Car insurance for young drivers

Young drivers in the UK regularly find that after paying for expensive driving lessons and tests, it's also difficult to find cheap car insurance. This is because statistically, new and young motorists are much more likely to be involved in an accident, so insurers cover this additional risk with higher prices:

Insurers base their premiums on lots of different factors, and understanding them could help you get cheaper quotes:

• The car you’re insuring: Its age, engine size, value and average repair cost all contribute to a car's recommended insurance group. These groups influence premiums, with lower groups generally meaning cheaper quotes. You’ll find more information in our guide to car insurance groups.
• Information about you: Your age; where you live; how long you’ve been driving; whether you have any driving convictions; number of years no-claims bonus you have, and number of claims you've made are just some of the factors insurers will take into account. You’ll find more in our guide to how premiums are calculated.
• The type of cover you’re looking for: Whether that’s comprehensive, third-party, or third-party, fire and theft, the level of cover you choose will influence price. Comprehensive cover isn't always the most expensive, so check all the options before you buy.
• The level of excess you’re looking for: Your excess is the amount you agree to pay in the event of a claim, before your insurer begins picking up any costs. It’s important to remember that you should only agree on an excess that you could afford to pay after an accident.

These factors will apply to drivers of all ages. But because this information alone isn’t enough to base a quote on, insurers also have to use statistical data from all of their customers to determine the level of risk.

Industry statistics show higher accident levels among teenage and young drivers (under 25s), which means they’re generally a higher risk to insure.

It’s understood that younger drivers are involved in more accidents as behind the wheel as they’re more likely to take risks. Also with less driving experience - they're less likely to spot potential hazards.

The road-safety charity Brake has compiled some hard facts about young drivers. These include:

• One in four 18-24 year olds (23%) crash within two years of passing their driving test.
• Drivers aged 16-19 are more than twice as likely to die in a road crash than drivers aged 40-49. 

Rather than waiting a couple of years to build up your no-claims bonus, there are other ways you can reduce the amount you pay for young driver insurance.Take a look at our list of top tips to cheaper car insurance below:

• Your choice of car: 

  Your cars value type and engine size all make a difference to your insurance premium. The general rule is, the smaller the car the lower the premium. If you haven’t bought a car yet, check quotes for the vehicles you’re considering.

• Fit a security device: 

  A car fitted with a security device like an alarm immobiliser or a tracker means that it’s less likely to be broken into or stolen. By keeping your car secure insurance companies are more likely to offer you a cheaper quote.

• Type of cover: 

  Many drivers looking for cheaper car insurance instinctively opt for third party fire & theft cover, but with many higher risk drivers looking for cheaper cover, the average price of these policies is being pushed up. Don’t simply assume a third party policy will be cheaper, make sure you also check comprehensive cover to see if there's a difference in price.

• No 'one size fits all': 

  Don’t choose the same insurer as your partner, family member or friend as there’s no one size fits all when it comes to cover. The price of your premium depends on a number of factors, including your age and driving history. With each insurer using its own statistical data to set prices, the price you pay will vary from company to company.

• Pay a higher excess: 

  The excess is the first part of a claim that is paid by you, increasing the amount you’ll pay in voluntary excess can lower your premiums.

• Additional driver: 

  If you’re an inexperienced driver, adding someone with more experience like a parent to your policy could bring down the cost, however if you lie to your insurer about who the main driver is it could invalidate your policy.

• Check your mileage: 

  The number of miles you drive each year could have a big impact on your premiums, if you’re unsure of the number of miles you drive you can get an estimate by comparing the mileage on your last 2 MOT certificates, or you can use an online mileage calculator to stop you from over insuring.

• Keep your licence clean: 

  Having points on your license will likely increase the cost of your cover so make sure you drive responsibly and keep your license clean.

• Telematics/black box: 

  Instead of paying for insurance based on the average driver, telematics insurance is based on when and how you drive and you can’t say fairer than that. If you’re frustrated on having to pay high car insurance premiums then having a black box fitted could be the answer to your problems.

• Shop around: 

  With so much competition in the market you’re more likely to find an affordable quote if you shop around. By using an online price comparison site like confused.com, you can quickly find a list of the cheapest car insurance quotes tailored for you.

Finding cheap car insurance quotes for young drivers isn’t always easy. As well as potentially paying a hefty sum for insurance, it could be the car you drive that contributes to a higher premium.

If a car is ranked in a high insurance group, it can be one of the major factors why car insurance for new drivers can be so expensive. Insurance groups are ranked 1 to 50 – and typically the higher the group, the higher the premium will be.

This is because cars in higher groups tend to be more expensive to repair or replace.

Factors that affect the grouping of a car include:

• Performance: A car’s acceleration and top speed tend to be important factors in how likely people are to claim.
• New car price: The more expensive a new car is, typically the higher the cost of replacement.
• Parts pricing: The cost of replacing car parts if involved in an accident. There’s a standard list of 23 parts that are considered the most commonly damaged.
• Security: How secure the car is against theft. Better standard-fit security could help the car be placed into a lower insurance group.

If you'd like to find out more, you can read our article on car insurance groups.

We understand that finding a cheap car to insure for young or new drivers that still ticks all the boxes can be difficult. However, it can be equally as difficult to find a car they won’t be embarrassed to be seen in, so we’ve taken a look at the best cars for 17 year olds.

It’s a legal requirement to have some form of insurance on your car. But when it comes to picking a policy type, there are a few different options to consider. Cost will vary across the range, as will the level of protection they offer.

• Learner driver policy: If you’re still on a provisional licence and need to practice driving alongside private lessons, a learner driver policy can provide cover for you while you learn. See our learning to drive page for more information.
• Fully comprehensive policy: Although this can prove expensive for young and new drivers, it does offer the greatest level of protection and covers you against accidents regardless of fault. For more information, see our guide to fully comprehensive car insurance.
• Third-party: This is the minimum amount of cover you legally need to drive. It covers you in the event you cause damage to someone else’s property, but doesn't cover repairs, theft or fire damage to your own car. Our guide to third-party insurance provides more information on third-party policies.
• Third-party, fire and theft (TPFT): As the name suggests, third-party fire and theft is an expanded level of cover that protects you against damage caused to someone else’s property, but also includes cover for your car against fire or theft. For more information, take a look at our TPFT guide.
• Black box or telematics policy: Available from selected insurance providers, these policies involve fitting a small device to your car that monitors how well you drive. Once enough data has been captured, it's then used to calculate your insurance premium. These policies are often particularly useful to new and young drivers. To fully understand how telematics works and whether it might be an option for you, take a look at our telematics explained guide.