Students living in the private halls of residence on central Manchester’s Chester Street pay £648 more to insure their cars than students living just a four minute drive away, MM can reveal.
Endsleigh car insurance quotes show that students of medicine, dentistry and law pay £1,057 per year to insure a Mini Cooper if they are living at the University of Manchester halls of residence, Denmark Road.
But future doctors, dentists and lawyers living at New Medlock House private halls of residence pay £1,705.62 per year to insure the same car.
New Medlock House is just a four minute drive from Denmark Road and it even has a dedicated car park for students.
Rachel Veevers, Media Relations Executive for Endsleigh Insurance, said: “Generally speaking, insurance premiums may vary from street to street dependent on a number of factors and external risks.
“Crime rates in each neighbourhood can play a part,” she added.
In July 2015, the Denmark Road area was found to have only 27 reported crimes, compared to 80 for the same month in the New Medlock House area, according to official GMP statistics.
Car insurance premiums were vastly higher for students living at the University of Salford’s Castle Irwell Student Village, where crime rates were much greater.
Students may also have to pay hundreds more for their car insurance depending on what they study.
If you’re a budding architect, you may have to pay up to £764 more to insure your car at Manchester halls of residence than students of geography or history.
But shockingly, it is medics, dentistry and law students who pay the most for their car insurance while studying at Manchester universities.
Graham Trudgill of the British Insurance Broker’s Association said he had never seen insurance companies charging a different premium for students of different subjects before.
However, he said: “Underwriting terms are set by brokers. Occupations are a rating factor.”
The Manchester Students’ Union refused to comment.
Image courtesy of John Greenfield, with thanks.
