Car insurance in Scotland
Where you live and park is one of the factors insurers use to price car insurance, alongside your age and experience, the car, your mileage and your claims history. (MoneyHelper) Here is how Scotland compares on the public figures linked to car insurance claims.
At a glance
Scotland recorded 11.6 vehicle crimes per 10,000 people (2025-26).
The local figures
Vehicle crime
11.6 per 10,000 people
Vehicle crime recorded by the police. Theft claims are one of the costs insurers price for. Theft of a motor vehicle and theft from a locked motor vehicle, including attempts. Thefts from unlocked vehicles are published only for Scotland as a whole, so they are not included. Scottish crime is recorded under different rules from the rest of the UK, so compare only with other areas in Scotland.
2025-26 · Scottish Government: Recorded Crime in Scotland 2025-26, Table 1
Road casualties
100 per 100,000 people
People injured or killed in collisions reported to the police. Counted where the collision happened, not where the person lives. Small areas can swing a lot from year to year.
2025 · Department for Transport: Road Safety Data (STATS19), 2025
Killed or seriously injured
36.8 per 100,000 people
The more serious road casualties. Killed plus seriously injured (as reported by the police), counted where the collision happened.
2025 · Department for Transport: Road Safety Data (STATS19), 2025
Households without a car or van
26.4%
From the census. Shows how much the area relies on cars; it is context, not something insurers price on.
Census 2022 · National Records of Scotland: Scotland's Census 2022, UV405
What this means for your premium
These figures describe the area, not you. Insurers use their own data to price risk, and where you live is one input among many, so two drivers on the same street can be quoted very differently. A higher local theft or casualty rate doesn't mean your premium will be higher; it shows the kind of claims insurers in this area have to cover.
What you can control: the cover level, your excess, security, where the car is kept overnight, and telling your insurer the truth about all of it. A wrong answer about where the car is kept can invalidate a claim.
Our car insurance guide explains each factor.
Council areas in Scotland
| Area | Vehicle crime per 10,000 people | Road casualties per 100,000 people | Killed or seriously injured per 100,000 people | Households without a car or van % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dundee City | 27.2 | 116 | 36.4 | 35.7% |
| City of Edinburgh | 22.7 | 112 | 28.8 | 37.7% |
| West Lothian | 15.2 | 133 | 45.4 | 20.8% |
| Midlothian | 14.9 | 76 | 28.9 | 19.5% |
| Glasgow City | 14.2 | 113 | 37.9 | 43.7% |
| East Lothian | 13.9 | 69 | 21.5 | 18.9% |
| Aberdeen City | 12.9 | 33 | 17.8 | 30.7% |
| West Dunbartonshire | 12.0 | 78 | 37.4 | 31.7% |
| North Lanarkshire | 11.9 | 78 | 26.5 | 26.1% |
| Falkirk | 11.4 | 64 | 24.3 | 21.2% |
| Stirling | 11.3 | 115 | 40.4 | 19.5% |
| Angus | 10.8 | 107 | 48.0 | 20.0% |
| Renfrewshire | 10.1 | 86 | 35.4 | 27.9% |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 10.0 | 222 | 72.2 | 19.8% |
| Scottish Borders | 10.0 | 96 | 51.4 | 18.1% |
| Fife | 9.9 | 106 | 39.3 | 22.1% |
| South Lanarkshire | 9.9 | 89 | 34.1 | 23.0% |
| North Ayrshire | 9.4 | 87 | 30.7 | 27.5% |
| Inverclyde | 8.8 | 65 | 22.9 | 30.9% |
| East Ayrshire | 7.8 | 95 | 31.3 | 23.7% |
| East Dunbartonshire | 7.4 | 55 | 19.2 | 16.8% |
| East Renfrewshire | 7.3 | 82 | 30.0 | 15.8% |
| Moray | 6.5 | 69 | 42.2 | 17.4% |
| Perth and Kinross | 6.1 | 152 | 56.2 | 18.9% |
| Argyll and Bute | 5.6 | 133 | 53.8 | 20.3% |
| Orkney Islands | 5.5 | 41 | 22.8 | 16.8% |
| Highland | 4.6 | 165 | 65.8 | 18.1% |
| South Ayrshire | 4.3 | 98 | 44.5 | 22.3% |
| Clackmannanshire | 3.7 | 52 | 15.5 | 21.7% |
| Na h-Eileanan Siar | 3.1 | 70 | 15.5 | 18.6% |
| Aberdeenshire | 2.8 | 71 | 40.4 | 13.3% |
| Shetland Islands | 1.8 | 48 | 17.6 | 16.1% |
Sources and method
- Scottish Government: Recorded Crime in Scotland 2025-26, Table 1 OGL v3.0
- Department for Transport: Road Safety Data (STATS19), 2025 OGL v3.0
- National Records of Scotland: Scotland's Census 2022, UV405 OGL v3.0
- ONS: Population estimates for the UK, mid-2025 OGL v3.0 · population used for the rates
- MoneyHelper: Car insurance, what you need to know
Rates are worked out from the published counts and the area's population. Areas are council areas as defined by the Office for National Statistics. Boundaries: Office for National Statistics, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. How we work.