First Car Time
Discussion
My eldest is 17 and teaching him to drive in my 172 clio is a bit stressful, so I need to get him his own learner car.
I've got a few quotes for the first year's insurance one he's passed his test and they're predictably unpleasant: £2k+ for a base spec C1, 107 or Aygo. I live in a fairly high crime area, which probably doesn't help.
Is there anything I can do to shave some more off this? Dashcam, blackbox, naming him as a driver on another car etc? Or are there any cars lower insurance than a C1? I've tried a couple of models of Corsa, but there were £700 more.
I've got a few quotes for the first year's insurance one he's passed his test and they're predictably unpleasant: £2k+ for a base spec C1, 107 or Aygo. I live in a fairly high crime area, which probably doesn't help.
Is there anything I can do to shave some more off this? Dashcam, blackbox, naming him as a driver on another car etc? Or are there any cars lower insurance than a C1? I've tried a couple of models of Corsa, but there were £700 more.
The first thing I would do is rethink your choices. In my humble opinion the best car of that type is the Skoda Citigo VW Up and Seat Mii are more or less the same car I believe). Based on my experience of shopping for my wife's car a few years ago, the Citigo outclasses those you mention by a country mile.
Insurance companies have recognised that Aygos, 107's, and C1's have become popular with first time drivers due to their low running costs etc, and have loaded premiums accordingly.
Try an older Yaris, Micra or Mazda 2, pretty bulletproof and generally driven by proverbial 'old ladies' so not recognised as such a risk, OK his street cred might take a bit of a hit but won't matter so much when the car takes its first physical ding which no doubt it will at some point, good luck.
Try an older Yaris, Micra or Mazda 2, pretty bulletproof and generally driven by proverbial 'old ladies' so not recognised as such a risk, OK his street cred might take a bit of a hit but won't matter so much when the car takes its first physical ding which no doubt it will at some point, good luck.
Cambs_Stuart said:
My eldest is 17 and teaching him to drive in my 172 clio is a bit stressful, so I need to get him his own learner car.
I've got a few quotes for the first year's insurance one he's passed his test and they're predictably unpleasant: £2k+ for a base spec C1, 107 or Aygo. I live in a fairly high crime area, which probably doesn't help.
Is there anything I can do to shave some more off this? Dashcam, blackbox, naming him as a driver on another car etc? Or are there any cars lower insurance than a C1? I've tried a couple of models of Corsa, but there were £700 more.
I doubt adding him as a named driver on another car will reduce the quote but your other thoughts are worth getting quotes based on.I've got a few quotes for the first year's insurance one he's passed his test and they're predictably unpleasant: £2k+ for a base spec C1, 107 or Aygo. I live in a fairly high crime area, which probably doesn't help.
Is there anything I can do to shave some more off this? Dashcam, blackbox, naming him as a driver on another car etc? Or are there any cars lower insurance than a C1? I've tried a couple of models of Corsa, but there were £700 more.
Adding you and your Partner as named drivers to his policy though might well reduce the price as will restricting the mileage potentially to say 7k a year or less depending on what each Insurer sets as the number.
Really appreciate the replies, they're very helpful. The VAG group stuff seems to have a relatively high initial purchase price which, given how the car it likey to be treated, is off putting.
The Mazda 2 and Yaris is a good shout (even if a quick browse of Yaris' near me show they look a bit abused).
the Ford Ka is another contender, based on low insurance groups. Fiat pandas, even with the mighty 54hp 1.1 engine is still £500 more than the C1.
I've even had a look at classic car insurance, but they seem to have a "25 year old driver" minimum age cut off.
The Mazda 2 and Yaris is a good shout (even if a quick browse of Yaris' near me show they look a bit abused).
the Ford Ka is another contender, based on low insurance groups. Fiat pandas, even with the mighty 54hp 1.1 engine is still £500 more than the C1.
I've even had a look at classic car insurance, but they seem to have a "25 year old driver" minimum age cut off.
Assuming you are using Confused etc, then you can generate a quote for a different car in about 1 min by going to the edit details bit.
