DRIVERS in the Scottish Borders are facing bigger price hikes for car insurance than motorists in any other part of the UK.

But they still have the lowest average premiums in the country.

A major study by price comparison site Confused.com showed the Scottish Borders - which also includes Dumfries & Galloway - was hit with a 27 per cent increase in the cost of car insurance over the past 12 months.

The average for the whole of the UK was 18 per cent.

Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at Confused.com, told the Border Telegraph: “Scottish drivers have experienced some of the steepest rises in car insurance costs of any part of the UK over recent months, with quarterly hikes of up to 13 per cent in some cases.

"Meanwhile, across the whole of the UK car insurance prices are at tipping point and very soon we expect it will be the norm for drivers to be paying the highest prices ever for their premiums."

Confused.com’s 2017 car insurance price index found that premiums in the Borders have gone up by an average of £129 (27 per cent) in the space of 12 months.

By comparison, prices in both inner and outer London regions have risen by just 15 per cent over the same period.

But with an average premium of £608, premiums in the Borders region typically remain the lowest in the UK.

The rate of the increase is mainly being attributed to extra pressures recently imposed upon the insurance industry.

The Ogden rate cut, which sees insurers potentially paying out more for personal injury claims, was introduced this year.

And an increase in Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) arrived in June.

Ms Stretton added: "Since April this year, insurers are required to show drivers at renewal what they paid for their car insurance last year.

"So, being able to compare the amount they paid the year before, and armed with the knowledge that prices are rising across the board, motorists are better equipped than ever to shop around.

"As many as half of drivers can save up to £284 by shopping around at Confused.com, so drivers wanting to make savings should take note of their renewal price and take a few minutes to get a comparable quote online.”