Older driver car insurance blasted as ‘discriminatory’ with over 70s ‘paying more’

Older driver car insurance agreements have been branded 'discriminatory' (Image: Getty)

Older driver car insurance costs have been branded “discriminatory” with over 70s "paying more” than other age groups for coverage.

Campaigners have claimed this increases the "financial hardship” of the elderly in a major blow to road users ahead of winter. 

Under current driving rules, older drivers can be “refused” a quote from a car insurance provider with many “not offered competitive alternatives”. 

Firms are supposed to "signpost" motorists’ they cannot offer coverage towards other firms to help those struggling to secure policies. 

However, campaigners claim this wasn't happening, adding to the “stress” of older individuals when they come to renew their car insurance agreement. 

A new petition is calling for urgent changes to older driver car insurance (Image: Getty)

As a result, campaigners are demanding urgent changes to car insurance rules to even up the playing field.

A new Parliament Petition started by Mrs Sarah Kelly was posted last week and has since secured a couple of hundred signatures. 

The petition notes: “Parliament must review the exclusion of financial services from the age discrimination provisions of the Equality Act. 

“We think over 70s should not routinely, based upon their age, be charged more for car insurance than any other sector of society.

“We think the "signposting" agreement between the government and the insurance industry is a failure. 85% of people aged 80 PLUS are NOT signposted to alternative insurers when refused a quote. 

“We believe many 80-plus adults are not offered competitive alternative quotes when using online search tools. We think it is discriminatory for this age group to be requested to pay more than other drivers. 

“We believe this increases the stress, isolation and financial hardship of the elderly.”

According to the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA), a clear ‘signposting’ agreement has been in place since 2012. 

The agreement states that insurance brokers unable to offer cover to an older motorist because of upper age limits they have should “automatically refer the customer to an alternative provider who can meet their needs”.

Drivers can also be directed to a “dedicated signposting service such as BIBA’s Find Insurance Service”.

BIBA claims that the policy “helps older people find the essential cover they need when they may previously have struggled to find suitable insurance”.

The petition must reach at least 10,000 signatures to receive an official Government response with 100,000 required for the issue to be debated in Parliament. 

Petitions run for a period of six months with the current survey available to sign until May 2025.