The average price of car insurance in the UK has broken records to stand at close to £1,000.

Drivers are being urged to check now if they can lock in a cheap quote – even if they are not at renewal.

Drivers can now expect to pay £995 for their car insurance, on average according to the latest figures from Confused.com.

The rise in car insurance has been one of the big drivers of inflation, which last year hit a 40-year high. 

Louise Thomas, a motoring expert at Confused.com, said: “Like a lot of our expenses, car insurance is getting more costly. And this is likely to be the case for some time."

Ms Thomans explained that to keep costs as low as possible, Britons should consider things like increasing security, reviewing how many miles they drive or adjusting their excess could bring their overall cost down.

Money-saving expert Martin Lewis also shared his tips on how people can save on their insurance quotes.

Three-quarters of drivers who renewed a policy in the last three months reported paying more than the previous year – with premiums rising to nearly 90 percent in some cases.

As 18-year-olds are paying more than £3,000 for the first time, Mr Lewis explained there is a "best time," to check for renewal quotes.

All drivers up to the age of 43 can expect to pay £1,000 or more for their car insurance, on average, so people should still manage their expectations.

Previously, the money saving expert stated that the exact day that someone gets their car insurance renewed has a "direct impact" on average on the price they will be quoted.

He said: "If you start looking around 30 days before renewal, we're starting at about £900 for a quote on average, based on research of 70 million quotes.

"This price then drops very very rapidly until about 27 days before renewal, you're now on around £675. It then drops to a little further and bottoms out at 21 days before renewal where it's £590."

Those who leave it to the last minute could be left to pay hundreds more as it is based on actuarial risk, he explained.

Motorists aged between 17 and 20 have seen their premiums double on average over the past 12 months, from £1,423 to £2,877, according to Confused.com.

The site, in conjunction with the data firm WTW, compared more than 6million car insurance quotes, and averaged the five cheapest sums to come up with its index.

London remains the most expensive region in the UK for car insurance. Drivers in inner and outer London pay £1,607 and £1,291 respectively, on average.

Drivers in Northern Ireland have tipped over the £1,000 mark for the first time. A 64 percent or £350 increase in prices in central Scotland means premiums have doubled in two years, to £897 a year.