Finding the best car insurance for new drivers and younger drivers
New drivers’ insurance for cars is notoriously expensive – find out why and what you can do to lessen the blow and find cheaper insurance for young drivers.
The latest data shows that average premiums for young drivers aged 17 to 22 are up to £1,771 (AA British Insurance Premium Index July 2017).
And with insurers calculating car insurance premiums based on risk, the cost of young drivers insurance is only heading in one direction.
Why is young drivers car insurance so expensive?
The main reason car insurance for young drivers is so expensive is the risk the insurer takes — statistics show that young drivers are far more likely to be involved in accidents than drivers over the age of 25, with insurance premiums calculated to reflect the stats.
AA research shows that one in eight British drivers is aged 25 and under, with a quarter of all drivers involved in serious traffic collisions within this age group.
As well as being more likely to have an accident, young and new drivers often have to pay more for their car insurance because they haven’t had the chance to build up a no claims bonus over time.
This makes cheap car insurance for young drivers quite difficult to find, but you can compare insurance policies from different providers for new driver cover on uSwitch:
How to find the best cheap car insurance for young drivers
There are a number of things you can do if you’re struggling with the high cost of car insurance for young drivers:
Find the cheapest cars to insure
Many things can impact the cost of young driver insurance and one of the first places to look at is the car itself.
Insurers place cars into individual insurance groups from 1 to 50. Typically, if the car is in group 1 it will be amongst the cheapest to insure and 50 will be the most expensive. Cars are rated on the following factors:
- How quickly the car accelerates and its top speed
- The value of the car as new
- The security features the car has
- How much it will cost and how long it will take to fix if it is broken
- How much the individual parts cost
You can learn more about the type of cars which attract the cheapest insurance premiums by reading our guide to the cheapest cars to insure.
Increase your excess
Choosing to pay a higher excess — the amount you have to pay up front if you make a claim – could significantly lower the cost of young driver insurance.
However think realistically about whether you could afford to pay that lump sum if you end up needing to make a claim.
Don’t pay for what you don’t need
With a number of different types of car insurance policy out there, it pays to get an idea of what level you require. Don’t pay extra for what you don’t need.
The minimum level of cover to legally drive in the UK is third party car insurance. This will cover costs in repairs or injuries to any third party affected by an accident you cause. Any costs to your own car however will not be covered.
With a third party car insurance policy you will also not be compensated if your car is stolen or damaged. If you live in an area where theft and vandalism is common then you might want to consider getting third party, fire and theft cover.
As with regular third party insurance however, third party fire and theft won’t cover any injury costs or repair costs to your vehicle in the event of an accident. To get this level of cover, opt for a fully comprehensive insurance policy.
Take some time to consider what level of cover you need. Also, make sure you compare the whole car insurance market as you may be surprised at which level of cover comes out cheapest.
Add an experienced second driver to the policy
Adding an experienced and older named driver to the policy is another effective way to bring down the cost. This way the insurer is reassured that the young person will not be the only one driving the car, which reduces the chances of an accident occurring.
However, be careful of ‘fronting’. The car must be in the name of the main driver of the vehicle, otherwise you are breaking the law and any claims you make will be turned down and your insurance invalidated.
Don’t pay per month
It may not be possible for many young drivers to fork out the cost for car insurance in one go, but if this option is open to you, take it, as you could pay less in total by not paying in monthly instalments.
Telematics/Black box insurance
If you’re a careful driver, telematics (or black box insurance as it’s also known) could be the right move for you.
A telematics box will be installed in your car (or an app installed on your phone) that can monitor how and when you drive.
The technology measures factors like speed, mileage and braking and paints a picture of how safe a driver you are. So if you’re a safe driver and stick well within the speed limits then you could get your hands on cheap young driver insurance.
In fact, drivers aged 17-21 with zero no claims could save an average of £1,282 by choosing black box insurance over a standard policy (based on quotes generated by uSwitch between November 2016 and January 2017).
Some black box policies work more like pay-as-you-go mobile phone plans, where you can top up the number of miles you plan to cover.
Read more about black box insurance in our guide.
Make your car secure
Make your car more secure by adding security features such as an alarm and try to keep it out of harm’s way as much as possible. If you can park your car off the street, or even better — in a garage, then you will very likely see the quotes fall in price.
New drivers insurance
It is not just young drivers that are faced with sky-high premiums, new drivers insurance is similarly expensive. Ultimately, it comes down to the providers taking a risk on your inexperience.
New drivers of any age are often cited in statistics that show them being more likely to have an accident than their more experienced counterparts.
This often means that new driver insurance is likely to have the high premiums often associated with car insurance for young drivers.
You can read our guide to cheap car insurance for new drivers to learn more.
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