Spend a bit of time on Autotrader finding number plates from all sorts of small cars and have a play. Think outside the box...something that a young person would not typically drive.
You might find something which is an anomoly, with a cheaper price.
Spend a bit of time on Autotrader finding number plates from all sorts of small cars and have a play. Think outside the box...something that a young person would not typically drive.
You might find something which is an anomoly, with a cheaper price.
I am in the same situation as my daughter was 17 last month. She currently has use of a 2007 Vauxhall Corsa which to be honest I don't like at all, but the insurance is cheap.
I am looking to buy her first car and the UP!/Citigo/Mii is definitely on the shortlist. However, one thing I have noticed is rust on the early cars around the filler cap, like the old Ford Ka. I believe this is because the early cars had no rear wheel arch liners.
I am looking to buy her first car and the UP!/Citigo/Mii is definitely on the shortlist. However, one thing I have noticed is rust on the early cars around the filler cap, like the old Ford Ka. I believe this is because the early cars had no rear wheel arch liners.
Cambs_Stuart said:
Really appreciate the replies, they're very helpful. The VAG group stuff seems to have a relatively high initial purchase price which, given how the car it likey to be treated, is off putting.
The Mazda 2 and Yaris is a good shout (even if a quick browse of Yaris' near me show they look a bit abused).
the Ford Ka is another contender, based on low insurance groups. Fiat pandas, even with the mighty 54hp 1.1 engine is still £500 more than the C1.
I've even had a look at classic car insurance, but they seem to have a "25 year old driver" minimum age cut off.
Just another thought -when my 3 children were learning to drive and then passed , from the get go each was insured with Admiral.The Mazda 2 and Yaris is a good shout (even if a quick browse of Yaris' near me show they look a bit abused).
the Ford Ka is another contender, based on low insurance groups. Fiat pandas, even with the mighty 54hp 1.1 engine is still £500 more than the C1.
I've even had a look at classic car insurance, but they seem to have a "25 year old driver" minimum age cut off.
Obviously the hike when they passed was relatively "painful " for me but all 3 earned their first years NCB according to when each policy was 12 months old and not when they passed their tests.
All 3 had Fiesta's ( 1.25 engine ) which at the time were all reasonable to insure.
Cambs_Stuart said:
My eldest is 17 and teaching him to drive in my 172 clio is a bit stressful, so I need to get him his own learner car.
I've got a few quotes for the first year's insurance one he's passed his test and they're predictably unpleasant: £2k+ for a base spec C1, 107 or Aygo. I live in a fairly high crime area, which probably doesn't help.
Is there anything I can do to shave some more off this? Dashcam, blackbox, naming him as a driver on another car etc? Or are there any cars lower insurance than a C1? I've tried a couple of models of Corsa, but there were £700 more.
You need to look at some different cars as they tend to miss the new driver tax.I've got a few quotes for the first year's insurance one he's passed his test and they're predictably unpleasant: £2k+ for a base spec C1, 107 or Aygo. I live in a fairly high crime area, which probably doesn't help.
Is there anything I can do to shave some more off this? Dashcam, blackbox, naming him as a driver on another car etc? Or are there any cars lower insurance than a C1? I've tried a couple of models of Corsa, but there were £700 more.
Have him as the main policy holder with you & your partner as named drivers, accept the blackbox.
Now for my eldest I found the Alfa Mito 1.4 N/A or 0.9 twin air were the cars that were coming in at around £1600-2000 for insurance, now as of March I found 1.4 Astra were coming in at around the same number the Mito had jumped upto the 3k mark.
So the answer is to put a lot of different regs in & see where the sensible numbers appear.
Astra:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409224...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409053...
Mito:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409043...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404269...
Twin Air:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409103...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202406080...
Kia ProCeed:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409224...
208:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409184...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409214...
C30:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409093...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202408193...
Ceed:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409103...
Swift SZ4:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202407201...
Mazda2 Tamura:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202405290...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202408263...
