Injury payouts are 17 TIMES higher in the UK than other EU countries – and it's hiking YOUR premiums

BRITISH motorists are being fleeced for car insurance when compared with European neighbours, a new report finds.

Personal injury payouts in the united kingdom are 17 times greater than in other EU countries, sending annual premiums – specifically for young drivers – through the roof.

The "UK phenomenon" of bogus whiplash claims driven by claims management companies and large rises in Insurance Premium Tax are also to blame for soaring costs.

Meeting long-term care costs for those with "catastrophic" injuries from car crashes can lead to lb10million payouts in the united kingdom.

Much greater than lb6m in France and Germany with compensation as little as lb600,000 in Sweden.

A European-wide comparison of insurance markets found the huge differences were caused by the proportion of medical and care costs paid for by the government or insurers.

The RAC Foundation study said recent changes to how compensation is calculated would widen the space even more with UK insurers required to make even bigger up-front lump sum payment payments .

Nick Starling, former director of general insurance in the Association of British Insurers (ABI), conducted your research.

He said: "A European-wide comparison of insurance markets found the large differences were brought on by the proportion of medical and care costs paid for through the government or insurers."

It's not just reason insurance is higher in the UK than other countries with prices a lot more regulated abroad to prevent huge fluctuations.

Foreign insurers also take into account vehicle type as the start point for any policy instead of age and experience.

The age drivers can get behind the wheel is often higher elsewhere reducing the risk to insurers compared to the UK where 17-year-olds could be on the road.

Third party cover can also be more prevalent in Europe and is often cheaper than fully comprehensive.

By comparison, fully comp is usually cheaper in the UK as those only choosing third party cover are considered a higher risk.

Steve Gooding, director from the RAC Foundation, said: "All of the signs are that we pay more for the insurance than our continental cousins.

"Everyone ought to pay a good price for insurance, but when individuals are priced from the market the risk is they decide to drive uninsured and that's a danger to us all."