Young drivers
Young drivers aged 17 to 24 pay the most for car insurance, but there are still good deals to be found
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We compare deals from the biggest brands in the UK so you can get the right car insurance cover for you
1Accurate as of July 2023.
It's quick and easy to compare car insurance quotes. We just need a few details from you:
The car’s registration number if you know it. If not, the make and model is fine. We’ll also need the car’s age and any modifications you’ve made
Social, commuting or business, and how many miles you’ll do in a year. You’ll also need to say where you’ll keep the car at night for security
Including your job, age and your address, plus the same for any additional drivers you may have. We'll also need to know what type of licence you have, how long you've had it, your claims and driving history
Details of your no-claims discount will help lower the prices you get. Use our no-claims discount tool to find out how many years’ no-claims discount your insurer will honour
No two drivers are the same, so you can choose the best car insurance policy for your needs based on three basic levels of cover:
Fully comprehensive is the highest level of cover and usually the cheapest. You’ll be protected against damage, repairs, medical expenses, fire, and theft, as well as third-party liability.
Third-party, fire and theft policies offer cover for other people, their vehicles, and their property, as well as protection for your own car if it were to get stolen, or if it’s damaged by fire.
Third-party cover is the minimum legal requirement you need, and it’s also usually more expensive than fully-comp cover. It covers injuries to other people, and damage to their vehicles and property.
The price of a lot of things has gone up recently and car insurance premiums are no exception. According to ABI, the average car insurance premium in May 2023 was 15% higher than it was in 2022. The average premium for existing policyholders renewing their cover rose to £436 while the average price of new policies increased to £5452.
There are a lot of reasons why you may have seen an increase in your car insurance premiums, including:
Increased energy costs
Increased costs for replacement parts and repairs
Increased value of second-hand vehicles
Changes to your circumstances
For a full overview of why the cost of car insurance has gone up, check out our article 'Why is car insurance suddenly so expensive?'
2ABI.org.uk - 'Above inflation costs for insurers continue to put pressure on motor insurance premiums' - 11/05/2023
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Just purchase your car, home, annual travel insurance or broadband through us and if you find a cheaper like-for-like quote from the same provider, on the same day, we'll refund the difference.
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Car insurance is a legal requirement. If you own or drive a car in the UK, the law says you must have at least third-party only insurance. You must have insurance, even if you don’t drive your car, and you keep it parked on a road, driveway or in a garage. This applies to all drivers, and you can find car insurance for:
Young drivers aged 17 to 24 pay the most for car insurance, but there are still good deals to be found
Everyone on the road needs insurance. Get deals to cover you before and while you get qualified
Drivers over 50 are considered some of the safest on the road and benefit from great car insurance prices
Add up to three additional drivers to your policy to insure them when they drive your vehicle
No matter your age, car insurance will always be more expensive if you’ve recently passed your driving test
Find car insurance policies with extra protection to cover any accessibility modifications
You should be able to find car insurance for most types of cars, but if your wheels are a little out of the ordinary, you might need to get more specialised cover.
HMRC defines a classic car as over 15 years old and valued over £15,000. Premiums are typically cheaper than standard policies because older vehicles have lower speed limits and classic car owners tend to keep their car well looked after, as well as being on the road less often.
Cars built low and designed for performance and high speeds. Premiums tend to be more expensive than standard car insurance because sports cars have more powerful engines and can reach higher speeds, increasing the statistical likelihood of an accident.
An imported car is a model you've bought and had delivered from abroad. They're often more difficult and expensive to insure because they usually cost more to repair, and are often higher-spec, with more powerful engines. They're sometimes modified to fit with UK regulations - all this leads to extra hassle and risk for insurers.
Cars that have had modifications such as custom bodywork or paint jobs, engine upgrades or new wheels. Upgrading your car's appearance, performance, handling or function means that insurers classify it as a greater risk and charge more for your cover.
Cars that run purely on battery power. Electric cars are fairly new to the market, and they use technology that isn’t as wide-spread as standard petrol cars. As such they can be more expensive to repair, and therefore also more expensive to insure.
