Gozit

Arggh! That car insurance thing quoted me £2500 per year !

Sally Redux

I am not surprised. Just doing it on your own as a new driver is going to be a killer.

Not sure what scenario you're working on here, but most young people take a room in a shared house and use public transport.

rebs

Yes, that would be consistent with what I have seen on just a very brief cursory look for my son. When I get round to it, I was going to have a proper play around with a variety of models to see what the best options are - try it with as small an engine as you possibly can and see if that brings the cost down a bit.

lgabriel73

even with a small engine etc its probably not going to take that much off the premium. In the UK teenage drivers get hit with really high premiums which is why most parents simply add them and their car to their own policy.

chris955

Yeah I wouldnt necessarily rely too much on those comparison sites as a young new driver, best to get in touch with a broker tobe honest.

rebs

Yes, that's true - although not the right thing to do if the kids have their own car and are the main driver.

Gozit

Yeah... For me its a bit different; my parents don't live in UK - I'd be there on my own, holding a full ON license for less than 1 year, with no no claims discount.

It sucks because I could easily save to buy a £2000 car, but the insurance per year is more than the value of the bloody thing!

The details I put in were for a 07 Kia picanto, less than 1 litre engine. Something like 750cc.

rebs

Chris - it would be genuinely useful (to me, at least) if you could get some more details from your friend whose daughter is paying £700 for insurance. I would be interested in knowing the car make/model, how she got decent insurance (broker or direct), which insurance company and confirmation that she is listed as the main driver, not just a named driver on her parent's policy.

Gozit

+1. That would be brilliant.

bigglesworth

Being a male under 25 is usually the kicker. I never found any cheap ones for our son. The accident rate is high, and they are bound to go with the averages.


But the insurance companies load the premiums against older drivers - they pay twice the risk premium that young drivers do.

Gozit

Yeah. Seems same in UK as it is here.

Really pisses me off because I am a safe driver and I'm the one that is penalised for idiots' actions.

Isn't gender discrimination illegal?

rebs

Agreed on the youth factor.

I thought insurance companies are no longer allowed to use gender as a risk factor, so if the 19 year old woman that Chris knows is paying £700 (which I would consider as cheap for that age), then a young man of that age should also pay the same.

Sally Redux

That's how insurance works I'm afraid.

Gozit

Yep.

bigglesworth

Gender discrimination is indeed illegal. So is age discrimination. But there are two ways they can address it. Reduce the price for one side or increase it for the other. Guess which they choose?

When the issue was raised the insurance companies also cut annual pension payments to male retirees, even though their life expectancy is shorter.