New Driver Insurance – A Beginner’s Guide

New driver insurance for your first car may seem like a bit of a minefield. With this in mind you’ll find a useful beginner’s guide below to keep you on the right road to your new driver car insurance policy.

Vehicle choice

Insurance quotes for young drivers are often very high because of vehicle choice. Experience counts for a lot on the roads and taking the wheel of a powerful car without any driving history is a big warning sign for car insurance companies.

Everyone would love to be able to drive the car of their dreams right after passing their test, but in practical terms it may not be a viable option when it comes to insurance for young drivers.

Shopping around for quotes

There are often horror stories in the mainstream press about the cost of new driver insurance. Taking your time to shop around for car insurance quotes can really pay dividends. When you’re looking online for new driver insurance, comparing like-for-like quotes is essential to make sure you get the best deal.

For example, one quote may be cheaper than another but have no breakdown cover or courtesy car included.

Policy excess

Insurance for young drivers typically comes with a higher than average policy excess. This policy excess is the amount you have to pay towards your claim if you have an accident.

For example if your new driver insurance policy has an excess of £500 and you have a repair bill of £1000 after an accident, you and your insurer will contribute half each.

Many young driver car insurance policies are cheaper as a result of having a very high excess, so make sure you pay attention to this figure before going ahead.

Level of cover

There are three main types of car insurance; third party only, third party, fire & theft and comprehensive.

For the vast majority of new drivers, comprehensive insurance is too expensive so the first two form the choices available.

Third party only cover is the minimum legal requirement and covers you for any injury to passengers or damage to property as a result of your driving. This is often favoured by young drivers as it’s the cheapest level of insurance cover available.

Third party, fire & theft covers the above as well as theft and fire damage to your car. If you want this extra peace of mind with your new driver insurance, you will have to pay a bit extra for it.

Pass Plus

One of the ways to get cheaper young drivers insurance is to take the Pass Plus programme after passing your test. Successfully completing this course demonstrates to insurers that you’re keen to become a safe driver and this will be reflected in a reduced new driver car insurance premium.

These are just some of the things you need to think about when sourcing young persons’ car insurance for the first time. A little knowledge can go a long way when it comes to paying less for your first car insurance policy.

Additional articles about Young Driver Car Insurance

About the author

The Co-operative Insurance provides thousands of young driver car insurance policies in the UK every year.

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