Young driver insurance

Young driver insurance is where insurance companies create specific, more affordable policies for younger drivers. All in a bid to help new drivers  get behind the wheel without breaking the bank.

Once you’ve passed your driving test, graduated from a learner to a qualified driver and purchased your first car, you’ll need to arrange car insurance. This is to ensure you’re protected on the road and to meet the minimum legal requirements – any learner driver insurance won’t be enough anymore. But you’ll probably have a tough time finding cheap car insurance for young drivers. That’s why we offer a range of products for young drivers that’ll help keep your costs down while you build up your No Claims Discount.

Although young driver insurance policies are designed to be as affordable as possible, you can also choose to add helpful extras such as legal cover and breakdown cover.

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If you own a car that you’re planning to drive (once you’ve passed your test) then it’s a legal requirement to have a minimum of third party car insurance in place.

If you don’t own a car, it is possible to be added as a named driver to a friend or parents’ car insurance policy – however, this can be an expensive option and could affect the car owners’ No Claims Bonus should you have an accident.

You’ll probably find car insurance is expensive for young and new drivers. This is due to a lack of experience behind the wheel increasing your risk of an accident and whole bunch of statistics to back this up .

Although there’s no doubt your first few years of driving will see your insurance at the highest it’ll probably ever be, there are a few things you can consider to try and keep the cost down as a young driver.

1) Choose a car with a small engine

Although you may want to go big for your first car, smaller engines are much cheaper to insure. Save the bigger engines for a few years down the line when you’ve built your No Claims Discount (NCD) as vehicles with powerful engines aren’t the best cars to insure for young drivers who want to keep costs down.

2) Opt for a black box

Black box insurance lets you earn your way to cheaper insurance by proving to insurers that you’re a safe driver.

3) Pay yearly

Opting to pay monthly can be more convenient, but usually incurs a higher overall fee. Paying yearly can save you a fair bit of cash.

4) Insure yourself on a short-term basis

Don’t need to use your car during certain periods? No worries. You can insure yourself on a short-term basis .

5) Add a named driver

Adding an experienced named driver can reduce the cost of your insurance as you’ll be sharing use of the car with them.

6) Increase your excess

Increasing your voluntary excess can bring your insurance cost down. But it’s important to make sure you could afford to pay it if you need to claim.

7) Apply more security

Spending some time improving your car’s security (such as by installing an immobiliser) can sometimes get cheaper car insurance quotes for young drivers.

8) Choose level of cover carefully

Making sure you have the right level of cover is vital. Always make sure you’re covered for what you need. And don’t always assume that third party only insurance is the least expensive.

9) Use student discount

As a student insurer, we give students the chance to use their Totum student discount on their car insurance.

10) Undertake Pass Plus

Pass Plus can teach you to be safer and more confident behind the wheel, which in turn, could reduce the cost of your insurance.

Get a young driver insurance quote now

No two drivers are the same. That’s why we make our policies flexible, with a range of young driver car insurance add-ons to choose from, including:

RAC breakdown cover

Save on breakdown cover from the RAC at discounted student prices. Each cover option will fix your car at the roadside if you are over a quarter of a mile away from home, or take you to a nearby garage. There are no call-out or mileage charges.

If you've never broken down before and you're not sure what to expect, find out more about what to do if you breakdown.

Legal expenses

If you have an accident that’s not your fault, this cover will provide up to £100,000 for legal representation for you and all named drivers on your policy to pursue recovery of costs not covered by your car insurance from the other driver. You'll also receive help to defend your legal rights if an accident leads to a motoring offence.

Excess protection

This covers the reimbursement of a policy excess you have to pay following an accident, although please note that windscreen excesses are not included. You can claim as many times as required up to your chosen coverage limit of either £300, £500 or £750 for each excess paid.

What is an excess?

Key cover

This cover provides up to £2,500 for replacing locks and keys for your car, home and office, including locksmith charges. You’ll also receive up to three days of emergency car hire or the option to reclaim the cost of onward transport if your car keys are lost or stolen.

Enhanced personal accident cover

If you're injured in an accident, you may be left unable to work - either while you recover or permanently, dependent on the severity of your injuries. Enhanced personal accident cover will provide a specified lump sum which may provide immediate security in assisting with bills, medical costs and other expenses that may be incurred.

Hire car cover

If your car is written-off or stolen and not recovered, this cover will provide you with a car to use anywhere in the UK for up to 21 days. All named drivers on your policy aged between 18-79 (with a full UK licence) will be able to use this car and you will be covered for up to two claims per policy.

It’s not always easy to find cheap car insurance for new drivers, but there are some easy ways to keep costs down. Here are some of our top tips:

• Think carefully about what car you choose

Cheaper cars bring smaller insurance premiums, so think carefully about what car you choose when you first pass your test. Modifications and engine size can also affect the cost of your new driver insurance.

• Increase your voluntary excess

Increasing your voluntary excess can bring down your premium – but remember that this amount will be combined with your compulsory excess, so you’ll just want to make sure you’d be able to comfortably afford this in the event of a claim.

• Would temporary car insurance do the trick?

If you only need to get covered on a friend or parents’ car for a couple of weeks, you may only need temporary car insurance.

• Consider black box insurance

Black box insurance rewards you with regular discounts off your insurance price, just for driving well. Not only that, but your driving score counts towards getting you a great renewal price, so you can carry on saving on your car insurance.

Find out more about black box insurance.

Overall, drivers between the ages of 17 and 25 would benefit from opting for young driver car insurance in order to get an affordable policy. As the years go by and you continue to build your No Claims Discount , your insurance should gradually come down, meaning you no longer need to search for the best car insurance for young drivers.

When opting for young driver car insurance with Endsleigh, you’ll still be able to choose between the standard levels of cover: third party only, third party fire and theft and comprehensive. You can read more about what these levels of cover mean, but comprehensive cover will protect you the most and could better put your mind at ease when you’re behind the wheel.

There are also other types of car insurance that young drivers could benefit from such as black box insurance, student car insurance and short-term car insurance.

Get a young driver car insurance quote now

If you learnt to drive in your own car, or a family member/friend’s, you’ll have had learner driver insurance in place prior to your test. Once you pass your test and become a qualified driver, it’s important to remember this policy will be void and you need to upgrade to young driver car insurance.

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