INSURANCE - Young drivers
Discussion
Hi All,
First post so here goes....
I figure Insurance is a bit of an old topic but I have searched the excellent Forums here without too much success.
Does anyone have any recommendations about where to go to insure young (i.e. 17 yrs)drivers please ?
My son has just turned 17 and is potty about Minis's (classic style rather than BMW), we are on the search for a really good solid 998cc version CITY, E, MAYFAIR etc (made up until 1992). I have spent an afternoon ringing the specialist Insurance compainies from the Mini magazines - they seem to specialise in Minis (and taking your money) but not drivers. Quotes range from £1,000 to £1,500 for TPF&T and £1,200 to £1,800 for Fully Comp with £500 excess ! I have also spoken to CIS, Tesco, Direct Line who are just a little better. This does seem crazy for a car worth perhaps £2,000 absolute max.
Does anyone have any advice/experiences as to any better (cheaper) sources please ?
Any comments and help would be very much appreciated.
My other car is a Morgan which costs £250 for Fully Comp, 47 yrs old (me not the car), Max No Claims, Limited Mileage, high Agreed value, Retained Salvage etc. with Cornhill Ins Co. via a broker in Suffolk called;
A&G Casey Insurance Consultants 01787 247417
ask for Bruce Casey and tell him Andy sent you.
Many Thanks Guys.
Have Fun
First post so here goes....
I figure Insurance is a bit of an old topic but I have searched the excellent Forums here without too much success.
Does anyone have any recommendations about where to go to insure young (i.e. 17 yrs)drivers please ?
My son has just turned 17 and is potty about Minis's (classic style rather than BMW), we are on the search for a really good solid 998cc version CITY, E, MAYFAIR etc (made up until 1992). I have spent an afternoon ringing the specialist Insurance compainies from the Mini magazines - they seem to specialise in Minis (and taking your money) but not drivers. Quotes range from £1,000 to £1,500 for TPF&T and £1,200 to £1,800 for Fully Comp with £500 excess ! I have also spoken to CIS, Tesco, Direct Line who are just a little better. This does seem crazy for a car worth perhaps £2,000 absolute max.
Does anyone have any advice/experiences as to any better (cheaper) sources please ?
Any comments and help would be very much appreciated.
My other car is a Morgan which costs £250 for Fully Comp, 47 yrs old (me not the car), Max No Claims, Limited Mileage, high Agreed value, Retained Salvage etc. with Cornhill Ins Co. via a broker in Suffolk called;
A&G Casey Insurance Consultants 01787 247417
ask for Bruce Casey and tell him Andy sent you.
Many Thanks Guys.
Have Fun
I'm afraid that the quotations you have already been given are, I almost said "reasonable", but I think a better phrase would be "quite normal", for a 17 year old.
Insurance companies are quite ruthless and cannot see past the end of there noses, completely missing the point that if they are able to create a bit of brand loyalty, they would probably have people as customers for life, rather than drivers swapping around following the cheapest quote. But there again, they have the market pretty much sewn up, being as you have to have insurance, so I guess their take on it is you'll be back anyway. It's the NCB thats the clincher, I lost mine through no fault of my own, a long and painful tale which I sharn't bother you with now, and now my Volvo 940 Turbo costs me just under £600 tpft, and I'm nearly 40 and a professional driver (Artics)! My Lotus on the other hand, is on a classic policy and fully comp, unlimited milage cover costs me just over £200, Work that one out!
So you see, your quotes for you son arn't all that bad< did I really just say that ???
The only peice of advice that I would give to anyone is to go with the cheapest qoute given, and notify the company of ANY changes from standard equipment, as these robbing Ba
ds will try to wriggle out of any claim you unfortunatly have to make,
Best of luck, Simon.
