The average price for fully comprehensive car cover rose by 2.5 per cent between July and September, from £402 to £412, as more Brits took to the roads for work, according to MoneySuperMarket.

Despite this, annual prices are still down by 10.4 per cent – equivalent to £48.

Looking at premiums nationally, drivers in London continue to pay the most, shelling out £595 on average.

Drivers in the capital are followed by those in the North West, who pay an average of £489 and those in the West Midlands who fork out £477.

Drivers in the South West pay the least at £298.

Regionally, the East Midlands has seen the biggest annual increase, with a rise of 4.5 per cent – equivalent to an average jump of £17.

When it comes to age, younger drivers aged 17-19, 21-24 and 25-29 were the only age groups to see quarterly price falls of 1 per cent (£3), 1.6 per cent (£13) and 1.6 per cent (£10), respectively.

All other age groups saw price rises, with drivers aged 40-49 seeing the highest quarterly premium increases of 1.8 per cent, equivalent to £7.

Kate Devine, car insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket, said: “Following significant drops in average premiums prices at the start of the year, prices might be on the rise as the economy re-opens and more of us return to our cars.

“Regionally, we continue to see big differences in costs with cities like London seeing higher premiums than more rural places such as the South West. This is because insurers factor in a driver’s location when pricing policies – so if you’re in a built up area, you’re perceived as having higher exposure to accident risk.

“Age, too, also has a bearing, with drivers aged 40 plus seeing the biggest premium increases. This is probably due to older drivers being on the roads more which increases their risk factors.”