Quick and simple insurance
It was so simple to get insurance. Clear and easy guidance insured within minutes which allowed peace of mind when picking up new car on a weekend.
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The cost of car insurance depends on a range of factors about you, the vehicle and even where you’re driving. Unfortunately, one of the key factors that insurers consider when calculating the cost is how much driving experience you have.
Most new drivers are also young drivers which means they are inexperienced. This will often result in them having accidents and making claims. Because of this, the cost insurance goes up to cover the increased chances of you making a claim.
While new drivers will almost always pay more, there are several ways to get cheaper car insurance as a first time driver:
One of the most important things to consider when looking for cheap insurance for new drivers is how often you’re going to be driving.
If you’re only planning to drive a few days a month, paying for a whole years’ worth of insurance can be a big waste of money. If this sounds like you, you could save a lot of money with new driver insurance.
It can be the best insurance for new drivers who don’t want long term commitments and need something more flexible and affordable.
As a new driver, you need to have car insurance that has at least third-party cover. This is the minimum level required by law and will cover the cost of any damage to a third party, including their car or property.
There are other options for new drivers. You could pick third party, fire and theft, which will cover the above, as well as any damage to your vehicle caused by fire or if the car is stolen.
Finally, the highest level of cover available is fully comprehensive. This protects against the same as the other two types of cover plus it will also cover for medical expenses, repairs, your own property, and sometimes even include a replacement car.
As strange as it may seem, despite offering the highest level of protection, fully comprehensive cover is usually cheaper than even third party insurance.
This is because historically drivers with high risk would choose the lowest level of cover to save money, however as they still made claims, many insurers increased the cost of third party insurance and reduced the cost of fully comprehensive.
When you choose temporary new driver insurance, you’ll get fully comprehensive cover as standard, so you know that even as a new driver, everything is covered.
Temporary car insurance can be the best insurance for new drivers, but there are some restrictions on who can get a policy. To see if you can get temporary new driver insurance, check out the table below:
To get new driver insurance, you must |
To get new driver insurance, your car must |
Be aged 17 and older and have had your full licence for a minimum of 6 months | Be valued between £1,500 and £65,000 |
Hold a UK driving licence, an EU or International driving licence | be in a roadworthy condition with a current and valid MOT (unless you are using the insurance policy to take the vehicle to a pre-booked MOT) |
Have been a permanent UK resident for the last 12 months or a British expatriate | The vehicle must be taxed (unless you are using the insurance policy to obtain tax for the vehicle immediately after purchase) |
Have no more than 7 licence points in the last 3 years | Not be modified in any way except for those designed to aid disabled drivers |
Have not been disqualified from driving for the last 2 years | Be a right-hand drive car |
Have no more than 2 fault claims in the last 3 years | Have no more than 8 seats |
Have no criminal convictions | Not be declared SORN |
Not have had a previous policy of insurance declared void by an insurer |
Please be aware that each insurer on our panel has its own eligibility criteria and so you should pay close attention to their Proposer’s Declaration.
As a first time driver, you want to ensure you have the right cover. With temporary insurance, here’s what’s covered as standard:
What’s covered with first time driver insurance |
What’s not covered with first time driver insurance |
Fully comprehensive insurance on policies from 1 hour to 28 days | The excess you agreed to pay |
Accidental and malicious damage to your car | Release from an impound (unless you buy a specific temporary impounded vehicle policy) |
Accidental and malicious damage to your car | Additional drivers – we can only cover the driver named on the policy |
Legal liabilities for injury or damage to another person or their property | |
Driving in the UK, and in some instances driving in the EU |
Tempcover works with a panel of insurers to ensure we can provide temporary car insurance for as many drivers as possible. Because of this, full details of cover may differ depending on the insurer. Please double-check the policy wording before purchasing to confirm what is specifically covered in your policy.
The best insurance for a new driver depends on your situation, and specifically how often you’re going to drive. If you’re only driving occasionally, for example, a student back university for the summer, temporary car insurance could be the best insurance for you as you only pay for cover you need it.
The cheapest way to insure a new driver is to pick the cheapest insurance option. This could be temporary car insurance, black box insurance, or in some rare instances being added to your parent’s policy. It’s important to compare all insurance options and check prices before committing to one.
The cost of car insurance can be incredibly high for new drivers. This is because traditionally, new drivers are more likely to have an accident and make a claim. First-time drivers are therefore put into a more high-risk category which means they will have to pay more for their policy.
Car insurance will get cheaper as drivers get more experienced and build up their No Claims Discount.
According to the latest price reports, new drivers aged 18-21 can expect to pay between £1,525 and £2,136 pounds per year for their car insurance. New drivers can find temporary insurance for just £8.99 for a 1 hour policy
The cheapest cars for young and new drivers to insure are small, less-powerful cars with high safety ratings. Cheap cars to insure include the Nissan Micra, Kia Rio, VW Polo, and Ford Ka+
We also currently hold an ‘Excellent’ rating on Trustpilot with over 30,000 reveiws.
After you’ve bought your policy, your documents will be emailed to you instantly so there’s no waiting around.
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