Fully comprehensive
Fully comprehensive car insurance policies offer the most coverage out of all your options, protecting you and your vehicle as well as any third-party damage
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We compare dozens of the biggest insurance providers in the country, including:
Car insurance usually costs more for younger drivers – those under 25 – than it does for everyone else, and for 18-year-olds this is particularly true as they’ll be amongst the youngest on the road.
In fact, between July and September 2021, 18-year-olds buying fully comprehensive cover paid an average of £1,921 a year if they were the only driver on the policy.
This is over £700 more than drivers age between 20 and 24 paid (£1,195), and over triple what drivers in their 30s paid (£619).
Teenagers have always paid more for car insurance – their lack of experience on the road makes them a higher risk for insurers, as statistically they are more likely to be involved in a road accident.
But this doesn’t last forever – car insurance premiums will fall naturally as you get older and insurers see you as less of a claim risk.
Age of main driver | Average annual premiums |
|---|---|
17 to 19 | £1,884 |
20 to 24 | £1,195 |
25 to 29 | £801 |
30 to 39 | £619 |
40 to 49 | £476 |
50 to 64 | £311 |
40 to 49 | £281 |
*Based on fully comprehensive policies with one driver holding a full UK driving licence. MoneySuperMarket data collected between July and September 2021.
Car insurance policies come in three main types, each offering different levels of cover:
Fully comprehensive car insurance policies offer the most coverage out of all your options, protecting you and your vehicle as well as any third-party damage
Third-party, fire and theft policies will insure you against damage to another person, their car or property, as well as theft and fire damage for your own car
Third-party only car insurance is the minimum legal requirement to drive on UK roads – it only covers you against damage to a third-party, their car or their property
The cheapest cars to insure for 18-year-olds, and most drivers in general, will be those found in lower insurance groups. Car insurance providers sort all cars into groups numbered from one to 50, based on factors like power and performance, ease of repairs and availability of parts – and predictably the lower groups are mostly full of small, low-powered cars.
Using MoneySuperMarket data, we’re able to show you the five cheapest car makes and models that 18-year-olds were insured on between July and September 2021.
Make | Model | Average annual premiums |
|---|---|---|
FIAT | 500 LOUNGE | £1,100 |
FIAT | 500 POP | £1,139 |
CITROEN | C1 | £1,267 |
MINI | ONE | £1,404 |
FORD | FIESTA ZETEC (99) | £1,482 |
*Based on fully comprehensive policies with one driver holding a full UK driving licence. MoneySuperMarket data collected between July and September 2021.
As a young driver, you may find the following types of cover particularly useful:
Telematics: Telematics car insurance is largely directed at young and high-risk drivers who want to earn cheaper cover. It involves using either a black box, a plug-in device or an app on your phone to monitor your driving habits, and insurers are likely to reward good driving habits with lower premiums
Short-term: Short-term car insurance can be a helpful alternative to an annual policy if you only need cover for a temporary length of time – for example, if you’re borrowing a friend’s or family member’s car for a move, or sharing wheel time on a road trip. You can normally find cover lasting anywhere from a few hours to a few months, only paying for what you need.
Named driver: Another way to bring down premiums is to add a more experienced driver to your policy, such as a parent or relative. This tells insurers it won’t just be you driving the car, and that responsibility will be shared with an experienced motorist – lowering the overall risk for the insurer
Aside from everything mentioned above, there are some other steps you can take to lower the cost of your car insurance policy:
The less time you spend on the road the less likely you are to be involved in a road accident, so if you can give your insurer a low estimated mileage you may be able to get cheaper cover
Paying your car insurance premiums in one annual sum might mean a greater initial outgoing, but the overall cost works out less expensive than making monthly payments
If you can afford a higher voluntary excess payment, this indicates to insurers that you won't bother making small or frivolous claims - lowering your claim risk and bring your premiums down
Car insurance policies can come with a range of extra features. They can offer useful protection, but usually for a price – if you’re aiming to keep costs low, you may want to avoid having too many
It can be tempting to install modifications to give your car a customised feel. While some can lower your premiums, changes related to aesthetics or performance often have the opposite effect
Keeping your car parked in a locked garage, or at the very least on a driveway, is safer than parking on the road – and the reduced risk often means you can get cheaper cover
Finding affordable car insurance isn’t always straight-forward when you’re 18 years old, which is why we’re here to help – when you take out cover with MoneySuperMarket you can benefit from:
Everyone deserves to save money – in fact, almost a quarter of people comparing car insurance quotes with us received a MoneySuperMarket price cut in their results*
Our car monitor gives you reminders on your road tax and MOT, as well as showing 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 question set, offering tailored support during business hours to help you get the right policy for the right price
*24.43% of customers completing a quote through MoneySuperMarket received a price cut quote in their top 10 results. Based on MoneySuperMarket quotes between May 2021 and May 2022
"18-year-olds get a tough deal when it comes to car insurance premiums – but there are always things you can do to try and cut the costs. Telematics cover can act as a fast track to cheaper premiums, while being added to a more experienced driver’s policy can be a less costly alternative to having your own car insurance.
"
- Sara Newell, Motor and Van Insurance Lead
The quickest and easiest way to find cheaper car insurance as an 18 year old is to compare quotes online with MoneySuperMarket. Just tell us a little about yourself, your car and driving history, and the cover you need, and we’ll search the market for deals that meet your requirements.
You’ll be able to compare policies by the overall monthly and annual cost of cover, the level of protection you get and the excess you’ll need to pay to make a claim. Once you’ve found the deal you want, just click through to the provider to finalise your purchase.
Driving courses such as Pass Plus can be a great option to help you become a better driver – however, according to MoneySuperMarket data having this qualification will not actually make a difference to your car insurance premiums.
That doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying – if you can become a better driver as a result of the course, you’ll give yourself a better chance of avoiding road accidents. This will make it easier to build a no-claims bonus, which can then bring your insurance cost down.
Your parents may be able to help you get cheaper car insurance, as you’ll be able to add someone to your policy – or someone can add you to theirs – as a ‘named driver’. If you’re a young driver with little experience on the road, adding your parent as a more experienced named driver will tell insurers that you aren’t solely responsible for the car.
This reduces the risk for the insurer, and in turn they’ll often give you a discount.
Bare in mind that it won’t work the opposite way – if your parents add you to their policy it’s likely they’ll see a big rise in premiums. This is because while adding a motorist with experience can bring the overall risk level down, adding a young and inexperienced to a policy brings the risk level up.
As a result, premiums will also go up for the main policy holder – in this case, your parents.
Fronting is an illegal practice that sometimes occurs on policies with named drivers. It’s when you falsely claim that the more experienced motorist is the main driver on the policy – to get lower premiums – when in actual fact the main driver is the younger of the two.
You’ll always need at least third-party car insurance if you’re driving on UK roads – this is true whether you’re a learner driver or fully qualified. However if you’re a learner driver you may not need to be the one to take cover out.
If you’re taking lessons through a driving school they will likely already have insurance in place that covers the instructor, the car and the learner. But if you’re taking private lessons, or lessons with a family member or friend, then you’ll need to ensure you have cover in place.
You may opt for temporary or short-term cover instead, to protect you whilst you’re taking lessons, then take out a full annual policy once you’ve passed your test.
If you’re a student you’ll still need to take out at a least third-party car insurance policy in order to be road-legal. You can still opt for certain policy types, whether it’s telematics, named driver insurance, or temporary cover.
You work hard to earn your money, and we don’t think you should waste a penny of it paying over the odds on your household bills. That’s why at MoneySuperMarket, we’re on a mission to save Britain money.
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