Car Insurance for Young Male Drivers

How young male drivers can save money on their car insurance

Ever wondered why young men typically pay so much more for their motor insurance than young women? It's not a sinister plot against the male of the species - it's based on cold, hard statistics. Insurers pay out on more claims from male drivers than females in every age band; and they also pay out on more claims from young drivers than for any other age group, so it's not surprising that they set their premiums accordingly.

Why is car insurance for young male drivers so expensive?

According to road safety campaigners Brake, one reason why car insurance for young male drivers is so high is that 12.5% of British drivers are under 25, but they are involved in 25% of fatal motor accidents.

The figures also show that young drivers are involved in more non-fatal accidents, and they are more likely to have their car stolen or vandalised. Some insurers are so pessimistic about young drivers that they simply won't offer them cover at any price.

Things get worse when you isolate the statistics for men. According to the official Government numbers, 92% of driving convictions and 98% of all convictions for dangerous driving are down to men. Ever made a joke about women drivers? It seems females might have the last laugh, at least when it comes to the premiums they pay for car insurance.

And things aren't getting any better. Insurers are forking out increasing amounts because more people are making fraudulent claims, often involving “staged” accidents, deliberate bumps into innocent motorists at roundabouts and fake injuries such as feigned whiplash. More motorists are also driving without insurance.

Add sky-high fuel prices to this equation and you can see why a reported 66% of motorists have changed their driving habits to save money. According to Sainsbury's Finance, 5% of the British motoring population has actually been forced off the road because of the cost of maintaining and driving their cars. 

Find cheap car insurance for young male drivers

So it is clearly more important than ever before to do everything possible to find the cheapest car insurance for young male drivers available on the market. There are a number of steps you can take to accomplish this: 

• Go for Pass Plus. The Driving Standard Agency's Pass Plus course is designed to make you a better, safer driver. Insurers will be impressed that you have gone to the time, trouble and expense of taking the course and will reward you with a discount of up to 10%. Another option is the Institute of Advanced Motorists Advanced Driving Test.
• Choose a lower level of cover. Comprehensive insurance is the most expensive, but you might be comfortable with, say, third party fire and theft. Check the different amounts of cover provided and the different premiums you might pay.
• Choose a lower performance car. Insurers take the make and model of the car into account when calculating their premiums - you can see a list of the groups of cars at www.thatcham.org. The lower the group your car falls into, the lower your premium. This is even more important when it comes to finding car insurance for young male drivers, as it is important to avoid the 'boy-racer' stereotype.
• Bump up your excess. You can volunteer to increase your excess - the amount you pay towards any claim you make - beyond that set by the insurance company. This will reduce the premium they charge, but be realistic and choose an excess you can afford to pay if necessary.
• Increase security. An alarm and a vehicle tracking device may help you secure decent discounts from the insurer. The same applies if you can park off-road overnight, such as on a drive or in a garage.
• Add named drivers to your policy. If you can add older, more experienced drivers to your policy, it will often result in a reduction in the cost of car insurance for young drivers. However, never be tempted to try “fronting”, where you ask someone older, such as a parent, to take out a policy for your car as the main driver, with you added as a named driver. Fronting is illegal and will land you all in big trouble.
• Pay-as-you-go. Some firms will fit a telematics device, or 'black box', to your car that tells the insurance company where, when and how far you drive. They then charge you accordingly. You can opt to drive fewer miles and restrict yourself to less risky routes and times of the day - avoiding motorways and night-driving, for example - and earn a reduction in the price of cover. Due to the ever increasing price of premiums, this may now be the only feasible option available when it comes to purchasing young drivers car insurance policies for the 5% of motorists who have already admitted to having been forced off the road.

Hope for the future

There is at least a glimmer of good news on the horizon for young male drivers. The European Court of Justice has controversially decreed that from December 2012 it will be illegal for insurance companies to discriminate on the basis of gender when it comes to setting motor insurance premiums. In other words, they will have to ignore the statistics about women being better, safer drivers who submit fewer claims, and find a way to price cover that doesn't take account of the sex of the driver.

The speculation is that women will see their premiums leap by up to 30% while men will see theirs fall by around 10%. But with insurance premium inflation rampant because of all the other factors, saving money will always be a priority.

If you are looking for ideas on how female motorists could overcome these price rises visit our young driver car insurance page.