Insurance for new drivers! OMG

Posted by masseur
so... my son has applied for his provisional licence, we've booked lessons, he's studying the Highway Guide and can pass the online test everytime. So he's well on his way to getting his driving licence.

I've said I'd sort him a cheap car and we've found quite a few for under £500 that are perfectly suitable with long MOT and tax etc but then I call the insurance companies...

for 1.4 litre M reg Ford escort they want a minimum of £2000+ just for 3rd party insurance, not even fire and theft!... and that was the cheapest car I got a quote for, some, like a 1.8 peugot 306 were quoted at £3095 for third party

so, are there any tips and tricks for what cars attract the lowest insurance and/or the best insurance companies for new drivers?

my wallet will be thankful for any tips!

Posted by fatreg
looking at a 1.4/1.6 for a 17 year old kid is always going to end in an empty wallet!

you need to look at 1.0-1.2 litre engines

Posted by masseur
thanks for that, I was sort of coming to that conclusion.

still, its all very scary numbers though, nothing like what I expected (maybe sub £1000)

I'm with directline and what they told me was to let him get his licence now, then don't drive for a year when he can benefit from being 19, not 18, and also the fact that he has had his licence for a year.

I said thats crazy if he gets lower insurance at that time without having driven since getting his licence but they said thats just the way the system works!

anyway, he really needs more freedom of movement and I won't let him have a bike until he's driven a car for 2 or 3 years and has more appreciation for the road.

Posted by number1
the older vaxhall corsa's are cheap to insure i was gonna get the 1.4 SRI.

Posted by max99
1.2 litre car

3rd party, and named driver is cheapest method to do it really.

Posted by Trev1982
You are more careful on a Bike than a car, you are more alert because you have so many stupid young people driving cars, i wont even get in a car with some people i no i would rather walk, having him do a cbt test and riding a moped for a year or so will give him the confidence, Sorry for interrupting i dislike cars lol

Posted by amnesia
it was funny because there are ways around this.

I found that Tesco insurance can be cheap if you just max out the premium payout.

My friend added himself and his wife to a plan once with Norwich union and it was MEGA expensive.

So he put his wife as the main driver (despite her having less experience) and himself as the add-on and it was half price!

Try adding your wife as the main and your son as the extra driver

Posted by pmerryman
Mine was a 1.0 Talbot Sunbeam, and it cost £234 TPFT, and I though that was expensive when I first starting driving.

Think the thing to do is, a nice small engined car for defo.

Posted by masseur
thanks guys. spotted a decent peugeot 205 1.1 and used gocompare to find a price of £950 with some company called quinn-direct while everyone else is still quoting £2000.

may go with that.

@amnesia, I'll give that a try but the companies I called so far say that for any under 21 years old the main driver has to be the main insured person

Posted by pmerryman
205, that was the Mrs first car. £950 still sounds expensive, but compared to the other quotes, its obviously not.

Posted by leeboy13
masseur get a mini.....

i pay £180 a year

ok, im over 25 and have 5 years no claims... but its double that for most other things - at least

Posted by masseur
have you seen the price of mini's? even the old style are £800+ for something reliably decent. mind you I suppose if the insurance is that much less then we can spend more on the car but its swings and roundabouts I guess

worth a check out anyway. ta!

on the other hand, the peugeot has electric windows and a sun roof. not sure the old style mini has many comfort features

Posted by number1
i bought a 1988 vw gti for 65quid from the scrap yard 65quid also included some 16" alloy wheels i found there, engine was great apart from having the wrong exhast system and it didn't like going into 5th gear, bodywork was a bit of a mess.
when buying a used car you should check for damage to the round the ingition area & check the all the vin numbers match to make sure it's not stolen also if you can lift up the carpet to check it's not a cut & shunt, check the engine for any signs of leakages and check along the wheel arches for rust.

Posted by procterdc
Try virgin car insurance. When I asked them why they don't participate in go compare or money supermarket etc, their response was "we don't need to, we know we're the cheapest"

And as it happens my BMW is now £48p/m fully comp. Tesco wanted £1100, Norwich union wanted nearly £1300. Give Virgin a go mate.