So, spreadsheet time. I've not started getting quotes for old volvos, or tried to game the system in any other way. All details are from AT, the weights are a bit all over the place, and the 0-60 for the C1 looks optimistic. But at the moment the Yaris, Aygo C1, and Ka look similar. I may just end up getting the newest, best maintained example I can get of one of those.
I'll have a chat with the boy and explain why he can't have an Impreza/Evo.
The Twingo was a surprise. It's a Cat N, 2014 model.
Adding me to the policy seems to make a small difference, as does cutting back the miles.
I'll have a chat with the boy and explain why he can't have an Impreza/Evo.
The Twingo was a surprise. It's a Cat N, 2014 model.
Adding me to the policy seems to make a small difference, as does cutting back the miles.
ZX10R NIN said:
You need to look at some different cars as they tend to miss the new driver tax.
Have him as the main policy holder with you & your partner as named drivers, accept the blackbox.
Now for my eldest I found the Alfa Mito 1.4 N/A or 0.9 twin air were the cars that were coming in at around £1600-2000 for insurance, now as of March I found 1.4 Astra were coming in at around the same number the Mito had jumped upto the 3k mark.
So the answer is to put a lot of different regs in & see where the sensible numbers appear.
Thanks ZX10, always appreciate the input. I went to see, and bought a 308 GTI BPS based on your recommendations! I'll have an evening playing with a price comparison site. Have him as the main policy holder with you & your partner as named drivers, accept the blackbox.
Now for my eldest I found the Alfa Mito 1.4 N/A or 0.9 twin air were the cars that were coming in at around £1600-2000 for insurance, now as of March I found 1.4 Astra were coming in at around the same number the Mito had jumped upto the 3k mark.
So the answer is to put a lot of different regs in & see where the sensible numbers appear.
Having just been through this with my 17 Y/O. It's a real lottery.
A few observation we found.
Age of car makes a difference, in our case with a Fiat 500 even with identical models a 2009 model was more expensive than a 2013.
Some manufacturers have different powered models with a similar engine. eg VW Polo do a 68 bhp or 80bhp variant.
Adding a parent(s) brings the cost down, even if they never drive.
Play around with the voluntary excess, she has just passed and REDUCING the voluntary excess reduced the premium!!
A few observation we found.
Age of car makes a difference, in our case with a Fiat 500 even with identical models a 2009 model was more expensive than a 2013.
Some manufacturers have different powered models with a similar engine. eg VW Polo do a 68 bhp or 80bhp variant.
Adding a parent(s) brings the cost down, even if they never drive.
Play around with the voluntary excess, she has just passed and REDUCING the voluntary excess reduced the premium!!
I echo the above...Seat Mii Toca was the route we went down after much deliberation.
Lowest insurance group, 50 mpg real world economy, well built, has been bullet proof in 4 years and is actually fun to drive.
Despite sticking over 25k miles on it, it's still worth roughly what we paid for it....bonus!
Great little car.
Lowest insurance group, 50 mpg real world economy, well built, has been bullet proof in 4 years and is actually fun to drive.
Despite sticking over 25k miles on it, it's still worth roughly what we paid for it....bonus!
Great little car.
Cambs_Stuart said:
Thanks ZX10, always appreciate the input. I went to see, and bought a 308 GTI BPS based on your recommendations! I'll have an evening playing with a price comparison site.
I'm glad you're enjoying the 308, doing the price comparison thing is a must due to some of the above (or other leftfield options) will come in around the same money or a few hundred over a C1.I bought a 60bhp 2015 polo 1.0 as the learning car....now swopped for an Up! 4yrs later. Great little car for nipping about in but no power for longer trips. I've found the older cars are a lot more to insure, I did a quote on a £3k BMW diesel for a 24yr old and it was more to insure than to buy.
If you go left field watch out for availability of spares, for the Polo a new bumper in the right colour on ebay £200ish
If you go left field watch out for availability of spares, for the Polo a new bumper in the right colour on ebay £200ish
Seen in other threads over the years that people have been pleasantly surprised by insurance costs on Volvos for new drivers - presumably due to their well regarded safety. Think C30 has come up a few times. Could possibly get a V40 depending on budget - solid cars and a nice place to be.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409043...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202409043...
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