Cheap car insurance.

[Welsh Ash]

Hello piston heads. I have seen your forums before and i think what you do here is fantastic!

I am 17 and passed my driving test yesterday! (first time )

And i am looking for a car to insure which is cheap,i have been looking at a 2003 1.2 Polo. It is a nice little car and it is the cheapest insurance i can find.

OBVIOUSLY i don't want that stty box fitted in the car or i am more then likely be un-insured in about 5 months or less. It just isnt for me.

So i had a luck, and putting my mother on the car as a main driver and me secondary on co-op's insurance is only £1,400 and that is amazing. (for me anyway) and so i was wondering, if it was legal for me to be the main driver but my mother has put herself on it. Also can she share her no claims between two cars? Thanks Piston heads!

[cuprabob]

Firstly, congratulations on passing your test first time.

Putting your mother on the insurance as the main driver whreas you're in fact the main driver is "fronting" and is illegal.

With regards to no claims, your maother can only use her nk claims on one policy at a time although some companies offer discounts on second cars.

The other thing you will soon learn is that there is no such thing as "cheap insurance"

[T7G]

No, it's not legal because you're lying to get a cheaper policy. If you are the main driver, this should be declared - you're taking out the policy in your mother's name to get it cheaper.

[samdale]

If you will be doing the majority of the miles in the car (more than your mother) then you need to be the main driver but car put her as a named driver. Her as the main driver is known as fronting and is somewhat unpopular on here.

Good on you for asking rather than going for it "cos it's cheap"

Oh and welcome

[Welsh Ash]

Thank you


Ok, well i dont have that type of money to be spending £5000 onward for myself as to be the main driver.

Any tips or the best way for a policy?

[750turbo]

OP - This will not go well.

[cuprabob]

Welsh Ash said:

Thank you


Ok, well i dont have that type of money to be spending £5000 onward for myself as to be the main driver.

Any tips or the best way for a policy?

Have a rethink on the stty box.

Unfortunately there is very little you can do as you are seen as a very high risk. All you can do is shop around but it's going to be expensive

[StottyZr]

17year old insurance
This is the same situation as yours. It looks like insurance has been found for around £2200 without fronting. I'd have a good read through this for ideas.

[Welsh Ash]

Ok i think i need to look into that them matey. Thank you?

[jagracer]

Welsh Ash said:

Thank you


Ok, well i dont have that type of money to be spending £5000 onward for myself as to be the main driver.

Any tips or the best way for a policy?

Try Admiral or Elephant with you as main driver but get two older people with clean licences as named drivers, probably your parents. That way you get your own no claims built up and you don't upset the PH insurance police.

[samdale]

Definitely use at least one comparison website to get plenty of quotes.

Try quotes for different cars to see what is cheap and buy a car accordingly.

Limit the mileage if you're not going to be doing that many miles.

Tell them it is parked on a driveway or on a road, it's usually cheaper than saying it will be garaged.

Add older people (particularly women) in your family as NAMED drivers.

Play around with the excess. Chances are your first car will probably be worth less than the excess so unless you have a very serious "at fault" accident involving other vehicles you will never claim.

[300bhp/ton]

Welsh Ash said:

Thank you


Ok, well i dont have that type of money to be spending £5000 onward for myself as to be the main driver.

Any tips or the best way for a policy?

Classics and kit cars will often yield the best prices insurance wise. But yo might need to shop around and phone some specialist insurers rather than just use comparison sites.

It's also worth trying less obvious cars like a 2.0 Mondeo or a big Peugeot salon of some kind. Often these are cheaper to insure than a little hatch, or at the very least no more expensive yet allow you to drive something with an actual engine.

The policy needs to be in your name. But there's no reason you can't add an extra person onto the policy. If you have a grandmother with a clean licence, try adding them. It might lower the quote a bit.

Make sure you understand what voluntary and compulsory excesses are.

[tbc]

Fronting might be illegal

but it's utterly ridiculous for a 17yr old to pay £4000 plus for insurance when most of the cars they drive are not worth more than that.

can't blame anyone for sticking a parent as the main driver

if the parent drives the car as well then I can't see any problem in it

might be considered illegal but so is jaywalking and you have to do what you have to do

[cuprabob]

Value of car is irrelevant, it's the cost of the damage you can do with it

[tercelgold]

Is there a car that a 17 year old can buy and not drive at all, just to get a NCB going?

Then start driving a year later with a clean NCB, zero claims and no points.

[Engineer1]

I think the price of insurance for the young inexperienced drivers has gone up because it has hit the point where ignoring the rules works out massively cheaper so only idiots and the pathologically honest bother to do it properly. That and the claim culture means that the first car the young driver hits will cause £XXX in damages and £XXXX in injury claims.

[DaveH23]

750turbo said:

OP - This will not go well.

Quite the opposite, i think it will go very well!

The OP hasnt came along saying he has been fronting he is asking a genuine question to which he has already been given good advice.

If he has any sense he will take this advice and may also relay it to his peers.

Had he came along bragging about how cheap his insurance was because if fronting then yes that would not of gone down well.

[Emeye]

samdale said:

Tell them it is parked on a driveway or on a road, it's usually cheaper than saying it will be garaged.

Why is this? it was once cheaper to insure my MINI Cooper as parked on the road than garaged or parked on the drive.

OP, you have my sympathy, one of the kids at work was paying £2500 for a stty old Micra worth £800. I thought that was crazy, until I found out another guy was paying £4500 for a £400 Punto. £4500!!!? I though paying £800 for my first car that cost £700, 20 years ago, was bad enough. I told him I'd keep my £4500 and use it to get taxis everywhere.

Try checking out old Land Rovers, I've heard they can be cheap to insure through specialist, but that may have changed, and you can make them look pretty cool. I also remember being told that to get the cheap insurance they should be modded anyway! Try asking on one of the Land Rover forums like Landyzone.

[Raize]

Wait two years. Get a 125cc bike if you MUST travel.

[Welsh Ash]

thank you. Also yeah i cant afford much. I have £2400 for everything i need more money. But i want a car for summer.

I am going to have to buy a box, but the polo is the car i have been wanting for months now. It is around £1700 maybe i can talk my way cheaper to the insurance company.

Thank you for all the feedback guys!