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.