Insurance companies are quite ruthless and cannot see past the end of there noses, completely missing the point that if they are able to create a bit of brand loyalty, they would probably have people as customers for life, rather than drivers swapping around following the cheapest quote. But there again, they have the market pretty much sewn up, being as you have to have insurance, so I guess their take on it is you'll be back anyway. It's the NCB thats the clincher, I lost mine through no fault of my own, a long and painful tale which I sharn't bother you with now, and now my Volvo 940 Turbo costs me just under £600 tpft, and I'm nearly 40 and a professional driver (Artics)! My Lotus on the other hand, is on a classic policy and fully comp, unlimited milage cover costs me just over £200, Work that one out!
So you see, your quotes for you son arn't all that bad< did I really just say that ???
The only peice of advice that I would give to anyone is to go with the cheapest qoute given, and notify the company of ANY changes from standard equipment, as these robbing Ba
ds will try to wriggle out of any claim you unfortunatly have to make, Best of luck, Simon.
Try the back pages of Maxpower magazine and the like. Send your son in to pick it up though. Being a Morgan owner the store will assume you're picking it up for a gander at the rough women that take up so much of the mag.
I had the same prob. when I started to get insured. Couldn't settle for a slow car though and paid the scummy insurance boyz........................gbp3500 fully comp. It's such a stupid amount but it was about gbp1,000 more than non-performance cars. When I say non-performance I mean standard cars with 1.2 engines which only cost a little more than the premium.
Due to reading the road at all times and reacting accordingly I have a perfect record. Only had a complete C.U Next Tuesday reverse into the side of one of my cars and flee. Parked up for 30 mins on Bond St. and came back to find a huge dent in the door and rear wing. Thanks whoever you are! May your house be visited by a shower of fire and brimstone.
Make sure your son is well aware of the driving environment. Maybe even take a pass-plus test, I think it reduces premiums a tad. I guess it all helps and might go some way to protecting his future no claims bonus!
>> Edited by maranellouk on Sunday 28th July 17:05
I had the same prob. when I started to get insured. Couldn't settle for a slow car though and paid the scummy insurance boyz........................gbp3500 fully comp. It's such a stupid amount but it was about gbp1,000 more than non-performance cars. When I say non-performance I mean standard cars with 1.2 engines which only cost a little more than the premium.
Due to reading the road at all times and reacting accordingly I have a perfect record. Only had a complete C.U Next Tuesday reverse into the side of one of my cars and flee. Parked up for 30 mins on Bond St. and came back to find a huge dent in the door and rear wing. Thanks whoever you are! May your house be visited by a shower of fire and brimstone.
Make sure your son is well aware of the driving environment. Maybe even take a pass-plus test, I think it reduces premiums a tad. I guess it all helps and might go some way to protecting his future no claims bonus!
>> Edited by maranellouk on Sunday 28th July 17:05
Endsleigh are worth a try: quote online, be appalled, then they ring you and organise a slightly cheaper quote. Tell them that the price is a bit steep, hold out (its your money) and they'll drop by 10% or so. Same goes for a lot of insurers, actually. Norwich Union Direct have been cheapest for me for two of the last five years (aged 24).
The best bet is to buy a car magazine (choose one with lots of insurance adverts in the back) and work through the 0800 numbers. Then work through the "Beat any quote" firms. This way you will end up with the cheapest possible quote from a possible slightly dodgy operation (my brother had one go bankrupt last year). OTOH it is a way to reduce the premium from silly to steep (1200 to 800 on my first set of wheels, although that was a 600cc bike).
Also with the online quotes, try adding a sensible older driver - my fiancee's insurance dropped noticably when she added her dad to her policy s a named driver (not main driver...)
HTH Jon
The best bet is to buy a car magazine (choose one with lots of insurance adverts in the back) and work through the 0800 numbers. Then work through the "Beat any quote" firms. This way you will end up with the cheapest possible quote from a possible slightly dodgy operation (my brother had one go bankrupt last year). OTOH it is a way to reduce the premium from silly to steep (1200 to 800 on my first set of wheels, although that was a 600cc bike).
Also with the online quotes, try adding a sensible older driver - my fiancee's insurance dropped noticably when she added her dad to her policy s a named driver (not main driver...)
