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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, and as a minimum will cover you for:
Costs of any losses or damage you cause to third parties: including other drivers, other vehicles, passengers and third-party property.
A fully comprehensive policy will also cover:
Costs of any damage caused to you or your vehicle
Damage caused by fire
Theft
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.
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, so you can get certain types of policy extras and addons to help bring the cost down.
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.
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?'
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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Young drivers have three levels of car insurance to choose from:
A fully comprehensive car insurance policy protects you, your vehicle and other drivers from any damage you cause, as well as repair costs, medical expenses, fire damage and theft of your vehicle
Third-party, fire and theft policies cover repair costs for other people, their cars and their property, as well as your own vehicle if it’s stolen or damage by fire.
Third-party cover is the minimum legal requirement for motorists – it only offers cover for damage you cause to other people, their cars and their property, and it’s also the most expensive
Car insurance premiums tend to be higher for young drivers, but insurers offer certain types of cover that can help you lower the cost.
Pay-as-you-go car insurance will charge you by the mile or by the hour, so they can save you money if you don't drive very often.
These policies can be good for students, retirees or people who regularly use public transportation to get to work rather than their car.
Telematics insurance policies monitor your driving with a device like a black box or GPS software. Your insurer can then consider your driving habits when deciding on your premiums.
While there are benefits to black box insurance, it might not be suitable for those who travel a lot. Some insurers may impose curfews, which can be restrictive if you need to travel at night.
Short-term car insurance cover can range from just one day up to a couple of months. This is handy if you don't drive regularly and only need a car temporarily.
It may also be cheaper than adding another name to an existing policy if you plan to share a car for just a short period of time.
Named driver insurance is when you add another driver to your insurance policy. Adding an older, more experienced driver tells insurers that you won't be the only person responsible for the car, which can sometimes lower your premiums.
You must be honest about who is the main driver of the car, as lying about it can make you guilty of fronting – a type of insurance fraud that is a criminal offence.
Car insurance companies place cars into insurance groups based on repair costs, their size, speed and power. Cars in lower groups (1-10) are typically cheaper to insure. However, there are many factors aside from the vehicle that will influence your annual premiums.
Vehicle Model | Average premium5 |
|---|---|
FORD KA ZETEC | £595.20 |
KIA PICANTO 1 | £705.12 |
FIAT 500 POP | £708.39 |
VOLKSWAGEN POLO E (55) | £739.73 |
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF S TDI (105) | £747.26 |
5Based on annual price of fully comprehensive car insurance policies, with one driver aged 21 holding a full UK driving licence. Data collected between January 2023 and June 2023
There are a few ways young drivers can save on their car insurance:
Don't overestimate your annual mileage. The less you drive, the less likely you are to have an accident, so your car insurance premiums will be lower.
Paying your car insurance annually is usually cheaper than spreading the cost over 12 months because you pay interest on monthly payments.
Not claiming on your policy will build your no-claims bonus, which can lead to discounts on future quotes.
If you’re able to volunteer a higher excess payment, this tells insurers you’re less likely to make a small or frivolous claim on your policy.
Insurers can monitor your driving habits on a telematics (black box) policy, so sensible drivers can earn lower premiums when renewing.
Adding a more experienced person to your policy as a named driver can improve your insurance quotes. Insurers see experienced drivers as less of a risk.
Cars are grouped into insurance groups, with cars in lower groups typically cheaper to insure. Buying a smaller, less powerful car is usually a cheaper and safer option as they are less attractive to thieves and vandals.
An advanced driving course can sometimes reduce the cost of car insurance as it can help you demonstrate to your insurer that you are a safe driver. However, any discounts you get will depend on your provider.
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.
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When you take out car insurance as a young driver, be careful about the additional features you choose – they do bolster your cover, but you’ll generally need to pay more for the extra protection. Depending on your provider, you’ll usually have the choice of:
Access roadside assistance if your car breaks down
Claim for the cost of replacing a cracked or shattered windscreen
Covers certain legal costs related to a claim by you or another party
Insures you for taking your car overseas and driving in the EU
Provides a replacement vehicle for you to use while yours is in repair
Lets you drive more than one car under a single policy
Pays out in the event that you’re injured or killed in a road accident
Covers the cost of replacing a set of keys if they’re lost, damaged or stolen
Keep up to date and find out all you need to know with our latest guides.
We'll need some details before we can find insurance quotes for your car. These are:
This includes the driver's full name, address, and employment status
You’ll need the car's license plate number, annual mileage, estimated value, and the date of purchase
We’ll need to know the type of licence, when you passed your test, and your licence number
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.
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