When buying car insurance, you’ll be asked to estimate your annual mileage.
In this guide, we’ll explain how to make an annual car insurance mileage estimate and why it’s important. We’ve even included an approximate annual car mileage conversion table to help.
How to estimate your annual mileage
To estimate your annual mileage, start by making a note of the number of miles you drive in a typical week, then multiply by 52 before rounding up to the nearest 1,000 miles.
Think about your regular driving, such as a commute and taking kids to activities.
This will give you an indication of approximately how many miles your drive per year.
For example, if someone drives 10 miles a day Monday to Friday and around 40 miles at weekends, that’s about 90 miles a week. Multiply by 52 to get 4,680 miles a year. Rounding up gives an approximate annual mileage of 5,000 miles.
Be careful not to underestimate your mileage, as small changes can make a pretty big difference. Just an extra 5 miles per day (Monday to Friday) will see the approximate annual mileage increase to 6,000 miles.
Approximate annual mileage conversion table
To see how changes to your weekly mileage add up over a year, check out this annual mileage conversion table.
| Weekly mileage | Annual mileage |
| 10 | 520 |
| 20 | 1040 |
| 30 | 1560 |
| 40 | 2080 |
| 50 | 2600 |
| 60 | 3120 |
| 70 | 3640 |
| 80 | 4160 |
| 90 | 4680 |
| 100 | 5200 |
| 110 | 5720 |
| 120 | 6240 |
| 130 | 6760 |
| 140 | 7280 |
| 150 | 7800 |
| 160 | 8320 |
| 170 | 8840 |
| 180 | 9360 |
| 190 | 9880 |
| 200 | 10400 |
| 210 | 10920 |
| 220 | 11440 |
| 230 | 11960 |
| 240 | 12480 |
| 250 | 13000 |
| 260 | 13520 |
| 270 | 14040 |
| 280 | 14560 |
| 290 | 15080 |
| 300 | 15600 |
| 310 | 16120 |
| 320 | 16640 |
| 330 | 17160 |
| 340 | 17680 |
| 350 | 18200 |
| 360 | 18720 |
| 370 | 19240 |
| 380 | 19760 |
| 390 | 20280 |
| 400 | 20800 |
Remember these figures are a guide only.
If your driving pattern changes - you change jobs and have a shorter or longer daily commute - then you’ll need to update your estimate.
Frequently asked questions
How do insurers use annual mileage?
Insurers use your estimated annual mileage to help calculate the price of your insurance policy. The mileage helps them to assess your level of risk.
If you drive more miles a year, that means you spend more time on the road. The more time you spend on the road, the greater the risk of your car being involved in a claim.
What happens if I underestimate my mileage?
When buying or renewing your insurance, always try to be accurate when estimating your yearly mileage.
Underestimating your annual mileage could affect your cover or make a difference to how a claim is handled. It could even invalidate your policy.
You don’t want to overestimate your mileage either, as this could leave you paying more than you need to for your insurance. That’s why it’s important to think carefully about how many miles you do.
How can I check my mileage from my MOT certificate?
For an accurate record of the miles your car has been driven in a 12-month period, you can check your mileage figures on your MOT.
Look at the mileage recorded on your last two MOT certificates (they should be about 12 months apart) and work out the difference. If your driving pattern has remained consistent, this number should provide a pretty good estimate for your mileage.
