Best bet I've found, having been through it three times now is for them to be insured in their own right on a small car whilst a learner, the insurance will double (at least) when they pass their test, but the non-qualified time counts towards their no-claims and the insurance drops drastically at renewal.

Originally Posted by socialdespatch

Best bet I've found, having been through it three times now is for them to be insured in their own right on a small car whilst a learner, the insurance will double (at least) when they pass their test, but the non-qualified time counts towards their no-claims and the insurance drops drastically at renewal.

It's surprising, but if you add a full-licence holding parent as an additional driver, this will often reduce the premium - but it's important that the learner is listed as the main driver (because, that's what he or she is!).

Go to Bell, get an accelerated no-claims policy (ten months instead of twelve). Ramp up the voluntary excess. Put his mum on (assuming she has no claims/tickets) as a named driver (not as main driver as this is very naughty). Then tell him to drive very carefully for at least the next five years.

I'm 25 with a clean licence (but one fault claim for a minor RTA three years ago). Comp insurance for a 1.4 with a very solid security system still cost me £570 with a £500 excess.

It's surprising, but if you add a full-licence holding parent as an additional driver, this will often reduce the premium - but it's important that the learner is listed as the main driver (because, that's what he or she is!).[/quote]

Sorry quote didn't work I think this was Smoothmover's suggestion.

We added both parents (full no-claims, no points) as additional drivers for our 21 yr old daughter who had been driving for less than a month. It brought her ins. down considerably (elephant.com). There was also a similar thread post on the Parents chat forum you might find a few tips there.

Old bangers with a young male driver will normally draw a very high premium.

That is because the underwriter is more worried about the luxury car that young drivers often hit and write off than the banger itself.

Every is based on the statistics so if, as mentioned above, you do something different then you may avoid the bad stats and find something affordable.

Have a look at the Institute of Advanced Motorists or RoSPA.

MSR

This is not often likely to apply, but I don't want anyone to get stung by it.

If you pay for the whole year up front by credit/debit card through a broker such as the AA, then do bear in mind you cannot get a refund if you cease to have a need for the insurance during the year, i.e. you may pay £2000 for a year but then need to cancel it after a month.

Guess what, you won't get a penny back. Like I said, doesn't often become necessary, but you should know about this. B@stards.

Some 10 years ago Jnr VOG had the same problem - aged 21, new license , needed car. Found best route was as suggested , a better drivers exam, a new car ( Clio 1200 cc) on low/nil interest credit and first years insurance free. Even then the first years insurance would have been £2/3000 so a new car at £6500 which was sold off after 3 years at £4000 was a bargain. Especially as it had a 3 year warranty, AA cover etc so no surprising costs.

I would think that KIA, Hyundai etc may do such a deal either now or in the near future.

Originally Posted by old_nis

This is not often likely to apply, but I don't want anyone to get stung by it.

If you pay for the whole year up front by credit/debit card through a broker such as the AA, then do bear in mind you cannot get a refund if you cease to have a need for the insurance during the year, i.e. you may pay £2000 for a year but then need to cancel it after a month.

Guess what, you won't get a penny back. Like I said, doesn't often become necessary, but you should know about this. B@stards.

Read the terms and conditions of the insurance before you buy it: people who simply click on the 'I have read the terms and conditions' button automatically without reading it are muppets. Yes, it is effing dull (I work in insurance), but it is probably a more important purchase for most people than their mortgage.

Write a letter to the insurer clearly stating the reasons why you have had to cancel your insurance and ask them to return part of the premium. If they ignore your letter then file a complaint with them. If this is still ignored or brushed off then complain to the insurance ombudsman. Total cost to you is the time taken to write a few letters. Next time choose an insurer with more benevolent terms and conditions (a decent broker can help you there).

Why is insurance for young people so high? As stated: they are almost certain to have an accident. The banger may be worth only 500 quid, the Audi A8 it drove into may be worth 80,000 quid, but the insurer really doesn't give a tóss about this petty cash! The real damage comes from bodily injuries.

Claims costs have been rising in recent years for several reasons of which changes to personal injury claims are the most significant. Average awards for quadriplegia are in the range of GBP 1mn to GBP 1.5mn. Of more concern is whiplash, which accounts for more than 60% of all motor personal injury claims with another 20% for related injuries. About 200,000 to 300,000 people every year report whiplash injuries and 2,000 of these result in permanent disability, with the total cost to the motor insurance market put at over GBP 1bn. The Selby train crash in spring 2001 was caused by a vehicle and cost an estimated GBP 50mn; the cost of a similar event in late 2004 has not been made public.

Also, every insured driver is subsidising the uninsured chav scum who pootle around town in their pimped 1.1 Corsa with a baked bean can exhaust. The UK level of uninsured drivers is one of the highest in the EU with around one million uninsured drivers and an estimated cost of GBP 500mn each year or more.

Originally Posted by old_nis

This is not often likely to apply, but I don't want anyone to get stung by it.

If you pay for the whole year up front by credit/debit card through a broker such as the AA, then do bear in mind you cannot get a refund if you cease to have a need for the insurance during the year, i.e. you may pay £2000 for a year but then need to cancel it after a month.

Guess what, you won't get a penny back. Like I said, doesn't often become necessary, but you should know about this. B@stards.

Hi there, I work at the AA and I thought I could help here and clarify that the AA will refund on a pro rata basis, although there is a small cancellation charge.