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Young drivers’ insurance helps to protect you financially if you’re involved in a car accident. A policy can cover you for a variety of things, depending on the level of cover you choose.
As a minimum, third party cover will cover any losses or damage caused to other vehicles, passengers or passengers.
A comprehensive policy protects you against any damage caused to you or your vehicle, plus fire and theft.
Young driver car insurance isn’t a specific product you can buy – in fact, young drivers usually take out the same standard car insurance as everyone else.
The only difference is that it’s often much more expensive due to the higher risk associated with new drivers but you can get certain policy extras and add-ons to help bring the cost down.
If you're still learning to drive, consider getting learner driver insurance to help cover yourself with a provisional licence.
Once you’ve passed your driving test and are no longer a learner driver, you’ll need to find some car insurance to get on the road. Drivers in the UK are legally required to have at least third-party car insurance in place, as a result of the continuous insurance enforcement rules brought in as part of the 2006 road safety act.
Unless your car is legally registered as off the road with a SORN or in the process of being sold or bought, you may be fined for not insuring the vehicle. Things are no different for young drivers – who are more likely to cause expensive accidents.
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Here are some options to help you get the right cover as a young driver:
If you own your car, you can save money by getting black box or telematics insurance. Insurers track your driving habits and if your profile shows you're low risk, you're rewarded with lower premiums.
If you have just passed your test, you can add yourself as a named driver to a parent's policy while you save money for your own vehicle.
Temporary car insurance is a great solution for young drivers who may be using a family member's car every now and again rather than owning and driving their own vehicle.
Compare quotes from 178[2] trusted insurers in minutes
There are three types of cover to choose from when you buy car insurance as a young driver. These are:
Fully comprehensive cover is the best car insurance policy as it gives you the highest level of protection. It will cover you for a wide range of risks, often at the cheapest price.
Third-party, fire and theft covers your vehicle for theft, accidents, and fire damage as well as other people, their vehicles, and their property.
Third-party, fire and theft covers your vehicle for theft, accidents, and fire damage as well as other people, their vehicles, and their property.
Based on a fully comprehensive policy, here is what is and isn't covered with young drivers' insurance:
Damage to your vehicle
Third-party damage caused by your vehicle
Motor legal protection
Serious or fatal injuries
Vehicles and drivers not named on your policy
Standard wear and tear
Accidents if you're under the influence
Invalid driving licence
Car insurance prices are usually higher for younger drivers than they are for older, more experienced drivers. This is typically because younger drivers have less experience and are more likely to take risks. As a result, insurance providers see you as more of a high risk, and therefore, charge you higher premiums until you build up your no claims discount and prove you're a safe driver.
Age of main driver | Average annual premiums |
|---|---|
17 to 19 | £1511.72[8] |
20 to 29 | £1115.92[8] |
30 to 39 | £685.08[8] |
We also found the following data relating to young drivers and annual comprehensive policies:
51% of young drivers under 25 paid £1388[9]
10% of young drivers between 17-19 paid £262[10]
10% of drivers aged between 20-29 paid £495[11]
This shows that it is still possible to get a good deal when you compare car insurance quotes and demonstrates that other factors are also taken into account by insurers, especially if you're young but still have driving experience.
There are a few reasons why young drivers' insurance is so expensive including:
Lacking experience as a new driver
Risk-taking behaviour being more common among younger drivers e.g. speeding or driving under the influence
Peer pressure, which is more common among young drivers
Vehicle choice (some cars are more expensive to insure than others so the type of car you drive can affect the cost of your policy)
You can find out more about the why car insurance policies are priced in our guide 'Why is car insurance so expensive?'
Insurers generally offer you their best deals a few weeks before your policy starts. The cheapest time is usually 20 days before - comparing quotes on this day can save you up to £231[12]
If you can afford to, it is worth paying for your car insurance in one go. Annual payments are up to 31%[13] lower than the total cost of monthly instalments, saving you up to £267[13]
Telematics insurance, also called black box car insurance, give inexperienced drivers a chance to earn lower premiums by showing that they have sensible driving habits.
Add-ons like breakdown cover cost extra to add to your policy. Cutting out the extras you don't need can reduce your car insurance price.
One of the simplest ways to reduce your insurance cost is to increase your voluntary excess. Be careful not to increase your excess so much that you can't afford it if you need to make an insurance claim.
Insurers will always look at your claims history. You'll naturally build a no-claims bonus for every year you're not involved in an accident and don't make an insurance claim. This discount means it can be cheaper in the long run to not claim for smaller car-related expenses and instead pay for the fixes yourself.
You can reduce the cost of motor insurance by parking your vehicle off the road when you're not using it. The best place to keep it overnight to reduce your insurance cost would be in a locked garage.
