car insurance for 17 year old

[ELMAJORI]

can anyone give an idea of car insurance for a 17 year who has just passed the driving test?

[poodicat]

Expensive i think

[ummmm]

What will they be driving?

There's a huge difference between driving a Corsa and driving a Merc.

[barry1010]

Depending on the car, from £1500, if you are lucky.

[ELMAJORI]

possibly a corsa

[AlBags]

Get an banger like a small Fiat or Ford for the first year .. Only choice, unless you want to pay £2000+ : (

[ELMAJORI]

thanks everyone, you have confirmed what I was thinking. Probably the best bet will be and old banger and third party.

[Buenchico]

Radio 4 recently quoted the typical cost of insurance for a newly-qualified 17-year-old as around £4000 p.a.

Anything under £2000 is probably a good price.

This page might help:
http://www.moneysavin...e-cheap-car-insurance
(particularly the 'Young, low use drivers or provisional licence holders' section)

Some insurers will give significant discounts to new drivers who've completed the Pass Plus course:
http://www.direct.gov...rnewdrivers/index.htm

Chris

[Buenchico]

Another tip:
Several contributors to this site have found that young drivers have been able to get reduced premiums by adding an older named driver (usually a parent) to their policy.

Additionally it's worth noting that it's often cheaper to insure for '3rd party, fire & theft' than it is for just '3rd party'. (It seems that some of the cheapest insurers don't offer just '3rd party' cover, so a brokerage site searching for such cover will find it from a company charging more than others provide '3rd party, fire & theft' cover for).

Chris

[poodicat]

Heard on the radio the other day that was illegal chris

[boxtops]

Yes me too, there was a feature on the radio that insurance companies were clamping down on fronting. I always understood that it was rated on the most inexperienced etc driver, and they were saying that if someone else is claiming to be the main driver to keep preimiums down, that's breaking the law.

[Buenchico]

You're getting confused, Poodi!

Many parents insure cars in their own names, with their son or daughter as a named driver, even though the young person will be the main (or sole) driver of the car. That's called 'fronting' and, as you say, it's illegal. (It's 'fraud by false representation', which is a serious criminal offence).

However I'm suggesting that a young driver should insure a car in their own name (as they'll be the main driver) but add a parent onto their policy as a named driver (so that the parent can drive the car occasionally if they want to). That's entirely legal and it's been shown to significantly reduce some drivers' premiums (often by around one third).

Chris

[jg96]

Think you are reading it wrong Buenchico is saying to add an experienced driver as a naned driver with the 17 year old being the policyholder.

[jg96]

Sorry Chris typing at the same time. My son reduced his by £40 by adding me as a named driver and he's 28 with 4 years NCB and held a full licence since 17

[andy-hughes]

I think the imorality here lies with the insurance companies who charge four figures for a policy for young drivers, and then wonder why they drive uninsured, risking a £60 fine and maybe a ban.

If insurance companies demanded four figures from every convicted drink-driver, they'd soon have enough to charge reasonable predmiums for young drivers.