It has been revealed that motorists in Northern Ireland are paying in excess of £136 million a year more than any other region of the UK for car insurance policies.

It is predicted that a yearly cover premium in Northern Ireland can total to an extra £300, meaning that an increasing number of drivers are unable to afford insurance.

33% of local low income and rural parts of Northern Ireland state they are unable to meet car payment policies. This has legal implications because car insurance is mandatory, as it is across the UK, with financial prosecutions and criminal charges handed over to anyone who disobeys.

Therefore, customers have been urged to ‘shop around’ for the best deal: “An important message that we want to get across to consumers is that by shopping around for their car insurance they can make significant savings. On average consumers could save as much as £267 per year,” Julie Megrath, head of money affairs at the Consumer Council said.