Insurance for a newly qualified driver?

[Fab Foodie]

Dears - have put this in Cafe to garner the widest opinions rather than Motoring Subforum (but mods - please do as required)

Son - 21yrs old has finally passed his test. He has an 04 Citroen C1 to use and of course, despite lots of prompting has not done anything about looking into insurance until today (after he has passed) and want's to be on the road tonight!

Not something I know about, but where are the best options to look for a new starter? Go Compare etc?
What about these black boxes etc. which are said to reduce your premiums.

Yours, frustrated parent, Deal....

 

[DCLane]

Watching with interest for son no. 2 who's got his test in November. @Fab Foodie - I'm guessing your son will have a compulsory black box, which means he can't drive until it's installed, unless he gets temporary driver insurance.

 

[vickster]

Have you looked at past threads in motoring (or done a search), I'm sure this has been discussed recently

 

[Ripple]

My first insurance was black box. Could drive immediatelly after purchased the insurance - black box was installed later at the time convenient to me. But this option must be checked with the insurer.

I always use Go Compare.

Also check company called Liverpool Victoria - it may not pop out at Go Compare so you'll need to check their website. This is how I got my insurance after the accident and it was cheaper than anything offered at Go Compare.

 

[T4tomo]

on the basis hat the cirtoen is not already insured.... (if it is you are stuck with adding him to it and then looking again at renewal...

Black box is usually cheapest for a first timer.
Tesco / insure the box is worth checking - it used to be the sweet spot for newly quals, and not on comparison sites, same with LV and Direct line.
its also cheaper to get a quote starting a week or so ahead, they charge extra for same day cover, even waiting a day or two might help
insure in their name but put yourself and partner / wife if applicable on as named drivers, that brings the premium down.

 

[fossyant]

Be aware there are often some restrictions with black boxes - e.g. late nights, or long distance driving - didn't suit my son as he has friends all of the country so most weren't suitable. Be aware an 04 plate will be fairly expensive for a new driver. My son's was lower as it was a newer car with 'city assist - radar'. Looking at older cars was significantly more.

He needs to hit the websites and cover is usually immediate. Be aware he will be paying over a grand easily.

 

[Ripple]

Also a useful tip: some insurance companies lower premiums if a car has got a dashcam.

 

[Beebo]

Be aware there are often some restrictions with black boxes - e.g. late nights, or long distance driving - didn't suit my son as he has friends all of the country so most weren't suitable.

Also a problem if you are a named driver and actually want to use the car outside the parameters.

 

[nickyboy]

We are past this now but 4 years ago when son #2 passed his test (at 17) the least expensive route was an installed black box. I recall the premium (for a 1.2 Nissan Juke) was about £1,250. Note that there is no real cost benefit in making the parent the insured and the child a named driver. The insurers have long since got wind of this. Better to name the child as the insured and let them hopefully build up a no claims discount

We did this and at 21, the insurance is £380 with him as insured and me as named driver so the financial pain doesn't last forever. Providing they don't stack it

Any of the comparison websites would be a good start

 

[fossyant]

Also a problem if you are a named driver and actually want to use the car outside the parameters.

Or it's mum/dad triggering the alerts on the black box !

 

[Julia9054]

There are companies such as Marmalade that specialise in insurance for young drivers. Not a goer for us as they wouldn't insure where he lived but worth checking out.
Another vote for them being the policy holder so they can build up their own no claims
I am a named driver on Joe's insurance - I heard it made a difference but not sure if it does

 

[Julia9054]

Also a problem if you are a named driver and actually want to use the car outside the parameters.

We checked this out thoroughly due to Joe needing to drive unsocial hours for his job and made sure we found one with no restrictions

 

[DCLane]

Or it's mum/dad triggering the alerts on the black box !

That's partly the issue with son no. 2's racing : we're often on the road at stupid hours. A black box with restrictions would cause problems, noting @Julia9054 's comments.

 

[Electric_Andy]

Note that there is no real cost benefit in making the parent the insured and the child a named driver.

It's illegal now, and called "fronting". The named driver must be the primary user of the car.

Usual stuff - putting yourself or someone with long experience and no calims as a second driver can reduce it by a tenner or so. But there's no getting around it once you have bought a car (I might add, a car that is often owned and claimed on by younger drivers). You would think that a small car would be cheaper but not any more. My cousin's lad was quoted half the price for a 2.2L diesel 4x4 versus a Fiesta. More younguns crash fiestas hence risk is higher, hence price is higher.

Black box is a good option if you trust your son. But a mate of mine's son abused it (drove like a twit everywhere) and they cancelled the insurance based on his driving. That means you then have to declare that you've had insurance revoked/cancelled on every quote and will be paying for it for years to come.

He'll just have to stump up the £1000+ for now. Until he's 25 and gets reasonable rates. But I've found the comparisons sites are as good a research as you can do; you might save a tenner phoning direct but are usually on hold for 97 hours, then the person taking your call takes £5 commission anyway so I've learned it's just as well to do it online

 

[nickyboy]

It's illegal now, and called "fronting". The named driver must be the primary user of the car.

Usual stuff - putting yourself or someone with long experience and no calims as a second driver can reduce it by a tenner or so. But there's no getting around it once you have bought a car (I might add, a car that is often owned and claimed on by younger drivers). You would think that a small car would be cheaper but not any more. My cousin's lad was quoted half the price for a 2.2L diesel 4x4 versus a Fiesta. More younguns crash fiestas hence risk is higher, hence price is higher.

Black box is a good option if you trust your son. But a mate of mine's son abused it (drove like a twit everywhere) and they cancelled the insurance based on his driving. That means you then have to declare that you've had insurance revoked/cancelled on every quote and will be paying for it for years to come.

He'll just have to stump up the £1000+ for now. Until he's 25 and gets reasonable rates. But I've found the comparisons sites are as good a research as you can do; you might save a tenner phoning direct but are usually on hold for 97 hours, then the person taking your call takes £5 commission anyway so I've learned it's just as well to do it online

Yes, the black box is only useful if it causes the young driver to drive carefully. If the driver is minded to drive however they like it's better to have no black box and suck up the premium hike.

Son #2 had an active black box for Yr1 and Yr2 and he was careful. In Yr3 we found that insurance without a black box was same as with so we went with no black box but never told him. So he still drove like there was a black box