Posted by haynesycop
Try gocompare and moneysupermarket, i'm 23 and only just getting my first car and i got quoted anything between £500 - £3,000. You really have to shop around to be honest. Also when i passed my test i got given a booklet with various insurance companies that specialize in new and young drivers, maybe they still give those out. The cheapest i found for myself was Admiral, that didn't show up on the comparison sites so i did that independently. I'd definately look at 1.2 engines too and cars that are not too old as that will bump the premium up too.

Posted by masseur
just tried virgin but unfortunately their quote is £2065, Admiral just quoted £2409!

seems the one I found earlier on gocompare for £985 is going to be the best. I spoke to them and they confirmed it was all calculated correctly but couldn't explain why they are half of anyone else. excess is only £250 too

Posted by haynesycop
That price is good for a 17 year old, a friend of mine has a brother and her parents got a quote of £6,000 from one company he is also in the same situation. I don't think any one company can be cheaper for a variety of people you just have to keep trying. Tesco are cheap but the excess is very high, i got quoted £516 from them but you didn't get benefits like a courtesy car or windscreen cover.

Posted by masseur
I just tried confused.com but they seem to have come up with the same results as gocompare, which makes me feel better about that cheap quote we have.

now, to see if I can get the car still!

Posted by procterdc
I'll shut up then hehe lol.

Posted by masseur
all advice has been gratefully received

a question I just thought of, do you earn no claims bonus on 3rd party only policies?

I seem to recall that you don't but it seems logical that if you have been driving on either a comprehensive or 3rd party policy and had no accidents/claims you'd think you'd earn NCB either way

Posted by haynesycop
I'm pretty sure it depends on the insurance company you use.

Posted by arien617
You checked out Toyota Aygos?

One that's a few years old, high mileage would be good I reckon. They're cheap to begin with anyway. Have a 1.0 3cyl engine, would be decent on insurance...

It may be a bit over £1500 to buy one, but most of all it's gonna be far safer than any Peugeot 205/Mini.

Posted by fatreg
yes you get NC on 3rd party policies..

Quinn Direct quoted my 17 year old bro with 6 points some silly silly price on his 1.4 Ibiza, Kwik Fit quoted him £1300....

I's give Kiwk Fit a bash Big M!

Posted by ÈL ® ö B ì Ñ
Insurance is just laughable for kids, last year when I was 19, just for me was £1600 for my 1.6 saxo.
So put mum on it as main driver, and sister on it too and brung it down to about £600 for all 3 of us.

This year the car is now just mine as sister has her pug 206, the quote came in at £300 for all 3 of us (so I added a breakdown car for £17).....if I take my sister off, the insurance actually goes up to about £700 again.

So this year i'm paying £360 odd (i added some things) for 3 people to go on a 1.6 saxo (but im the only user).

Ok I don't get no claims (my mum does as she's the main driver, they gave her 5yr no claims for being with them for 1 yr).......but I can afford £300 a year, but not £1600 a year, untill I get a decent job I will stay on my mums insurance.

You get all these people who moan and straight away say "get your own insurance and build up no claims"...but by the time i've paid 1yr @ £1600, I could have stayed on mums insurance for over 5 years (or more!)

then pay for your own insurance when your in a position to do so.

EDIT:

Forgot to say, I'm with swift cover.

[ This Message was edited by: ÈL ® ö B ì Ñ on 2008-05-28 17:18 ]

Posted by haynesycop
17 and he has 6 points, my god! He is taking us to the airport!

Posted by Daedalus85

On 2008-05-28 18:17:37, ÈL ® ö B ì Ñ wrote:
You get all these people who moan and straight away say "get your own insurance and build up no claims"...but by the time i've paid 1yr @ £1600, I could have stayed on mums insurance for over 5 years (or more!)

then pay for your own insurance when your in a position to do so.

Yeah, but you wouldn't be paying £1600 EVERY year.

Take this as an example:

Four years ago, my brother and I insured ourselves, on our OWN, as learner drivers, on our 1.4i 1997 Astra. It cost us about £1300.

The following year, still as learners, the renewal went down to £770.

The third year, I took my brother off it (he got his own car), I passed and the insurance I got them down to £352.

This year, after me buying a 2.0 Golf GTI, it went up to £412, and that included having 3 points on my license after a small run in with the police (that light was orange goddammit!).

