Car insurance cost calculator
Estimate your annual NZ car insurance premium based on your vehicle's value, cover type, driver age and excess.
What this means for you
Fill in the fields above to see your estimated premium.
Compare cover types
See how the estimated premium changes between comprehensive and third-party cover.
| Cover type | Estimated annual premium |
|---|---|
| Comprehensive | $0 |
| Third party, fire & theft | $0 |
| Third party only | $0 |
Assumptions & sources
Illustrative NZ car insurance rate patterns: comprehensive scaled to vehicle value, third-party options closer to a flat rate, adjusted for driver age and excess.
1 July 2026
17 July 2026
Comprehensive = 3% of vehicle value (min $400). Third party fire & theft and third party only use flat base rates. All scaled by an age-band multiplier and an excess factor.
Cover type, driver age band and excess level.
Claims history, driving record, location, specific vehicle make/model and safety rating, annual mileage, and insurer-specific underwriting — all of which move real quotes significantly.
Related reading
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Weighing private cover against NZ's public health system — what you actually gain, and what it costs.
Read article →Comprehensive vs third party: what's the difference?
Comprehensive cover pays for damage to your own car regardless of fault, plus damage you cause to others. Third party fire & theft adds cover for your car being stolen or damaged by fire, on top of the basic third-party liability. Third party only covers damage you cause to someone else's property — nothing for your own car.
Why do young drivers pay more?
Statistically, younger and less experienced drivers are involved in more at-fault accidents, so insurers price that higher claims risk into the premium. The gap narrows with age and a clean driving record, and can often be reduced with a higher excess or a restricted-driver discount for some policies.
Frequently asked questions
Statistically, younger drivers are involved in more at-fault accidents, so insurers price that risk into the premium — often 1.5x or more compared to an experienced driver in their 30s-50s.
Comprehensive covers damage to your own car plus damage you cause to others. Third party only covers damage you cause to someone else — nothing for your own vehicle. Third party fire & theft sits in between, adding cover for your car being stolen or burnt.
Generally yes — a higher excess shifts more of the cost of small claims onto you, so the insurer charges less upfront. Weigh the savings against how much you could comfortably pay out of pocket if you did need to claim.
