The cost of your car insurance policy could go up depending on how many optional extras are fitted to your vehicle, according to a new report.

Peter Shaw, CEO of insurance research company Thatcham Research, told Auto Express that motorists may soon be legally required to list every single optional extra in their car.

Depending on the amount and expense of those extras, motorists could suffer significant car insurance premium increases as they’re costly for insurers to fix or replace in the event of a claim.

Mr Shaw said that complex accessories like driver assistance systems powered by radar sensors, have been partly responsible for repair costs rising by 32 per cent on average in the last three years.

£5,000 for headlight replacement

Despite the fact that increasing numbers of cars now come fitted with such devices as standard, insurance companies are still largely unsure of exactly which owners have such features.

In order to underwrite policies accurately, Mr Shaw says that insurance companies will need access to information on all optional extras, with more costly extras resulting in more costly premiums.

Thatcham’s research claims that popular options like laser headlights can cost up to £5,000 for insurance companies to fix, compared with £2,000 for regular LED lights.

Similarly, a replacement windscreen for a standard Ford Focus costs £212, though for Focus models fitted with optional windscreen-mounted sensors this cost rises to £473.

Car insurance premium increases 2017

Earlier this year, Car Keys reported that the price of motorists’ insurance premiums is already on the rise thanks to the more complex technologies fitted to modern vehicles.

The weakening pound also means that ordering spare parts from overseas is now more expensive, while insurance costs have also been driven up by increases to the Insurance Premium Tax.

The government has said that it’s currently working on plans to cap compensation payments to accident victims, however, a move which it claims could reduce premiums by £40 a year on average.