Two of my lads have not driven since they passed 5 and 3 years ago. Partly because impossible to get them insured on our cars, partly because they went to Uni and didn’t need a car, partly because they are both now abroad.
However my youngest is 18 and he’s passed his test, he isn’t going to Uni and has just been successful in getting a Graduate Apprenticeship with an international company working in the construction and project management sector. As well as being chuffed for him I want/need to get him a car as he will be commuting Manchester to Warrington which is pretty tricky to do on public transport everyday. How the degree apprenticeship works is you get paid a starting salary and don’t get charged Uni fees albeit you do a day a week at Uni and end up with a degree. So he can contribute to the cost, albeit I don’t want him spending all his salary on running a car. Been looking at VW Polo as sturdy and he will be doing the commute on the motorway
Having trawled the internet the quotes are actually ludicrous and our postcode seems to be a particular problem because Marmalade offer a £1300 cashback if you buy a car from them at RRP. The normal deal with them is pay list but get the first 12 months insurance thrown in !
Does anyone know a real human broker that could guide us through this - at this stage a quote of less than £2k would actually seem a bargain. Thanking you in advance for any introductions
Can’t answer your specific question but my 17 year old has just passed and I got him fully comprehensive cover for £1,000. Was on a 2 year old Ford Focus 1.0 litre eco boost. He’s got a black box and I’m on their as well which I think brings it down - might be worth looking at those options.
I've just got my niece into a Peugeot 108 on a just add fuel scheme , it's a monthly amount she pays for the car over three years and insurance servicing and tax and black box is all included she just pays a monthly fee , it's the only manufacturer that does this type off thing apparently
try Ingenie
Always better for young ones to add a couple of elder relatives (with clean licences) onto the policy.
Your main problem is your location. Manchester (well M62 corridor really) is horrendous for the young to get cover at a reasonable cost.
As suggested above, a Peugeot 108 on a “just add fuel” deal may prove to be the most cost effective. Adding both parents as named drivers on any other policy he gets should help.
It’s really unlikely to be cheap though.
Originally Posted by Motman
Agree. That's definitely a good idea.
Other ideas are BLACK BOXes fitted. Policies with limited time of use; for example nothing after 8pm till 0600..
My first years insurance was £2100 and that was with my sister in law as the main driver but I could build my own no claims as a named driver. Just one of those things I'm afraid. See if you can do the same
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I think what you've described is known as "fronting", and is illegal.
I went through the insurance palaver when my son passed his test. Much depends on the post code and we're in deepest Hampshire, which isn't too bad. The other problem is trying to find a car that's cheap to run, but isn't usually crashed by teenagers, which is why small under-powered hatchbacks are disproportionately expensive to insure. You may have to take it on the chin for the first year, and pray that he (or she) doesn't have any accidents. My son's premium almost halved when he had completed his first year.
I'm just about to go through the whole rigmarole again for my daughter. She wants a Mini, but she's likely to be disappointed.
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
It's not fronting. My sis in law used the car as well. It's only illegal when the main driver doesn't use the car
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My first year was £2100 but went straight down to £1400 after my first year then down to £800 after that,this was on a 1.2 corsa. Now I drive a 2 litre BMW and only pay £450 a year. You've just got to do it unfortunately
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Last edited by Rbains0708; 29th April 2018 at 21:35.
It’s illegal if the main driver isn’t the main driver. Doesn’t matter if they both use it.
Well you learn something new everyday
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We had to the same for my wife, over 2.2k for insurance alone.. although we have Gone Citroen, the scheme is the same and she walks with 3 year NCB afterwards
thank you for all the advice.... already been through the black box / adding parents as additional drivers (with son being main driver) options... and as Dave says the north Manchester postcode seems a killer
however I had not looked at the Peugeot option and I have to say their website excellent and quite transparent. I think he needs a 1.2 rather than a 1.0 for the motorway driving, and I like the idea that the cover is for 3 years but the monthly payment is just over £410 of which £191 is the insurance premium - ouch ! he so far had not considered a Peugeot and it probably wasn't on his radar - but looks like a compromise will have to be found.
Also take a look at insurance costs on a Ford Fiesta.
