Car Insurance for 17 Year Olds

It doesn't really matter what age you pass your Driving Test once you have it just feels like winning the lottery. It is a well known fact that young people manage to pass the Driving Test much quicker than an older person. Older people struggle much more and may even have to try three or even more times before they are successful. In some cases people give up the idea altogether due to the expense of driving lessons or lack of confidence. Imagine how a 17 year old must feel when they have just passed their Driving Test and very often after the first attempt. The first thing they want is a car of their own usually any car will do so long as they can get behind that wheel and have the freedom of the open road. Having got the car usually paid for with a little help from their parents, they are all ready to go but first they need to buy the insurance for it. Then the real problems start when they find out just how much it is going to cost to get the car insured. The law states that every car on the road must be covered by at least third party insurance. This covers for any accident in the car that involves yourself and a third party. Third party fire and theft insurance will cover for your car catching fire or setting someone else's car on fire. If your car is stolen then you are covered for the current value at the time of the incident. Fully comprehensive insurance will cover for almost every eventuality such as a broken windscreen and protecting your no claim bonus.

So where does a 17 year old inexperienced driver find an Insurance Company that will insure his car without it costing double the typical premium that an older more experienced person would pay? The simple answer to this is to keep trying different Insurance Companies and get as many quotes as you can. There are a number of Insurance Companies that specialise in offering insurance to young drivers. Another way of trying to reduce the cost is to only buy a standard car that doesn't reach high speeds. A high performance car is seen as a much greater risk to any Insurance Company. Think about only having the minimum third party insurance and another option is taking a Pass plus course. Although it usually costs over £100 it could save you more than that amount off the cost of your insurance. Some parents are willing to have their teenager added on to their insurance which of course costs less for the teenager but could be risky for the parent. Any accident caused by the teenager could result in the named driver losing their no claim bonus or a percentage of it.

Once the 17 year has got insurance by driving carefully they can build up a no claims discount within the first year. This will be taken into account the following year when quoting for the premium. However, it is always better to shop around after the first year as new customers are often offered a lower premium.

Summary

Car insurance for 17 year olds is always going to be expensive as they are seen as a much bigger risk than an older more experienced driver. There are a number of ways they could take to try and lower their yearly premium and build up a no claim discount by driving carefully.