Student car insurance

Student car insurance is largely the same as regular car insurance. You'll get the same level of cover whether you're a student or not.

Where it might differ is in the price you pay. Students are often seen as riskier to insure for a number of reasons. Sadly, this can lead to higher premiums for them.

But what about just not declaring your status as a student when taking out a policy? Could this be a way to get cheaper insurance?

In short, no. This is known as fronting, a form of insurance fraud.

Get caught fronting and you could face a driving ban, points on your licence and even a criminal record. So it's simply not worth it.

There are three levels of car insurance for students to choose from:

• Third-party insurance is the minimum amount of cover you legally need to drive. It covers damage caused to someone else’s property, but doesn't cover repairs, theft or fire damage to your own car.
• Third-party, fire and theft protects you against damage caused to someone else’s property, but also includes cover for your car against fire or theft.
• Comprehensive insurance offers the highest level of protection, covering you and your car as well as other people and their property. Although it offers the most protection, comprehensive car insurance can sometimes be the cheapest option.

² Universities have been taken from the 2020 UniRank league table. We've added just one London University as all would show the same car insurance premium. Price is based on West Central London.

³ Confused.com price insurance index Q4 2022.

The exact cost of your student car insurance is not just down to your age. It’s based on a variety of factors like:

• Your driving history, as points and past claims make you appear riskier to insure
• The car you drive and its insurance group are known to affect what you pay

   

• Your uni's location as uni towns and cities often have a higher rate of car theft

   

This table shows the average comprehensive policy price for a selection of the top universities in the UK.

The prices shown are an average across all age ranges, and not just student car insurance quotes.

Insurers consider many factors when working out how much you’ll pay for insurance. This includes things like your age, where you live and the car you drive.

This can leave many wondering how to get cheaper car insurance.

But don't worry. Here are a few things you could do to help save yourself some money:

• Shop around and avoid auto renewal
• Think about the car you drive
• Consider a black-box policy
• Add a named driver
• Accurately estimate your mileage
• Pay upfront
• Increase your excess
• Avoid modifications
• Consider pay per mile insurance
• Take an advanced driver course

Shop around and avoid auto renewal as insurers don’t always reward loyalty, so there’s a chance the price they offer you will be more than what you paid last year.

Think about the car you drive as cars in high car insurance groups can be pricier to insure than those in lower ones. 

Consider black box insurance or a telematics insurance policy, as these may be cheaper than standard car insurance policies.

Add a named driver to your policy, as this may cut your premiums.

Pay upfront as it can be as much as 16%⁴ cheaper to pay for your insurance in one go, rather than in monthly installments.

Accurately estimate your mileage as over-estimating could increase your price. The average is about 6,500⁴.

Increase your voluntary excess as the more you're willing to pay, the cheaper your policy is likely to be.

Avoid car modifications as most are likely to bump up the cost of your insurance.

Consider pay per mile insurance, also known as pay as you go car insurance, as these policies only bill you for the miles you drive.

Take an advanced driver course as insurers may offer you a lower price if you do.

⁴Based on Confused.com data Jan 2022 - Jun 2022