Insurance tips for young drivers

Young drivers are more likely to have accidents

Statistics show young drivers are more likely to have accidents – and make insurance claims – than older, more experienced motorists.

According to road safety charity Brake, one in four drivers killed on the roads is under 25, despite just an eighth of drivers fitting into this age group. And Driving Standards Agency (DSA) figures show two under-25s are killed on Britain’s roads every day.

This means car insurance for young drivers will always be expensive, but there are a number of steps you can take to find the cheapest premiums around.

Buy a ‘low-risk’ car

As a young driver, you'll pay significantly less for your insurance if you opt for a car with a small engine. Superminis, for example, are generally placed in low-risk insurance groups – making them much cheaper to insure. Our superminis review shows which models you should go for.

Pass Plus includes a module on night driving

Take a Pass Plus course

Pass Plus is a training scheme set up by the DSA to help new drivers gain extra experience on the roads.

The course, which must be taken within a year of passing the driving test, shows drivers how to deal with difficult conditions they might not have encountered whilst learning, like bad weather and dazzling headlights.

It takes a minimum of six hours to complete, with time allocated to modules including night driving, driving in town and driving on motorways. There’s no test at the end of the course and once it’s completed drivers can start to save money on their insurance premiums straight away.

Which? Best Buy car insurers Churchill, Privilege, Quinn Direct and Zurich are among those currently offering discounts to drivers who complete Pass Plus.

For more, read our guide to the PassPlus scheme.

Stick or switch?

If you’re looking to insure your vehicle and you still live with your parents, you may be able to get cheaper premiums simply by sticking with the insurer they already use. NU and Zurich, for example, offer extra discounts if you insure a second vehicle with them at the same address - Admiral also offers such 'multi-car' insurance. 

However, you can only judge value for money by shopping around for quotes from different companies - having separate insurers may work out cheaper, depending on your specific circumstances. 

Look at policies with certain restrictions

More Than’s DriveTime offers cheaper premiums in exchange for not driving between 11pm and 6am.

According to the Association of British Insurers, 50% of serious or fatal accidents among under-21s happen at night.

Adding older drivers to the policy can help reduce premiums

Add named drivers to your policy

Adding named drivers to your policy can reduce premiums, particularly if they are older and more experienced than you.

If the car is to be insured in your name, transfer the car into your name too, as many insurers will not provide cover unless the main driver of the car is also the owner.

Increase the excess

Consider increasing the excess to save money on premiums. Be realistic, though – can you really afford a £600 excess after an accident?

Consider going for third-party insurance

Third-party, fire and theft cover may be cheaper for low-value cars, but fully comprehensive insurance can work out cheaper for more expensive cars.

Add yourself to an existing policy

If you occasionally use someone else's car, consider adding yourself to their existing insurance policy. Some insurers, including Quinn Direct and Direct Line, allow named drivers to earn their own no-claims discount.

It may be tempting to put the policy in someone else's name - one of your parent's, for example - with you as the named driver. But if you're actually the main driver, this is known as ‘fronting’ and is illegal.

Insurers are increasingly tracing fronted policies. If you’re found out, the insurer may refuse to pay out in the case of an accident and may even pursue legal action for fraud.

Modifications can make your insurance more expensive

Avoid modifications

Anything that increases the value, performance and desirability of your car to thieves is likely to boost your insurance premium. Insurers will judge modifications differently, so shop around for the best deal if your car has already been altered from the factory specification.

Keep your car safe

As with all policies, premiums for young drivers are affected by where you live and where the car is kept. Parking in a secure location, such as a garage or behind gates, can have a drastic impact on insurance bills. Fitting car safety features, such as a Thatcham-rated alarm, is also useful.

What about insurance for older drivers?

• For regular cars updates, subscribe to the Which? cars advice RSS feed here. If you have an older web browser you may need to copy and paste this link into your newsreader: http://www.which.co.uk/feeds/advice/cars.xml. Find out more about RSS in the Which? guide to news feeds.