Car Insurance For Teenagers in the UK

In the UK, 38 percent of insurance claims are teenagers between the ages of 17 and 18. 20 percent of claims are young people under 25.

These are one of the factors that make insurance companies see teenagers as a risk, and giving out car insurance to a teenager as a costly affair. For every five drivers, one will claim from insurance within the first year of driving. A large percentage of these will be teenagers, and many of them would have been the cause of accidents (severe or minor). Plus, many teenagers will also be found guilty of drink driving or breaking the law in some way (approximately 35 percent of drink-driving crashes on the road are caused by young people under 25).

Car insurance companies want assurance from teenagers that they are responsible, mature and able to drive properly. Unfortunately, teenagers who are these things tend to suffer because of the teenagers that are not, so insurance companies and various governmental bodies have attempted to find ways in which to let the good drivers benefit.

One of the first things that insurance companies will want to know from a teenager is which car they are driving. If you are a parent you should really consider buying your teenager a modest, affordable and average-performing car if you want to help them out with their insurance premiums. Even if you have got the money to buy them something more expensive, faster or bigger (and you want to spoil them a little and are confident about their maturity) you should rather not. Insurance companies will hike up the prices with a better performing car. Plus, don't buy a car that's modified otherwise you may not find insurance at all.

Insurance companies will probably also be interested in where the car will be parked at night and during the day, as well as how secure the car itself is. Statistics also show that young people are more prone to leave valuable items in the car, such as iPods, MP3 players, sunglasses, laptops or other such items. These only encourage a break-in and should be taken out the car. For these reasons, if the car is parked somewhere safe most of the time and has an alarm system, immobiliser, or any theft deterrents insurance companies will offer lower premiums.

Another thing insurance companies may want to know is how well a teenager is doing at school. This is an interesting one and if a teenager can present good marks in school the insurance company may see them as more responsible and give them better premiums. Beware, though - if the teenager is convicted for speeding or drink-driving any discount received will be lost, and you may be held to keep the insurance contract for a stipulated time period.

Insurance companies may also be interested in whether a teenager has done any driving courses. Driving courses actually come with more advantages than disadvantages - they can achieve lower premiums (sometimes they can give discounts of up to 35 percent) and give more confidence and skill behind the wheel. The only disadvantage is the hassle and the cost, but even some courses like the Pass Plus may be reimbursed to a teenager or their parent, even in part, by the UK government.

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