HTH Jon
Could be a case of c'est la vie, I'm afraid. My premium on my Puma has gone from £600 to £900 in a year, and I'm now 25 (so well hacked off). In general there is much talk of 30% inflation on Motor Premiums.
However, I suggest you try;
Highway (Ockham) who inter alia specialise in the 19-30 age group but you'll need to phone for a quote (sorry, haven't got number to hand).
Insure.co.uk (Boncaster/Cox) on line. Could be interesting. They broke the quote via the web site. Reportedly, the leading on line motor quotes web site.
Wren/BRiT - not sure how you get to them.
After that Elephant, Churchill, Ensure & Direct Line/NatWest, but it might be best to avoid some of the big names.
Alternativley, pop into a newsagents buy a specialist Mini mag, join a club and see if they do insurance discounts - or have adverts of Mini insurance.
Best of luck...
However, I suggest you try;
Highway (Ockham) who inter alia specialise in the 19-30 age group but you'll need to phone for a quote (sorry, haven't got number to hand).
Insure.co.uk (Boncaster/Cox) on line. Could be interesting. They broke the quote via the web site. Reportedly, the leading on line motor quotes web site.
Wren/BRiT - not sure how you get to them.
After that Elephant, Churchill, Ensure & Direct Line/NatWest, but it might be best to avoid some of the big names.
Alternativley, pop into a newsagents buy a specialist Mini mag, join a club and see if they do insurance discounts - or have adverts of Mini insurance.
Best of luck...
Re Insurance:
I am 23 now but when i was 17 after passing my driving test i did the Pass Plus, it is only another 4-5 lessons with NO TEST and it involves 2 motorway driving lessons and driving in different whether conditions etc. To be honest i didn't do the pass plus for this reason i did it because it saved me 30-40% on my first insurance premium with endsleigh. (There are also lots of other insurance companies who support this form of advanced driving tuition and will offer cheeper premiums.
Other ways i save on my preimums now is a low milage policy, and barter with the insurance salesman, you can often get further discounts if you play it like this:
1. Tell them you have taken the morning off work to sort out the car insurance - (Even if it is Saturday) - This tells them you are serious and not just phoning round with no intention of getting insurance with them
2. Honestly tell them your previous quotes - they may ask for proof.
3. Say that a friend reccomended you.
4. Pay in full with card - this will get about 10% discount at most companies (which is the same as 1 yr NCB).
5. Say you are looking around all companies and going for the cheepest deal not just for additional extras, e.g. RAC cover, european cover. - I recieved an additional 10% discount (another years NCB, to pay and go with them right there and then.
I did this with my present company Bell Direct who insure my seat ibiza gti for £700, other quotes i had were around 1k-1.2k.
Hope some of this helps
I am 23 now but when i was 17 after passing my driving test i did the Pass Plus, it is only another 4-5 lessons with NO TEST and it involves 2 motorway driving lessons and driving in different whether conditions etc. To be honest i didn't do the pass plus for this reason i did it because it saved me 30-40% on my first insurance premium with endsleigh. (There are also lots of other insurance companies who support this form of advanced driving tuition and will offer cheeper premiums.
Other ways i save on my preimums now is a low milage policy, and barter with the insurance salesman, you can often get further discounts if you play it like this:
1. Tell them you have taken the morning off work to sort out the car insurance - (Even if it is Saturday) - This tells them you are serious and not just phoning round with no intention of getting insurance with them
2. Honestly tell them your previous quotes - they may ask for proof.
3. Say that a friend reccomended you.
4. Pay in full with card - this will get about 10% discount at most companies (which is the same as 1 yr NCB).
5. Say you are looking around all companies and going for the cheepest deal not just for additional extras, e.g. RAC cover, european cover. - I recieved an additional 10% discount (another years NCB, to pay and go with them right there and then.
I did this with my present company Bell Direct who insure my seat ibiza gti for £700, other quotes i had were around 1k-1.2k.