If you're a relatively new driver, adding an experienced named driver to your policy may bring down your insurance costs.
A comprehensive car insurance policy is a good option for young drivers, as it offers the most protection for you and your car if you were involved in an accident.
Here are some of the cheapest insurance providers to consider in 2025:
Insurance provider | Annual policy cost |
|---|---|
Co-Op Essentials[14] | £324.44[14] |
Rac Online[15] | £375.21[15] |
Carole Nash[16] | £376.23[16] |
Rac Online Plus[17] | £394.49[17] |
One Protect[18] | £402.26[18] |
Car insurance typically becomes cheaper after the age of 25, when drivers are considered less of a risk. However, other factors can affect the cost of car insurance, such as driving history, location, and the type of car.
Compact cars in lower insurance groups with small engines are generally cheaper to insure. Here are some examples of cheap cars to insure in 2025:
Fiat Panda
Citroen C1
Hyundai i10
Volkswagen Polo
Toyota Aygo X
Skoda Fabia
Renault Clio
In most cases, you are no longer considered a young driver once you reach 25 years old. However, car insurers also take into account driving experience.
So if you're over 25 but have only held your licence for one year, you may face higher premiums than someone who has held their licence longer, as you're seen as more inexperienced and a greater risk on the road.
Add-ons will cover you for scenarios and costs that are not typically included in car insurance policies. While add-ons like breakdown cover can provide extra peace of mind, they do come with an extra cost that will be added to your policy.
You may need to buy extra cover if you’re driving abroad
You may not be covered if you lose your car keys and need a replacement
This covers the cost of draining the incorrect fuel and refilling with the right fuel
You may not be covered for windscreen damage automatically
This covers anything you leave in your car which is then stolen
If you want to protect your no claims bonus but you need to make a claim
Breakdown cover lets you claim for the cost of calling for roadside assistance if your vehicle breaks down
Courtesy car cover gives you access to a temporary replacement vehicle if yours is out of action
It’s unsurprising that so many people are delaying or have delayed learning to drive because of the costs. In our latest Household Money Index, we uncovered that the cost to get on the road has risen to £7,609 for 17-20 year-olds. 35 years ago, the same costs would have amounted to £3,234 when adjusted for inflation, which means the latest figure is more than double the rate you’d expect because of inflation. Car insurance alone – accounting for almost £1,700 of that figure – has risen 27% since 2019, so there’s never been a better time to compare deals to make sure you’re not paying more than you should.
Black box or telematics policies can be one way for young drivers to bring down the cost of their premiums over time. These policies enable insurers to collect data about the way you drive, which can then feed into future renewal prices and reduce the cost of your premiums.
Sara Newell Car & Van Insurance Expert
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Our mission is to make finding cheap car insurance easier for young drivers and to help you save money on your policy. So when you take out cover with MoneySuperMarket you can benefit from:
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Your car registration number and driving licence number
Any no-claims bonus you’ve accrued
When you bought the car and any modifications made
Your expected annual mileage
Whether you’ll use the car for social, commuting, or business purposes
Note: you can still get a quote if you don't know the registration yet
Your excess is the amount you contribute towards the cost of a claim before your insurer pays out the rest. Excess payments are generally divided into compulsory and voluntary payments. Compulsory excess is set by your insurer and voluntary excess can be adjusted by you.
You can learn more about excess in our guide to car insurance excess.
While driving courses such as Pass Plus or IAM improve your driving, they won’t always get you cheaper car insurance. The average driver won’t see any difference in premiums with Pass Plus on their licence but younger or inexperienced drivers might be able to save money.
Yes, you can add a younger driver to your car insurance but it may increase the cost of your insurance.
If the younger driver only uses the car occasionally, it’ll likely be cheaper to add them as a named driver to another driver's policy than buying them a separate policy.
However, you can't declare yourself the 'main driver' if the younger person is the one who will be using the car the most. This is illegal and known as fronting.
Adding someone to your policy as a named driver should allow them to drive your car even if they don’t live with you – but you must always ask your insurer before you try.
Car insurance premiums generally get cheaper every year, providing you don’t get any claims or convictions on your record.
However, insurers will still see you as a young driver until you reach 25 years old, so you will need at least a few years of driving experience before you start seeing a real difference in your insurance cost.
Yes. 17-year-olds learning how to drive or who have recently passed can take out car insurance in the UK.
Yes, you can as long as the main licensed driver is at least 21 years old and has held their full driving licence for at least 3 years.
You'll need L plates on the car and the learner driver must be named on the policy. Be aware, adding a learner driver to your policy may increase the price of your premiums.
Black box car insurance can be cheaper but it depends on your driving habits. If you drive safely, you can sometimes get a discount on your future premiums, but driving dangerously may have the opposite effect.
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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