of your policy under control is taking simple steps that will help reduce the risk you pose to your insurer.

These could include:

In addition, it's important to remember that not all insurers will calculate risk in the same way.

To avoid scoring an insurance own goal, it's crucial that you compare