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By David Kennedy |
What Age is Classed as a Young Driver?
If you are aged between 17 to 24 years old & driving a car, you will be classified as a young driver.
What is Young Driver Insurance?
Young driver insurance is a car insurance policy for drivers under the age of 25. Factors like age and experience are what differentiates this type of insurance from regular car insurance.
Your car insurance quote will be much higher when you are a young driver under 25 years. It gets easier to find cheaper cover as you gain experience and can prove you are a safe driver. However, it is important that younger drivers with limited driving experience are given a chance to get on the road and start building up their own no claims bonus to lower their premiums in the future.
Why Young Drivers Pay Higher Insurance?
Statistically, young drivers are riskier overall and more likely to make a claim due to inexperience on the road. Insurance companies are well aware of this & have all data points weighed in before giving out a quote. Hence, drivers under 25 may have to pay a high premium on their insurance.
Car Insurance premiums for first time drivers can be high due to a number of factors such as:
1. Inexperience
2. Age
3. Make and Model of the Vehicle
4. Age of the Vehicle
How to Lower your Insurance Costs?
It is important to know that all is not lost when it comes to young drivers’ insurance and there are options available to help lower your premium and safely get on the road.
1. Smart Telematics (Blackbox) Device
An in-car telematics device, also known as a "black box", is a way of insurers monitoring the driving habits of inexperienced drivers in exchange for a cheaper insurance premium. It’s specifically designed for first time drivers to promote driving safely on the road and it also provides affordable rates and peace of mind for parents.
2. Choice of Vehicle
This has a huge impact on your insurance costs. If possible, we would advise that young drivers choose vehicles that are known for their safety and reliability. Smaller cars, newer in years with small engines will lower costs and are viewed favourably by insurance companies. A newer car will work out as a better investment as it may offer lower premium and have less servicing costs in the future.
3. Driving Lessons & Experience
As a young person, you will be eager to get on the road, however, it pays off in the long term to wait until you have done your 12 driving lessons and have passed your driving test to get insured. This will work in your favour as it will be seen as demonstrated experience.
Provisional license holders are considered to have less experience and higher risk, so they face a higher premium. Arachas have special agreements with underwriters who will provide an introductory discount for completing driving lessons regardless of licence type.
4. Taking Policy in Your Own Name
This will help you build up your no claims bonus which in turn will help you the following year when you go to renew your policy. Your No Claim Bonus will have a major impact on your premium as the years go by so it’s important to try build this up early in your driving experience.
Thus, understand that there are many ways to keep your insurance low and most of it can be done by yourself.
Why Arachas
With over 40 years’ experience of providing car insurance in Ireland, we want to give young drivers the opportunity to get a fair quote and great cover on their first car insurance policy. That’s what we’re here for.
We will carefully review the options available to find the most competitive and best car insurance deal for you and potentially save you a lot of money on your first car insurance.
Contact us on 01 592 6174 to get your young driver car insurance quote today or fill in our quick quote form for a call back here.