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Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Teenagers

Car Insurance for a 17 year old?

30 replies

BettySuarez · 25/04/2013 16:01

DD aged 17 is just about to start driving lessons so we need to start looking at car insurance.

I know that it is going to be horribly expensive but wondered if anyone could recommend an insurer and prepare me gently for likely cost.

I know that it is the same now for boys and girls cost-wise Smile

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Graceparkhill · 25/04/2013 16:04

I would recommend Tesco. Very few companies will insure young drivers but Tesco have been very good.
It is hugely expensive - we now pay monthly what we used to pay annually. DS1 is insured to drive our modest family car. He is 21 now and apparently premiums don't reduce until age 25.

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HappyJoyful · 25/04/2013 16:08

I don't know the name of the company sorry, but I know a friend got a big saving when she was looking for her son's insurance by having a 'black box' fitted. It means they 'monitor' his driving. Have a google about them..I think she saved over a thousand pounds.

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BlueStringPudding · 25/04/2013 16:17

Admiral are worth getting a quote from. We have a multi car policy, and that made quite a bit of difference. DD is the main policy holder on her policy - as our cars would have been prohibitive for her to drive, so we bought a small car for her (and DD2 in due course) to use.

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secretscwirrels · 25/04/2013 16:35

I have a 17 year old learner driver so I know there have been lots of threads on here over the last few months. we could do with them merging as a useful resource. Hint.
Here are some threads
Lots more if you search on the teenage thread. Also here

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njaw · 25/04/2013 19:25

If you can drive and there's no reason not to, get him to add you to the quote. Even if you have no intention of driving his car, it will bring the cost down.

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nona2706 · 25/04/2013 19:52

Try confused.com.they got me a quote nearly 1000 cheaper than my previous quotes for me and my partner.

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AMumInScotland · 25/04/2013 21:00

DS got added to our Admiral multi-car, that gave the best deal when we were looking. The cost while they are learning isn't usually as bad since they always have someone with them, it's once they pass their test that the price gets really silly.

Others may have different experience, but his was something like £2-3,000 in his first year after passing his test.

You might be able to get him earning some no-claims while he's still a learner though, which could help.

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BettySuarez · 25/04/2013 22:07

Thank you everyone for your really helpful replies.

I had heard about the black box thingy but will look into that in more detail. Will also look at 'Pass Plus' as this can also reduce premiums I think.

Thanks everyone x

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Musicaltheatremum · 26/04/2013 21:57

Admiral are great. I have a Saab for me and me , my daughter 20 and son 17 share the yaris. (1000l) the insurance for all three of us for both cars is about £1100.

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Bromptonaut · 27/04/2013 12:18

Admiral were good when adding daughter and for son while a learner. However on renewal in February they insisted on rating him as 'main user' of my OH's Berlingo. He's not. He uses it socially from time to time and drives on family business. DP uses it daily for quite long distance work travel. No amount of rational persuasion would shift them.

LV/Frizzel came up trumps in end.

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WorrySighWorrySigh · 27/04/2013 20:52

Just insured DD(17) with Admiral for her first car:-£1560 with DH & I as named drivers. It is worth looking at different cars. The Ford Ka was the cheapest despite having a 1300 engine. Cheaper than other 1000cc cars.

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Theas18 · 28/04/2013 11:25

Whilst learning look at provisional marmalade.

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Tote · 30/04/2013 12:31

A '107 in 17 year olds name, with her as the main driver (fully comp including work commuting) with two other adults on the policy (to bring the cost down) and a black box fitted through Admiral Bell (no driving restrictions) was £1050. This was done on the day she passed her test.

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amumthatcares · 01/05/2013 11:13

Having a big car ourselves, we bought DD a car in the lowest insurance bracket and she insured it as a provisional on her 17th birthday, in her name with DH & I as named drivers. We did this with Admiral and got a good deal by agreeing to insure our car on multi car when our insurance expired in August, until DD's was due for renewal in November (so only 3 months). I think she paid £700 as a provisional and then a further £150 once she'd passed her test, so all in for less than £1000 (though the EU sex equality rule came in in the December so we just got in before that). When we came to renew last November, we found it cheaper to discontinue the multi car and DD got a cheaper quote with Diamond than Admiral offered (though they are sister companies? Confused)

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margot1962 · 16/05/2013 00:45

The insurance company won't pay out if he was driving the car which obviously wasn't your main car.

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margot1962 · 16/05/2013 00:59

As Mum of two girls, one a safe driver, one reckless: wait till they are 18 or older until you let them loose on the road. Don't give in to peer pressure (theirs or yours) because they are too young to handle the responsibility of driving, at such a young age. My daughter nearly died within 3 weeks of passing her test. Her fault. Haha, you say, that will never happen to me. Statistically, it very well could. My friend's son,19, died in an accident he caused. Every single one of their friends has had an accident of some kind, within a few months of passing the test. That's why the insurance is so high for them. The law should be changed. The age for drivers should be higher.

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amumthatcares · 16/05/2013 10:54

margot - I agree, at age 17 they are in control or not as the case may be of a killing machine - fact.

I think statisitcs suggest that most new, young drivers have an accident within the first two years of driving. My DD did too, she'd been driving exactly 12 months and hit black ice on a country road, ended up in a ditch (which was so deep you couldn't see her car from the road Shock ) and she and her passengers were extremely lucky to walk away from unhurt. It did hit home because, although she's not a reckless driver, she seemed to think she was an excellent driver and nothing could possibly happen to her!

I think initially they should all either have black tracking boxes fitted, or they should invent a vehicle speed restrictor. Either of these should be made compulsory by the insurance company.

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AAAndy · 28/10/2013 15:40

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mindgone · 30/10/2013 01:22

We used Collingwood learner driver insurance.

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kazie1 · 06/04/2016 16:36

Am looking for Car insurance for my son who has been driving for a year and is 18. We previously used Quinn Insurance from Ireland and it was really reasonable but they are no longer covering England. I had a quote from the company they put forward and they quoted me £1400 more! He has one year no claims. Thanks Karen

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QOD · 06/04/2016 17:39

Just paid £436 for a years insurance for 17 yo dd provisional driver and dh and I named.

Flux direct

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Sparklingbrook · 06/04/2016 19:09

Reading with interest and a bit Shock DS1 needs to up his hours of the P/T job i think.

I have the forms for DS1's provisional licence. I know you can apply three months before but do you know the reason for that? How long do they take?

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Sparklingbrook · 06/04/2016 19:10

*before he is 17

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Marilynsbigsister · 06/04/2016 20:46

Definitely 'provisional marmalade'... Basically, this is stand alone insurance on your car for your learner. About 75 per month. My dd got her test first time by doing this. She drove whenever we went out. Got loads of practice. - once she passed we got a car through them as well. Cheapest insurance on my ten yr old fiat 500 was 2100. I was already paying about 600 a year to keep it on the road. Marmalade offered a brand new fiat 500 with one years free insurance for 17 yr old. (With telemetrix box) for £196 per month. It was a no brainier. 2nd year her insurance had gone down to 450. This year it will be 320. ... Well worth doing. I am so pleased to recommend them.

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scotsgirl64 · 06/04/2016 22:44

Try ingenie...used this for my daughter ( had a box fitted which monitored her driving and price would decrease if she drove well!)
Admiral also v good for young drivers ( multi car policy good deal!)

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