Cars that are fuel efficient, built with hybrid engines, or rely on alternative fuels. Premiums will depend on your policy, your car and how you drive. Some insurers do offer lower premiums and deals for green car insurance, so do your research before choosing a policy
We use our cars in different ways, so insurance companies provide specialist cover for some specific circumstances:
Standard car insurance won't cover business use, so you need a special policy for work vehicles
This lets you take out temporary car insurance from anywhere between a day and a few months
This car insurance type gives you the option of adding more than one car to your policy
Get a chance to bring your premiums down by installing a black box, which monitors your driving habits.
Lots of different things can affect the price of your car insurance, but in general your premiums usually tend to get cheaper as you get older. That’s because insurance companies think younger drivers have a higher chance of being involved in an accident due to less driving experience.
Fully comprehensive cover is also usually the cheapest option, even though it offers the most cover out of the three options, because younger or newer drivers tend to chose third-party only policies.
Policy type | Average annual cost3 |
|---|---|
Fully comprehensive | £560 |
Third-party, fire and theft | £753 |
Third-party only | £620 |
Age group | Average annual cost4 |
|---|---|
17-19 years old | £1,819 |
30-39 year olds | £575 |
50-64 year olds | £335 |
3Based on annual price of car insurance policies with one driver holding a full UK driving licence for at least 12 months. MoneySuperMarket data, collected in January 2023. Accurate as of February 2023.
4Based on car insurance policies with one driver holding a full UK driving licence. MoneySuperMarket data, collected between July and September 2022. Accurate as of November 2022.
There are different ways to lower your car insurance premiums, and get a cheaper quote:
If you can avoid making claims for smaller things by paying for the repairs or replacements yourself, you can earn a discount on your premiums. The longer you go without claiming, the bigger the discount should be
Modifying your car can often mean more expensive repair costs, or needing spare parts that are harder to get, so you’ll likely pay more to cover these
Telematics policies, sometimes known as black box car insurance, give younger and inexperienced drivers a chance to earn lower premiums by showing that they have sensible driving habits
Your car insurance policy is likely to be renewed automatically when the term ends, but you may be able to find a cheaper deal if you compare quotes from other providers online
Paying an annual lump sum for your car insurance policy may seem like a big initial outlay, but it it typically costs less overall than if you were to pay monthly instalments
Our car monitor keeps an eye on things for you, so you'll never need to overpay or miss a car insurance renewal - download the app
Insurers consider lots of things when they work out how risky you might be – and the more of a risk you pose, the higher the price of your car insurance will be. Considerations include:
Your location: Some postcodes may have higher rates of theft or vandalism than others. Those living in London, for example, pay on average £780 for their yearly premium, while those in Scotland pay only £5015
Your job: Insurers might see some jobs as higher risks, especially if they involve driving a lot of miles or being around heavy machinery
Your mileage: The longer you spend on the road, the more likely you are to be involved in an accident. If you drive infrequently, you could save money with low-mileage cover
Your car make and model: Cars in higher insurance groups usually cost more to cover. Find out which car insurance group your car is in with our car insurance group tool checker
Your car storage and security: Keeping your car in a garage, driveway or car port overnight generally reduces the risk of theft or vandalism
Your driving history: This includes any driving convictions you may have as well as any claims you’ve made on car insurance policies in the past
Your voluntary excess: Volunteering to pay a higher excess fee towards any claim tells insurers you’re less likely to make frivolous claims for low amounts
Any other drivers on your policy: If you’re younger than 25, you might find adding a more experienced driver to your policy brings your premiums down
5Based on car insurance policies with one driver holding a full UK driving licence. MoneySuperMarket data, collected between July and September 2022, accurate as of November 2022
When you take out car insurance, you'll be able to find policies with the following optional extras. But these will make your policy more expensive, so consider whether you really need them:
Pays for the cost of calling out a mechanic if your car breaks down
Gives you access to a replacement vehicle while yours is in for repair
Pays out a lump sum if you’re injured or killed in a road accident
Covers the legal fees you might face in relation to a road accident
Pays for the cost of repairing or replacing a cracked windscreen
Covers the cost of replacing your keys if they’re lost, damaged or stolen
Pays for the necessary repairs you'd need if you accidentally top your car up with the wrong type of fuel
Protects your belongings, which can be handy if you tend to leave them in your car
Protects your no-claims discount by letting you make a certain number of claims within a year before it affects your premiums
Our mission is to make finding cheap car insurance easier – and when you take out cover with MoneySuperMarket you can benefit from:
Everyone deserves to save money, we compare quotes from various providers to get you the best price for you
Our car monitor gives you reminders about your road tax and MOT, as well as shows your MOT history and car valuation – helping you stay up to date, so you never miss a renewal
Our live chat tool is there so our experts can guide you through the car insurance questions, offering tailored support during business hours to help you get the right policy for the right price
*51% of consumers could save up to £451.09. Consumer Intelligence, May 2023. UK Only.
