Car insurance for new drivers

**dorkblatt** · 21-02-2010, 01:52

Been looking for reasonable insurance for my 18 year old new driver - utterly sick = anybody got any tips or help to offer?

Copied from blogs (original entry) - post comments here.

**seanbean** · 21-02-2010, 02:32

You can try comparing meerkats? Endsleigh used to do a good deal for new drivers - but that was a year or so ago.

**scaryspice** · 21-02-2010, 10:21

Unless you're going to tell us the story of your search for insurance this is not a blog is it?

Moved to somewhere more appropriate...

**jeremy996** · 09-03-2010, 16:54

Car insurance for new drivers is always going to be painful and young drivers will almost certainly crash in the first two years. Work on Â£1200 per annum for a low group car less than 1200cc. If they have fantasies of a fast car, forget it now; think small and unfashionable.

As for getting a deal, you'll just have to hawk the idea around the brokers and web comparison sites. Your local walk in broker may be more helpful than you expect as the websites are stealing their business.

A PassPlus certificate may be worth a bit off, potentially more than the course cost.

**Travis_Bickle** · 10-03-2010, 11:59

Just had a quote on Moneysupermarket.com for my lad.

18 years old, held a licence for 2 months and the cheapest quote was over Â£3000 for a W plate 1.1 Peugeot 206!

I had to go through the whole quote process again to check that I'd not had a quote for a Ferrari or something.

How the hell are new drivers supposed to afford to run a car legally with prices like that? The car is only worth about Â£500 FFS

wevers · 10-03-2010, 12:02

Originally Posted by Travis_Bickle

Just had a quote on Moneysupermarket.com for my lad.

18 years old, held a licence for 2 months and the cheapest quote was over Â£3000 for a W plate 1.1 Peugeot 206!

I had to go through the whole quote process again to check that I'd not had a quote for a Ferrari or something.

How the hell are new drivers supposed to afford to run a car legally with prices like that? The car is only worth about Â£500 FFS

The same way as new House buyers are supposed to afford their first mortgage........

**Sympathetic_Reaction** · 10-03-2010, 12:07

get a different car....don't know if it still works but both my brother and I had classics as our first cars (1977 MG Midget and 1980 Mini) first years fully comp insurance through Lancaster ins. was Â£350 for me (21, 3 points, 0 no claims discount) and Â£500 for my brother (18, less than a year after passing his test).

I saved more in the first 3 years on insurance premiums than it cost me to buy and run the car - even after the engine change!!

S_R

**Travis_Bickle** · 10-03-2010, 12:10

Originally Posted by Sympathetic_Reaction

get a different car....don't know if it still works but both my brother and I had classics as our first cars (1977 MG Midget and 1980 Mini) first years fully comp insurance through Lancaster ins. was Â£350 for me (21, 3 points, 0 no claims discount) and Â£500 for my brother (18, less than a year after passing his test).

I saved more in the first 3 years on insurance premiums than it cost me to buy and run the car - even after the engine change!!

S_R

Thanks, hadn't thought of the classic route.

It'll give him a good chance to get his hands dirty too when it packs up on him :D

**shenanigans1985** · 10-03-2010, 12:16

I was 17 when i bought my first vehicle found it was cheaper to buy and insure a wee escort 1.8 diesle van without liability insurance from more than

**nesstech** · 07-05-2010, 21:56

Blatant ad removed.

**socialdespatch** · 07-05-2010, 22:44

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.

**smoother_mover** · 08-05-2010, 08:24

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!).

**Krek_Brizzle** · 08-05-2010, 08:30

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 Â£570 with a Â£500 excess.

**runway** · 08-05-2010, 10:08

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.

**PAXBloke** · 09-05-2010, 17:39

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.