So, taking the plunge may actually make it cheaper in the long run. Me and my brother took that plunge and it paid off, literally.

Posted by Miss UK
Wouldn't a 1.0 Engine be slightley cheaper for a teenager starting out?

Posted by fatreg
Well done J!!

someone that knows how the bloody game works!

I waited I was 21, bought a new car, came with free insurance for a year, 2nd year, just me, fully comp £750, this year £350 fully comp..

next year... yeah, gonna be horrendous, insurance company paid out £13,285 after a little accident I had! whooooooops!

By all means add your Mum etc as a named driver, but always have you as number 1 so you claim NCD.....

Posted by ÈL ® ö B ì Ñ

On 2008-05-28 23:10:21, Daedalus85 wrote:

Oh ye deff, in the long run it will.

But I don't work and have about £2.80 in my bank lol, gotta sell a PS3 to pay my insurance, I have no chance of getting £1600, infact i'd rather sell my 1.6 and buy a 1.1 if I had £1600 and save money on petrol, tax and insurance, but it's all money money money.

Like I said, go for the NCD, only when your in a position to do so.

Posted by Daedalus85
Other option you've got, and it helped my brother no end when he bought his Megane (1.5 100BHP Turbo diesel lol), Direct Line, and a few others now, give named drivers their own NCB provided you stay with them. So he had 2 years NCB of his own when he came off mine.

Plus, if the rest of the your family is with them, even better discounts

Posted by Kastrula
We use Geico, it took us and we didn't have great anything. I have noticed the age out here went up for license so the son will be waiting a while longer. I'm happy and not at the same time.

Posted by masseur
following a suggestion here this morning, I've halved the cost now by making me the owner of the car and policy and putting my son on as named driver (and declared him as the main driver too!), so now down to £485!

its crazy that its double that if he is the owner of the vehicle and policy and I am just a named driver!

I'll never understand how these insurance companies work out policy prices

Posted by haynesycop
Nice one, i've got mine down to £436 by putting my mum as a named driver with me still be the owner and proposer, crazy stuff!

Posted by arien617
Don't mind me asking how old your son is, mass?

It's nearly the time for me as well, though I really don't know what to expect!
I was quoted £6500 on a £1500 alfa 147!

EDIT: I did what you guys said, just pushed that down to £4200. Well, it's a start.

_________________
[/Arien's post]
Arr, that was no pirate man, that was thy own seester! (I'm a Mexican pirate)

[ This Message was edited by: arien617 on 2008-05-29 10:16 ]

Posted by ÈL ® ö B ì Ñ

On 2008-05-29 10:52:31, masseur wrote:
following a suggestion here this morning, I've halved the cost now by making me the owner of the car and policy and putting my son on as named driver (and declared him as the main driver too!), so now down to £485!

its crazy that its double that if he is the owner of the vehicle and policy and I am just a named driver!

I'll never understand how these insurance companies work out policy prices

Mass, I believe if you go with direct line, and you have say 2-3 people on the insurance, all of you get a no claims discount, not just the main driver, might pay a bit more now but may be better in the long run if you can afford it.

Also, if you wife has the same NCD years as you, put her as the main driver...always cheaper for women, nice and sexist eh.

Woman moaned about not being able to vote, don't see them complaining or doing anything about the unfair sexist insurance policys.

For the 1.6i saxo, it was £900 for sister...and £1600 for me, joke.

AND...she has set a speed camera off, and gone too fast down a road by mistake (lmao she thought the limit was 70 on a 40)....i've not done a thing wrong....yet!

Posted by Muhammad-Oli

Yeah thats what my parents have done for me with my car. Though it doesn't work out to be quite THAT much, and my car is 1.5L... I guess thats because the UK is so much more expensive than here. I believe my insurance was about $500NZ

Posted by Daedalus85
It's because younger drivers are several times more likely to have an accident than older drivers, hence why it's cheaper to have you on the insurance as his Dad because it shows it won't just be some 17 year old hooligan driving around crashing into things

(in their eyes anyway, not saying he is, but alot of 17 year olds are, and that pushes the prices up).

At that age, and to learn in, a 1.2 is the absolute most you'll need really. A 1.6 is just excessive at that age, for both insurance, petrol and power.