"Don’t let your car insurance policy auto renew without shopping around. Since 2022, car insurers can no longer charge existing customers more than new customers for the same policy, but it’s still worth comparing policies to check if you can get better value cover elsewhere.
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Car insurance is a legal requirement for drivers in the UK, thanks to the continuous insurance enforcement rules brought in as part of the road safety act of 2006. This means that unless your car is registered as off the road with a Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN), or in the process of being bought or sold, you could be faced with a fine if you don’t insure your vehicle with at least a third-party policy.
New drivers and young drivers alike generally pay much higher car insurance premiums as insurers see these groups as at higher risk of being involved in a road accident – and therefore more likely to claim on their insurance policy.
While advanced driving courses such as Pass Plus or IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) make you a better driver, they won’t always save you money on your car insurance. In fact the average person won’t see any difference in premiums whether or not they have Pass Plus on their licence – but that doesn’t mean it can’t benefit anyone at all. Younger or inexperienced drivers might be able to save a few quid, and if the skills you learn help you avoid accidents in the future, this will also help keep your insurance costs down. However, any discounts will depend on the individual insurer, and the course itself may cost more than any savings on your insurance cover. You may well save more by shopping around and comparing deals from different providers.
Telematics cover involves your insurer monitoring your driving habits and adjusting your premiums according to how you drive. They do this through one of three types of telematics tech – either a black box (the most common) installed under your dashboard, a plug-in device or an app on your smartphone.
This is particularly useful for sensible new drivers as it offers a way to get lower car insurance premiums as a reward for driving safely.
As a young or new driver, you might be able to knock a few pounds off your premiums by adding a more experienced driver to your policy – such as your parents. This suggests to insurers that you won’t be the only person driving the car, so the assumed risk won’t be so high.
While this can be a good way to get cheaper cover, people sometimes go too far by declaring the older or more experienced driver as the ‘main driver’ – when in reality the young or new driver will be using the car more frequently. This is known as ‘fronting’ and is illegal.
You’re likely to get a better deal on your car insurance policy if you pay an annual lump sum rather than in monthly instalments, because insurers add on a fee for monthly payments. Paying monthly can be useful as you’ll be able to spread the cost out, but you will end up paying a little extra overall. Just remember that if you choose to pay monthly, most insurers will do a credit check to see if you can afford it.
As a young or new driver, you might be able to knock a few quid off your premiums by adding another more experienced driver to your policy – in most cases this will be your parents. This suggests to insurers that you won’t be the only person driving the car, therefore the assumed risk won’t always quite so high.
While this can be a good way to get cheaper cover, people sometimes take advantage of this by declaring the older or more experienced driver as the ‘main driver’ – when in reality it’ll be the young or new driver using the car more frequently. This is known as ‘fronting’ and is illegal.
Excess payments refer to the cost of making a claim – compulsory excess is how much you’ll need to put towards the total claim cost before your insurer pays the rest. Volunteering a higher excess fee on top of the compulsory amount indicates to insurers you won’t bother making small and frivolous claims.
A no-claims bonus – also known as a no-claims discount – can cut the cost of your car insurance. The longer you drive without claiming, the bigger the discount you can earn when renewing your cover, because the insurer will assume you are less likely to claim in future. You might consider not claiming for an accident if the damage to your car is minor and it would be more sensible to pay for the repairs yourself – for example, if the excess you’d need to pay is more than the overall repair costs. This way you’ll preserve your no-claims bonus as well as being better off financially.
If you’re involved in an accident and you decide not to make a claim, you should still inform your insurer. They’ll update their records, so they know the condition of your vehicle, and whether it affects your chances of claiming in future.
If you don’t keep your insurer updated, this could void your insurance policy so you won’t be able to claim when needed.
