Young driver

bobbybright

darich wrote: »

You asked for advice and received it.
A couple of people have hinted that you may be driving on a policy that is invalid, others suggested a smaller car but all you can say is "thanks for nothing"??

It's sad but as a young male driver you're much more likely to have an accident than a an older female. You may not like it and you may be a very good driver but insurance companies work a lot on stats. And since you fall into a high risk stat or group (whether you actually are or not is irrelevant) then your premium is loaded to offset that risk.

Things to reduce the premium
size and performance of car
experience
age of driver
no claims discount

Since the only thing on the above list you can control (unless the car you have is a Delorean sporting a flux capacitor) is the size of the car then you need to get a smaller one.

You may also find that in the event of an accident your premium is wasted anyway since you're driving on your father's policy which has already been pointed is called fronting and has a good chance of making any claim you may make invalid.

Some posters on here can be a bit sharp and to the point but on a topic like this, it's understandable - it's asked almost daily. They may be sharp and abrupt but they're usually right. It would sensible of you to heed the advice given and not be so sarcastic if it's not what you want to hear.

The sarcasm was directed at the way things was said, not what was actually said. Right or wrong its the way you say it that makes a difference. Now why couldn't the rest just post in a respectable manner such as the way you have no need to be abrupt!

cheers BB

dacouch

8mstephen please stop spamming

Hailstorm

Bobbybright,

You should listen to the warnings about fronting as they are correct. If you are judged to be at fault for an accident and your insurance company refuses to pay out then the other party could sue you and your Dad for the costs of repairing the damage and compensation for injuries.

On a different subject I have a possible suggestion for how you could cut your insurance costs. What reg is your Astra? If it is the 1992-1998 (mk3) model then this car is in insurance group 9 which is crazy considering what the car is and that the 1.7 diesel has about the same power as a 1.4 petrol engine. Many 1.4 litre Astra sized cars are around insurance group 4.

If your car is a mk3 then it might pay you to change it. If you do your homework on insurance groups you could find yourself something no less practical then the Astra that is in a significantly lower insurance group.

Lindy-Lou_2

Bobbybright

Despite others comments, I take my hat off to you that you are concerned about insurance cover as there are a lot of young drivers who don't bother and ignore road tax as well. I can hear your frustration but please do not retaliate as most people posting want to help and it is a true fact of life that we do not always get the answers we want to hear!!

I am an Advanced Driver and have been driving for years, but despite the experience the companies will always get money from you, they get me for where I live lol. My daughter, 19, passed her test last year and went onto take her Pass Plus, whilst learning she was on her Father's insurance. She bought her own car for when she went off to uni (before anybody says 'oh a sudent with a car', she needs it as she has a disability) and we shopped around. We found the cheapest insurance was if she put her Father and myself on the policy as named drivers (I am sure our ages helped), despite the fact that we would be covered by our own individual insurances. During this year I have enquired with a couple of insurance companies for when she renews her insurance this year and asked that if we had proof of no claims for the first year and the period of time she was on her Father's insurance, could the total number of years (2 in her case) be taken into account and I got a very positive result.

May I suggest you 'bite the bullet' and get your own insurance albeit expensive and ask if you supply evidence from your using your Father's car whether they will take it into account - shop around and be patient (yes I know that's hard for you young ones lol). In view of the fact that you cover a lot of miles and carry passengers, I think you are taking a very big risk which you may live to regret.

Look at it like this ..... if you had (and I hope not) a nasty accident, you would have to live with this for the rest of your life and it may not be just your car involved. OK so it may be ££££'s more but you would be totally independent and driving legally, saying it is £200 more, what does that equate to ..... having a few nights in (maybe more than a few), not having those designer clothes or whatever but ....... at least you would be able to sleep at night and have no worries.

Thank you for addressing your problem as it shows that you are aiming to be a responsible citizen (just make sure you follow it through)

Happy, safe and legal driving to you. :T

Say_Cheese_2

I agree with the OP that the cost of insurance is sky high for a newish young driver. My first car at 17 was a 1L secondhand metro which cost £2000. The first years insurance was £1800. I bit the bullet there and then and took the insurance in my own name. It means that I now have 10 years no claims and insurance is cheap as you like. It really is worth it in the long run.

bigheadxx

barncopxx wrote: »

Looking at the nasty replies from bobbybright (following HIS request for advice) perhaps the best action from this point is just to stop posting and close this thread.

Seems the OP is getting as much discrimination on here as he is off the insurance companies. The advice is broadly the same as you would give any body else. Use all of the price comparision websites ie https://www.moneysupermarket.com and find the best quote. Then find a website that offers decent cashback. Play around with the figures ie an older person as a named occassional driver will cut a % off the premium and pay the premium in 1 go if possible as this will save you paying any interest.

rev_henry

Whilst I agree with most of you, Its an interesting issue the OP raises about ethnics etc. I am a young driver myself in the same predicament, and was thinking the other day, there must be some stats that say one ethnic group are worse drivers than another. Why is this not taken into account therefore?

Lindy-Lou_2

OMG can we leave ethnic groups out of this please!! This really isn't part of the issue we are discussing.

Also Rev Henry as I understand it Members of the Clergy get preferential rates on a lot of things, regardless of race, creed or colour.

Perranwell

If your looking for cheap insurance. Swinton and Endsleigh specialise in younger drivers.

http://www.noclaimsdiscount.co.uk/news/art_display.php?show=200807016

Idiophreak

*don't feed the troll*