Posted by Rookwise
When I started off I took my motorbike first. Started on a H reg Honda MT50 to start and through to Suzuki GSX's after passing.Because I'd already got a full motorbike licence. I was exempt from doing the Theory test for a car. My first car was an old 1982 Mini City E 1.0 which I bought for £75. Nothing up with the bodywork and it had a goldseal engine in. Only thing it needed was a complete exhaust.
I learned to drive in the Mini and also took my test in it. I took my insurance out with Direct Line as a learner which was £525 third party fire and theft.

As Tazz mentioned earlier on in this thread. It does help by having a motorbike first as it does make you more aware of whats happening on the road and more cautious when you start to drive a car..

A car I would suggest you look at would be either a 2000 model VW Lupo or a SEAT Arosa 1.0 S/SE. Very economical and very low insurance.
I was paying £200 fully comp on an X reg (2000) 1.0 Lupo SE with a few mods and 6 points on my licence.

Posted by jcwhite_uk
I am 29 with 11 years no claims and it knocks a few quid off my insurance if I put my dad on my insurance as a named driver.

Posted by faultymonkey
You don't even need a motorbike, a normal (pedal) bike will help just as much. I'm learning to drive now, but before I cycled around. Yes its true a lot of people take no notice of you and cut you up a lot, but it all helps when you get in a real car. Oh, and learning to swear with one hand and steer with the other is a useful skill

Posted by ÈL ® ö B ì Ñ

On 2008-05-29 12:54:37, Daedalus85 wrote:
It's because younger drivers are several times more likely to have an accident than older drivers, hence why it's cheaper to have you on the insurance as his Dad because it shows it won't just be some 17 year old hooligan driving around crashing into things

I agree mate, I only have a 1.6 because my mum gave it to me for a birthday present, i'd like to save up, sell it and downgrade, but need some more cash 1st.

Posted by Yoruichi
most insurance companies will also give a discount on premiums to people who attend defensive driving courses. though you have to inquire with them as they wont tell you about it.

Posted by Daedalus85
Lol, rather than defensive driving courses (ummm, I think their meant for the police and armed forces only), I think you mean things like the 'Pass Plus' scheme where you have 6 advanced 1-hour lessons and you get a certificate at the end to show the security companies you're a safer driver.

Posted by Aware
Actually James, you can do the defensive courses(there are quite a few available to consumers), but they do cost(well, doesn't everything fun - but worth it to learn J-turns!

)......

Posted by dude_se
im 18 in a few days, have passed my test months ago, and have been researching cars. cheapest i can find is like £1200 insurance and thats for your bog standard 1.0-1.1
ford Ka's seemed pretty good but i dont really want one.
its just so damn expensive

dude_se

Posted by fatreg
Insurance for existing drivers isn't cheap either!!

I'm 24 want to insure my 2008 1.2 Corsa and no-one will cover me.... :s

OOOOPS.....

I've had 2 accidents in the last 5 years, 1 in Nov 06, no my fault at all, didn't even pay excess, 2nd one was my fault, total claim was for £13,685 (my car was a write off and the other 2 cars involved we fixed for that £13,685)

Oh! and I've got 3 points....

Back to the drawing board on the insurance front I think..

Posted by dude_se

On 2008-05-31 12:27:44, fatreg wrote:
Insurance for existing drivers isn't cheap either!!

I'm 24 want to insure my 2008 1.2 Corsa and no-one will cover me.... :s

tut tut lol

dude_se

Posted by fatreg
yeah I know tut tut...

Posted by masseur
well, fortunately I didn't find a suitable car yet as I've found out that QUINN direct, who quoted very low compared to all others, put the insurance up once the driver gets a licence.

I've googled this a bit and I suppose it sort of makes sense in that while he is learning and has a provisional licence, he is always under supervision, but when he gets his licence he is on his own with not alot of experience and also as a teen driver, likely to get into all sorts.

so a £500 quote at provision level becomes a £1500+ policy once he is licenced!

here we go again getting more quotes...!

Posted by tombadier
I'm 20 and have been driving for almost 3 years now.
I have always been om my dads insurance as I couldn't afford the ridiculous prices for my own policy.

However it needs renewing in a few weeks and I want to start building up sme no-claims.

I have found Bell Car insurance by far the cheapest at just under £700 for my own policy. I have added my mum as a named driver which saves over £100!