Insurers look at a range of factors when deciding on your insurance premium, including your credit score. But they will also look at your age, your job and the car you drive, as well as where you live before they make a decision. If you want to pay for your car insurance monthly, the insurer will do a credit check to see if you’re likely to be able to make the payments. That’s because agreeing to pay monthly is technically a credit agreement: you’re borrowing the cost of the annual policy and repaying it over 12 months. A record of this search will remain on your credit file. If you have a bad credit score, it is still possible to get car insurance – but you may be charged a higher interest rate on monthly payments. If you have struggled to repay credit in the past, or if you have a county court judgement (CCJ) against your name, then you may not be allowed to pay monthly.
One of the factors used to calculate your car insurance quote is the number of miles you drive on average per year. To calculate your own personal mileage, you can:
Look at the number of miles you drove the year before on your annual MOT certificate and estimate mileage for the coming year
Check your car's service record - mileage is noted in your logbook every time your car has its annual service
Calculate how many miles you drive each week and add them all up
In most cases, the value you declare on your insurance policy documents will be the price you initially paid for the vehicle.
Be mindful though, that if you make a claim and your car has been your insurance provider will pay out the current market value of your car, not the initial price you declared on your insurance documents. This is because vehicle devaluation is also considered.
How long a quote is valid for is down to the insurance provider. Using our price comparison service you can save your searches, but there's no guarantee the price you saved will be the same as the price you get when you purchase.
Car insurers collect data about previous claims and use it to predict how likely it is that people in different occupations will make a claim in future. If the insurer judges your job to be higher risk than another one, you’re likely to pay more. Find out more about why your job affects your car insurance cost.
Even if you have comprehensive car insurance, you might not be insured to drive someone else’s car. Cover for driving other cars (DOC) used to be included in most comprehensive policies but this is no longer the case. You will often have to request it and pay for it as an extra. It’s very rare to be covered if you’ve got third-party or third-party, fire and theft cover.
Usually if you cancel your policy within the first 14 days, most insurance companies won’t charge a cancellation fee but check the small print because some will. If your policy has been active for longer than 2 weeks, you’re likely to have to pay a fee for cancelling plus the cost for the time you’ve been insured (pro-rata).
Even if it wasn’t your fault, making a claim will almost always lead to an increase in your car insurance premium. A non-fault claim won't affect it as much as an at-fault claim will though.
To make a car insurance claim, you’ll first need to notify the police. They will give you a crime reference number that you’ll then need to give your insurer.
You usually have to call your insurer to make a claim, though you may also be able to claim online or by filling out a form and sending it by post.
There are a several reasons as to why a claim could be rejected:
Incorrect information: For example, about how something got damaged or you were dishonest about key personal information
Lack of due care: Leaving valuables on display in your car which are then stolen might mean you’re not covered, for example
Not reading or understanding your policy: You may miss certain clauses that specify conditions under which you can or cannot claim
Using out-of-date or invalid documentation: For example, if your road tax or MOT documents are out of date or your driving licence isn’t valid
Even if you have comprehensive car insurance, you might not be insured to drive someone else’s car. Cover for driving other cars (DOC) used to be included in most comprehensive policies but this is no longer the case. You will often have to request it and pay for it as an extra. It’s very rare to be covered if you’ve only got third-party or third-party, fire and theft cover.
You don’t need car insurance when your car is off the road, as long as you’ve made a Statutory Off-Road Notification (SORN).
This tells the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) your car is not in use and means you don’t need to pay vehicle tax or buy car insurance – as long as it’s kept off the road.
You shouldn’t need to pay any admin fees unless you make any changes to your policy or need replacement documents. You may be charged an adjustment fee if you need to change something on your policy like your address, car registration or adding a named driver, for example.
Charges vary between providers, and some will let you make small charges online for free. Keep an eye out for admin fees when comparing policies.
You can check whether your car is insured by visiting the Motor Insurance Database (MID). The MID is the central record of all vehicles insured in the UK.
It's free to use and it identifies the make and model of your car as well as whether your car is insured.
Any-driver insurance allows anyone to drive your car (with your permission). This is handy if you have lots of family and friends that want to borrow your car. The downside is that it can be expensive, as your insurance provider can't be sure who's driving the car at any given time.
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