Car insurance doubles for new drivers

Car insurance is costing us all more but, for new drivers, prices have risen considerably. We’ve got figures to show the most popular models for new drivers and how much it costs to insure these motors.

Newly qualified drivers get a tough time when it comes to using Britain’s roads with new figures showing that car insurance costs have doubled in the last year for these motorists.

Add to this soaring petrol prices and it’s no surprise that the most popular cars among driver with ‘P’ plates are small, economical models. But even these small cars still aren’t cheap to insure.

Information from Confused.com customer quotes in 2011 shows that a new driver can now expect to pay around £2,000, or more, to insure a small hatchback.

That’s risen dramatically in just a year if we compare the same stats from 2010.

This time last year, the cheapest premium for a new driver insuring a Ford Ka for a year came in under £900. Now the best quote for a newly qualified driver wanting to insure a Ford Ka has soared to more than £1,900.

The model of cars popular among drivers has changed too with a few new models making an appearance in the top 10 for the first time.

Popular cars for new drivers

In 2010 the top choices for a new driver were the Ford Fiesta, Fiat Punto and the Renault Clio.

But now these models have dropped off of the list with newer, potentially more economical cars, storming the charts.

Knocking the Vauxhall Corsa off of the top spot, the Fiat 500 Pop now tops the list of most popular vehicles for a newly qualified driver, based on 6 months of quotes from Confused.com during the first half of 2011. It might be cheaper to run, with cheap tax and no gas guzzling engine, but it will still cost more than £1,786 to insure if you’re new to the road.

Also making the top ten were newer cars such as the Honda Jazz and the Citroen C3. Bigger motors like the Vauxhall Zafira and Citroen Xsara also make an appearance in the list.

Confused.com’s head of car insurance, Gareth Kloet said: “The Fiat 500 is a new favourite with freshly qualified drivers - this model didn’t appear at all in the Confused.com top ten for new drivers last year. The popularity of these cars may have been led by their use by many driving instructors, and also by the relatively cheap insurance cost compared to other small cars.

“Getting reasonably-priced car insurance can be a nightmare for younger drivers and with rising premiums it’s more important to compare prices now than ever before.”

For the full list of Confused.com’s top 10 most popular cars for new drivers, as well as how much these vehicles cost to insure, see the tables below.

*Savings based on online independent research, Consumer Intelligence (May ’11). 50% of consumers, aged 17 - 25, could make this saving.

Sorting out car insurance can be hard for young drivers. Check out our 30-second video guide to find out how to get the best deal: