Fully comprehensive
Fully comprehensive car insurance offers the most coverage of all policy types, and is usually the cheapest. It’ll cover you for third-party damage as well as damage to your own car
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The amount you’ll pay for car insurance at 21 years old is still relatively high, compared to drivers in general – between July and September of 2021, 21-year-olds paid on average £1,320 for cover. This was over £400 more than the average premiums for drivers aged 25.
There are of course a variety of factors that insurers consider, some which you can help and others which may be more difficult to influence.
Young drivers usually pay over the odds for car insurance, and this includes 21-year-olds – but fortunately you likely won’t be paying as much as a teenager would. Even two or three years of previous driving experience is enough to knock your premiums down by a few hundred pounds.
You may also have had enough time to build up a no-claims discount on your policy, which will bring the price down even further.
Age of main driver | Average annual premiums |
|---|---|
21 | £1,320 |
20 | £1,605 |
19 | £1,757 |
18 | £1,921 |
17 | £1,997 |
*Based on fully comprehensive policies with one driver holding a full UK driving licence. MoneySuperMarket data collected between July and September 2021.
When you take out car insurance at 21, you’ll have the same basic three options to pick from:
Fully comprehensive car insurance offers the most coverage of all policy types, and is usually the cheapest. It’ll cover you for third-party damage as well as damage to your own car
Third-party, fire and theft policies offer cover for third-party damage, but only protects you if your car is stolen or damaged by fire
Third-party car insurance is the minimum legal requirement, but only offers cover for damage you do to a third party, their property or their vehicle – it won’t cover damage to your own car
When it comes to choosing your car, it’s worth considering how insurers look at different makes and models and factor this in when deciding your premiums. All cars are sorted into insurance groups numbered one to 50 – cars in lower insurance groups are cheaper to insure, while those in higher groups are costlier.
Insurers sort cars based on their size, power and performance, ease of repairs and availability of parts among other factors – so it stands to reason that the cheapest car to insure for 21-year-olds is the compact Fiat 500. It’s followed by the Mini Cooper, the Mini One, the Toyota Aygo and the Citroen C1.
Make | Model | Average annual premiums |
|---|---|---|
FIAT | 500 | £637 |
MINI | COOPER | £811 |
MINI | ONE | £858 |
TOYOTA | AYGO | £865 |
CITROEN | C1 | £880 |
*Based on fully comprehensive policies with one driver holding a full UK driving licence. MoneySuperMarket data collected between July and September 2021.
While 21-year-old motorists will still face higher than average car insurance premiums, you can still take certain steps to get cheaper cover:
Telematics cover, also known as black box insurance, is when your provider monitors your driving habits through a device or app, and rewards good driving habits with discounts on premiums
A short-term car insurance policy might be useful if you only need temporary cover – for example, sharing driving time on a road trip, or borrowing a car to move home. You can usually find policies lasting anywhere from hours to months
The longer you spend on the road, the more likely you are to be involved in a road accident or incident that would cause you to claim on your policy. Driving fewer miles means lowering this risk, so your premiums should go down
You’ll usually have the option to choose how much voluntary excess you’ll pay towards a claim, and opting for a higher amount tells insurers you won’t bother claiming for smaller amounts. Just be sure you can afford the excess fee so you will be able to claim when you need to
Paying your car insurance yearly might mean spending a big chunk of money up front, but the total cost usually works out cheaper than spreading it over 12 months
Car insurance policies can come with a range of extra features to bolster your cover, but keep in mind that they will often raise the cost of your policy, so consider if you really need them first
It can be tempting to add after-factory modifications to your car, whether it’s to improve its aesthetics or performance – but these will often cause your premiums rise. This could be because it means your car will be harder to repair as a result of the modifications, or it will be more attractive to thieves
Keeping your car on a private driveway, or in a locked garage if possible, will keep it safer from thieves and vandals – and the reduced risk generally translates into cheaper cover
When you hit your 20s, you’ll find that car insurance will naturally start to fall - but unfortunately they'll still be higher than average for a while. We're here to help you find cheaper car insurance – 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
"Young drivers inevitably pay more for their car insurance premiums but there are things you can do to try and cut the costs. Try getting added to a more experienced driver's policy for a cheaper premium, or get telematics cover.
"
- Sara Newell, Motor and Van Insurance Lead
Finding affordable car insurance as a 21-year-old is quick and easy when you compare quotes with MoneySuperMarket. Just tell us about yourself, your car and the cover you need, and we’ll search the market for policies that meet your requirements.
You’ll be able to compare deals by the overall annual and monthly cost, the protection the policy offers and the amount you’ll need to pay in excess to make a claim. Once you’ve found the one you want, just click through to the provider to finalise your purchase.
If you can go for a year or longer without making a claim on your car insurance policy, you’ll build up a no-claims bonus – and this lets you get a discount on your car insurance premiums. The longer you go without claiming, the more you’re likely to get discounted.
Insurers consider a range of factors when setting your premiums, and your job is one of them as certain occupations present higher risks than others. Insurers have databases of previous claims and if certain job titles come up more frequently than others, then those people are likely to pay more for 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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