5 star NCAP rating, reliable and cheap to service. I bought my daughter one four years ago and it is a pleasure to drive, which is something coming from a petrol head who normally drives a car that is 5 times more powerful.
She just has the 1.25 engine and it is absolutely fine on motorways, the newer 1.0 turbo is a gem.
Just to add one further thought to the thread which may help others. If you buy a car and insure it in their name when they first get their provisional licence, insurance is initially a fair bit cheaper as they have to be accompanied at all times. When they pass their test, it does jump a huge amount (£1k+), BUT they have already accumulated a no claims bonus even if the car sat idle most of the time while they were learning. Depending on circumstances, it can work out cheaper to buy a car early and pay tax etc due to the insurance saving. As others have said, insurance can often halve after accumulating just one year of no claims bonus at that age, so getting the clock ticking on no claims when the premium is at it's cheapest before passing and risk of claim at it's lowest is worth thinking about. That way you will always have a longer no claims history for successive renewals too = cheaper premiums
update - Peugeot dealership about a mile from my office so popped in at lunchtime. Super friendly sales guy who wasn't pushy and explained for some people this is the only way to buy a car. It is good in terms of budgeting as service, breakdown, tax all included. Interestingly the 1.0 was only marginally cheaper and the insurance cost element the same. I did not really like the 108 as felt quite cramped ..... the 208 could be had on the same scheme for about £30 a month more.
Citroen also do this scheme and I cannot find any other manufacturer doing it - so must just be a way for the French to sell cars at list price and somewhat subsidise the insurance.
Mini Cooper!
Seriously -look at cars not typically driven by young drivers.
When Browne Jr passed her test at 17, she wanted a Mini so we looked at a number of Mini One’s and insurance was around £1800ish. We ended up buying a Mini Cooper which cost £1100 for the first year, this year it was around £600
It’s all about statistics, bafflingly.
That's useful, Dick. A Mini Cooper is exactly what my daughter would like, so I'll get her to do some quotes.
Thank you.
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
That was my oldest daughters first car last year, 2008 Mini Cooper D, think the ins was £1100 for the first year, be careful with the age though, when it gets past a certain point the ins companies wont touch it, I think they said something about the repair costs.
Im now looking for a new car for my soon to be 17 year old, been looking at PCP deals on things like Toyota Aygo or Fiat 500, the just add fuel deals are not available for under 18s
Even in my 40s I was still doing this.
Just be careful with the "free insurance", read the fine print.
Going back a fee years a very good friend was caught out after buying a new car with 2 years free insurance. They told him everything he wanted to hear to sell him a new car, 19 years old and a new driver so the insurance deal saved him a good 3 grand (on a £12000 corsa). Pulled over after about 6 months going to work one morning at 4am and it turned out he was driving without cover - the insurance deal was for over 21 only. Terrible mess, he got a 2 year ban for that!
There is a tipping point though to watch out for when it actually costs more to have others on the policy even with a clean licence. Always best to do a price comparison "with and without"
Then was he not misold the insurance?
A Plan have always been pretty good for young drivers.
Thanks. Pretty clear on the website. Have to chose the Just Add Fuel option with telematics. Prompts you for postcode and age before it will let you go further
See if you can pick up a car that will qualify on a classic policy, with a designated limited mileage.
This is how I got my car insurance to a sensible level when I was 21 and first car, it was a Triumph Dolomite Sprint but a lot of '90s stuff can be picked up on a classic policy these days.
Lancaster Insurance were very good.
Yes, my dad is past it now!
Consider also looking at quidco. If you get your quote through them they claim to offer up to £100s off with some insurers. I haven't used them so I don't know if they bung a few hundred on to later take it off.
And the probably all too obvious, don't accept the renewal quote, shop around.
I am in London so high insurance premiums but after trying out lots of quotes, I found that generally, the cost is based on the BHP of the car and not necessarily size of engine etc.
For example, a 1 litre and. 1.4 are roughly the same price if they output the same Bhp.
The sweet spot seems to be around 100 BHP. I was getting quotes around £1,600 for a 17 year old on Cars like a 95 BHP Alfa Mito or a 1l VW Up
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