Student car insurance

Student car insurance is cover that is designed especially for students. Whilst this may include adaptions to normal car insurance policies to suit students’ lifestyles, it also means being budget-friendly and giving incentives for students to drive safely.

It’s a legal requirement to have a minimum of third party car insurance in place before you drive in the UK, and this also applies to students who take their cars to university.

Endsleigh’s car insurance provides flexible cover for students while they’re studying at university. This includes £2,000 personal accident cover, 24-hour windscreen and glass replacement as well as a courtesy car in the event of a claim when you choose comprehensive cover.

Comprehensive student car insurance also provides cover for:

• Loss of or damage to your car, including any spare parts or accessories in or on your car, or in your private garage
• 90 days driving abroad cover anywhere in the European Union (read more about what you’ll need to drive abroad here)
• Audio and navigation equipment which is fitted to your vehicle
• Personal effects are covered for loss or damage (whilst they are in or on your car) up to £100
• Your legal liability to other people, including up to £20 million for loss and damage to property and £5 million for legal costs and expenses per incident
• Medical expenses for you and your passengers following an accident, up to £100 for each injured person

The main reason car insurance tends to be more expensive for students is because insurers have to think about each driver’s skill and experience behind the wheel. Stats also show that young drivers tend to have more accidents. Add these two facts together and they normally result in higher student car insurance prices – as unfair as that may seem.

We know that getting student car insurance on a budget is important to you. We also know how disheartening it can be to see how high the cost of car insurance for students is.

At Endsleigh, we don’t believe that you should pay over-the-odds to insure your car if you’re a careful driver. That’s why we’ve dedicated our service to provide you with different levels of cover which can help you both prove you’re a safe driver and secure student-friendly car insurance.

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If you drive a car, you need car insurance regardless of whether you’re a student or not. Student car insurance simply attempts to make things safer and more affordable those who are studying at university.

If you already have car insurance in place before you go to university, then you may be able to update your existing policy to reflect your change in occupation and term-time address. However, you may incur an administration fee to change these details on your existing policy.

If you don’t already have cover in place, student car insurance could be the more cost-effective solution as you may be able to access exclusive student discounts on your premium and any optional extras (such as breakdown cover).

Before taking out student car insurance, you should also consider how long you’ll need to be covered – if you only require cover for a couple of weeks during holidays, you may find temporary student driver insurance more suitable.

As a student, we know you’ll want to get the most for your money. It’s no secret that car insurance can be costly for young drivers, and it can take a few years for your No Claims Bonus to make a difference to your premium. We’ve put together a few tips to help you lower your student car insurance cost and help you get a quote that fits in with your budget.

1. Get a practical car

When choosing your car, try and pick one which is in a lower insurance group. For example, smaller cars with smaller engine sizes will be cheaper to insure.

2. Choose black box car insurance

Black box insurance is a great way to prove you’re a safe driver and reap the rewards in discounts and special offers. This type of insurance is especially suited to young/student drivers and helps build trust between you and your insurer.

3. Add an experienced driver to your policy

Adding a responsible named driver (such as a parent) to your policy can reduce your insurance cost. It tells insurers that you won’t be the only driver of the vehicle.

4. Pay for your insurance yearly

Insurers usually offer discounts if you pay for your insurance upfront. This may not be doable on a student budget, but may be something to think about.

5. Choose temporary student driver insurance 

If you’re living at university and only using your car when you go home for holidays/reading weeks, you may save money by insuring your car on a short-term basis.

6. Increase your voluntary excess

Opting to increase your policy’s excess fee can help insurers offer you a cheaper quote. This is because it suggests that you won’t make small claims. However, make sure it’s still an amount you could afford to pay if you had an accident.

7. Use a student-focused car insurance company

Choosing to insure your car with a company who works with and understands students will help make sure your best interests are at heart. At Endsleigh, we are dedicated student insurance providers. We work with the likes of UCAS and are the only NUS-recommended insurance company.

8. Improve your car’s security

Making an effort to install extra security (such as a tracker or immobiliser) can secure you a discount, as well as securing your car.

9. Carefully choose the right level of cover

Third party only cover isn’t always the least expensive. It could also cost you a lot of money if you have an accident and need to repair your car. Do your research and make sure you’re covered for what you need.

10. Build your experience

Taking part in advanced driving courses should not only improve your student car insurance cost, but your driving skills too!

11. Student discount with Endsleigh

Not only do we offer cheaper premiums for students on their car insurance, but we can also provide discounted RAC breakdown cover, just for students.

12. Pass Plus

Pass Plus is a 6 hour long driving course you can take once you’ve passed your driving test, and it helps new drivers build their confidence and improve their skills on the roads. Some insurers will offer a small discount on your premium for taking Pass Plus. Remember, you require a Pass Plus registered driving instructor to teach you for the qualification to be valid.

13. Add a named driver

Under some circumstances it may be easier to get added as a named driver to a friend or parents’ policy, rather than taking out your own student car insurance. However, it can also be expensive to get added as a named driver to your parents’ policy, and they may even be concerned about losing their No Claims Bonus should you have an accident in their car, so investigate all avenues before deciding what cover to choose.

We want to do everything we can to make student car insurance more affordable for you. However, it’s also really important to make sure that you’re always honest with your insurer. This is so that everyone’s on the same page and your insurance covers you for everything you need.

Click here to get a quote and save on student car insurance costs today.

We don’t believe in one size fits all, and pride ourselves on providing flexible cover for our customers. That’s why we provide the following optional extras:

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.

We are only able to offer 12 month policies for student car insurance.

However, we do offer temporary student driver insurance which provides short term cover for student drivers should they need to drive a friend or parents’ car during university holidays. Marmalade’s policies also provide:

• Flexible short-term cover for 7, 14, 21 or 28 days
• No set up fees
• No risk to the car owners’ No Claims Bonus

If you have graduated, taken a gap or placement year or dropped out of university, you will need to contact us to update your policy. You may be able to do this by visiting your online account. Alternatively, please call us on 0333 234 1552.

‘Fronting’ is when someone takes out a car insurance policy on their own car, but only adds themselves as the named driver and someone else as the main driver to get a cheaper premium.

This is actually illegal, and could result in a conviction for driving without insurance, as well as your car insurance policy being invalidated in the event of the claim.

That’s why it’s important that all the information you provide to us is true and accurate to the best of your knowledge, and that you let us know as soon as you have a change in circumstances – such as a change of address or occupation.