Hope some of this helps
Rather than try to get a cheaper quote, change the car - get him a classic
Advantages:
(a) much cheaper insurance
(b) teaches 'em proper car control as old vehicles lose traction much more easily and at lower speeds than moderns - so he's less likely to do himself in (we all try it when we are 17)
(c) Free road tax on pre-73's
(d) Understanding of basic mechanicals, always useful
Captain
Advantages:
(a) much cheaper insurance
(b) teaches 'em proper car control as old vehicles lose traction much more easily and at lower speeds than moderns - so he's less likely to do himself in (we all try it when we are 17)
(c) Free road tax on pre-73's
(d) Understanding of basic mechanicals, always useful
Captain
Quotes you have do sound about standard for a young driver, I ended up aying £800 for a Mk1 astra van (worth £300)when 17 (9 years ago). Classics and a resticted milage make life alot cheaper, my 350i costs £400 fully comp with a 6000 miles restriction, where as the VW scirocco I had previous cost £800 TPFT. Needless to say the Tiv is worth 10 times more and significantly quicker.
To have the Lotus on a classic policy, they insist that it is a second, and hence not the most used, car.
What Captian Chaos has said, can be applied in full to a Mini, but the pre '73 cars are getting to be quite expensive. The nice thing about Mini's is that they can be made to look fantastic with off the shelf bits, unlike Astra's/ Festa's etc, which just look cack! Just pay up, and warn him that crashes cost dearly, the NCB will soon mount up and he'll be able to get cheaper insurance. Another way would be for you to insure the Mini an have your son as a named driver. Although this would give him accses to a fully insured vehicle, it would not acrue any NCB and therefore just prolong the problem. At least it's not just you! every kid I talk to has the same problem, and a lot of them don't have perents that are willing to help.
What Captian Chaos has said, can be applied in full to a Mini, but the pre '73 cars are getting to be quite expensive. The nice thing about Mini's is that they can be made to look fantastic with off the shelf bits, unlike Astra's/ Festa's etc, which just look cack! Just pay up, and warn him that crashes cost dearly, the NCB will soon mount up and he'll be able to get cheaper insurance. Another way would be for you to insure the Mini an have your son as a named driver. Although this would give him accses to a fully insured vehicle, it would not acrue any NCB and therefore just prolong the problem. At least it's not just you! every kid I talk to has the same problem, and a lot of them don't have perents that are willing to help.
Get him insured under your name, OK he doesn't get a no claims discount, but having my insurance under my Dad's name outweighs having a NCD by a LONG way, or at least until I'm over 21. As for insurance companies clamping down on this, they only seem to check if he crashes it. I'm 20 and I'm paying (OK my dad pays, then I pay him) £315 fully comp.
Depressingly sometimes putting your old man on your insurance doesn't always result in lower insurance. Renewing mine at the moment and it would cost me about £50 EXTRA to have my 50+ Dad who has donkey years no claims etc.
However, another ploy to try is to put your Mum on your insurance. Woman I work with got her sons' quote down from £2k to £600 by having her as a named driver.
However, another ploy to try is to put your Mum on your insurance. Woman I work with got her sons' quote down from £2k to £600 by having her as a named driver.
quote:
Get him insured under your name, OK he doesn't get a no claims discount, but having my insurance under my Dad's name outweighs having a NCD by a LONG way, or at least until I'm over 21. As for insurance companies clamping down on this, they only seem to check if he crashes it. I'm 20 and I'm paying (OK my dad pays, then I pay him) £315 fully comp.
I'm afraid to say that if you lie on the proposal form and say your dad is the main driver when he isn't, it's a deliberate misrepresentation and the insurance company would be well within their rights to repudiate any claim with you as the driver.
As for saying that the insurance company only looks at this closely when you crash the car.....that's when you need the insurance??!!!!! D'Oh !! And you wouldn't like to be seriously injured in a crash for your company not to pay you any compensation, would you?
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