The Hardship of Getting Insurance for First Time Drivers

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gices
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anonymous_2
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You've probably heard the saying, there's a first time for everything in life, well the same applies for car insurance. At some point in your life, you will need to buy your first car insurance policy ever and it might sound like a daunting task initially but if you do your research well, you will be fine.

First time car insurance will be sought by people who've just passed their driving test and looking to get ready to hit the roads. Although some people might have held their license for a long time but have not actually bought a policy in their own name yet, a first car insurance policy can prove to be rather expensive because the driver will not have any no claims bonus to begin with. This means you start off with a very big disadvantage and careful research needs to be done if you don't want to spend all your money on a new driver car insurance policy that's going to cost you all your savings. Believe me, car insurance for an inexperienced driver averages at £2800 and can even go up to £5000.

I know it sounds crazy and it doesn't make any sense but this is the horrendous truth. Insurers know first time drivers are a great risk and will charge you a lot for a car insurance cover. Your parents might be paying something like £250 but that's because they've built up their no claims discount over the years and they are more experienced now and less likely to make a claim against the insurance company.

If you decide to become a second or additional driver on somebody's else policy, you will save money in the short term but you will not build your own set of no claims discount and when you decide to take car insurance in your own name at a later point in your life, you will return to your starting point which is getting car insurance as the policyholder for the first time.

Since you will eventually need to commit to it someday or the other, why not do it now and be done with it, eh? Yes, you will have to pay more at the beginning but take my advice and take it with a pinch of salt and you will be rewarding yourself in no time.

So where should I get my first car insurance policy then?

As we've said before, you will have to pay a high premium in your first year but if you want to save the most, you will have to compare quotes from all insurers first using a car comparison website and then check the ones for which you haven't got a quote like Direct Line car insurance. You can spread the cost of your premiums over the year and pay smaller chunks monthly rather than paying it all in one go but if you can settle the bill upfront, you won't be charged any interest on the premiums.

gices
gices Level 6
I'm a Software Developer and the co-founder of Clever Dodo. Born in Mauritius and now living in the UK, I usually blog about fitness, music, spirituality and driving topics to pass on my knowledge.

5 Replies

L
Lea_1 Level 1

First time driver insurance

Hi

My partner has just passed his driving test and is now looking to buy a vw polo 1.0 or corsa and get cheap insurance. Would it be possible for him to go on his dad's insurance as they live at two different addresses and would it be legal? And would that bring his insurance down?

[Migrated from previous topic 10207 dated 08 Sep 2008]

gices
gices Level 6

Lea,

Let's get the facts straight - your partner will be buying a new car and is seeking insurance for the first time and wants to go on his dad's insurance and the dad live at a different address? This would unfortunately be classified under insurance fronting and it is illegal. Fronting occurs when a more experienced driver is added to an insurance policy to bring the quote down which your partner will be doing if he decides to do this. In the event of a claim, the car insurance company will refuse to pay out and your partner may find it difficult to get cheap insurance after that.

And this will be more obvious in your case because your partner and his dad live at different addresses, so it's better if he refrains from the temptation of cheaper car insurance under these circumstances.

[Migrated from previous post 52 dated 10 Sep 2008]

M
Michael_2 Level 1

Why pay more for insurance than what you've paid for your car?

It's all day light robbery honestly! Why should you pay more for your insurance than what you paid for your car? It's stupid!

[Migrated from previous topic 10835 dated 30 Jan 2010]

gices
gices Level 6

It's really unfair to pay more in insurance premiums than how much you've paid for your car. It's just that you're paying for the mistakes of other new drivers who drive carelessly and subsequently car insurance companies have to pay out in claims. So now they've increased the premiums for young drivers and the only way to get cheap quotes is by proving to them that you're a good driver. You do this by earning no claims bonus but it takes at least 2 years worth of NCB to get decent quotes. Just hold on tight!

[Migrated from previous post 753 dated 02 Feb 2010]

anonymous_2
anonymous_2 Level 1

I recently passed my driving test and I am confused about this subject. Do I have to buy car insurance before I actually buy the car itself? How do I go about it? What if I pay for insurance and decide not to buy the car? Do I need the paper work for insurance before I am able to buy the car and drive the car to home? Also, my cheapest quote for the cheapest car can get insurance quote was £3500 which nearly gave me a heart attack, which would be 3 times more than the cost of the car of my budget, is this right? please help?

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