What is young driver insurance – and why is such a purpose-defined type of motor insurance required?

What it is

It may come as no surprise that this is insurance for younger – and inexperienced – drivers, typically aged between 18 and 25 years of age.

Although specifically designed for this given class of motorist, however, the cover provides essentially the same kind of protection as any other motor policy. In other words: it may be limited to fulfilling the basic legal requirement for a minimum of third part cover, for the safety of any third party suffering a personal injury or having their property damaged as a result of the young person’s driving; this basic level of insurance may be upgraded to include the additional risks of fire or theft; or fully comprehensive cover may be available to the younger driver in the same way as the more mature motorist.

Why is it necessary?

Young drivers insurance is necessary for the very simple reason that many insurers are extremely wary of younger drivers – so wary in fact that premiums are significantly inflated or proposals for cover are declined out of hand.

These insurers take the view that a young driver is – practically by definition – a greater risk than an older driver. Since the whole question of insurance is about the calculation of risk, therefore, this may explain their extreme reluctance to cover younger individuals.

At GSI Insurance, however, we take a quite different view, recognising that young drivers, too, need insurance cover in order to keep and use a car on the road – every driver needs to start somewhere after all.

Our policies offer all the protection of motor policies written for more mature drivers, therefore, and – reflecting our confidence in drivers of a younger age – at premiums which you might consider eminently affordable.

Tips for young drivers

For young drivers, tips on lowering the cost of motor insurance premiums are likely to count for more than other drivers. There are a number of ways in which such a reduction may be made:

Consider very carefully the level of insurance you need – although you might expect third party cover only, for example, to be the cheapest, this is not always the case and comprehensive cover may prove better value for money, especially in the longer term;

Classically, one of the ways of lowering premiums is to share a greater proportion of the risks with the insurer by agreeing to a voluntary excess in addition to the compulsory excess (which is likely to be quite high in the case of younger drivers) – the Money Saving Expert, though, cautions you to consider whether you are going to be able to afford the whole of any excess sum in the event of a successful claim;

On a similar principle of sharing the risks, you may earn a discount on the price of your premiums by doing more to secure your car against theft or vandalism – car alarms, immobilisation devices, or the availability of off-street parking for example; one of the latest methods of allowing young drivers the chance to demonstrate to insurers the safety and competence of their driving skills is through the use of telematics;

Black Box

Telematics involves the use of an on-board “black box” constantly monitors when, how and where the car is being used – thus providing the insurer with opportunities to impose curfews, restrict mileage and measure driving habits and skills; telematics allows young drivers, therefore, to pay-as-they-drive in terms of insurance which is usage-based;

Whether or not you opt for the real-time monitoring of telematics, it is still important to drive in a way that helps you avoid the possibility of any insurance claim – especially in the first year of your driving;

All of these steps may be important to the underlying principle that you are not going to be a young driver for ever; the more carefully you drive, the more you do to avoid having to make any insurance claim, the sooner you are likely to qualify for the reduced premiums enjoyed by more experienced drivers and also to start building up the no claims discounts accruing to careful drivers.

Young drivers insurance is just that – cover for those who are just starting out on what is likely to become a lifetime of driving but who may be denied precisely this opportunity by those insurers adopting an over-cautious approach towards them.

At GSI Insurance, therefore, we are pleased to be able to give young drivers the break they need by providing purpose-designed cover at a competitive market price.

CALL US NOW* at our Whitstable office on 0800 612 9376 and let our expert staff individually tailor your quotation to suit your needs. We will go the extra mile to get you the most competitive premium possible

Alternatively, complete your details on our online quotation form and see how low your quote can go!

*Our lines are open between 9am and 7pm Monday to Friday and between 9am and 2pm on Saturdays