Car insurance for 17 year olds

Young drivers may find themselves paying over the odds for insurance as many insurers class them as a high-risk group. This is for a number of reasons - a big one being a lack of driving experience at such a young age.

The good news is that, in an attempt to address high prices, some insurers offer telematics or black box policies. These are aimed at making driving more affordable and accessible to drivers normally considered to be high-risk. 

Black box policies involve fitting a small box to your car which measures and analyses your driving style, particularly:

• Speed
• Handling 
• Braking

If you drive carefully you could prove to insurers that you're a safe driver. This could result in lower insurance costs for you.

Some telematics policies allow you to use a mobile app or plug-in device to monitor your driving. The data is then fed back to your insurer, who may offer you a discount based on your driving.

*Average based on a telematics vs standard car insurance policy for a 17-year-old main driver. Confused.com data - December 2018.

For most teenagers, turning 17 is a great time in your life. For starters it’s the first year you can legally learn to drive.

• If you're already taking driving lessons or about to start learning to drive, you can find lots of useful information on our learning to drive page.

Passing your driving test can give you a sense of independence and freedom. But for many 17 year olds this driving freedom can come at a pretty hefty price.

Despite having countless lessons and passing their driving test, most 17 year olds are still inexperienced drivers. This means insurers see them as more of a risk and therefore adjust policy prices to take this into account.

This isn't just the opinion of insurance companies. There are hard statistics to support the link between young drivers and accident rates.

Road safety charity Brake reported that:

• One in four 18-24 year olds (23%) crash within two years of passing their driving test.
• Young male drivers are involved in many more crashes than young female drivers.

Accident statistics are not the only factors taken into consideration when calculating prices. Others include:

• The car you drive
• Where you live
• How you use your car
• Your excess
• Who is insured to drive your car
• Your policy type

One factor that can positively influence the price of insurance is your no-claims bonus. Unfortunately as a young inexperienced driver, it takes patience and careful driving to build up a no-claims bonus.

For more tips, take a look at our guide on how to drive down the cost of your car insurance.