I am a 19 year old fairly new driver. I do hold an automatic license and I have the pass plus qualification.
Thankfully I just about got a BMW after months of trying to get an insurance for fairly cheap (or even at all)
Today I decided to see what quotes I’d get on an annual insurance for an £800 car that was 18D.
Lowest quote I got was £8000 (nearly 10x more than the car?)
Why is it that insurance companies and insurance groups are so hard on younger drivers?
Because younger drivers get into more accidents.
I do not know what insurance requirements are in Great Britain, but in America on an old car (I am assuming it is old since you state it cost £800), a person would only carry liability insurance.
Talk to your insurance agent, perhaps a better, lower maintenance car, such as a small Toyota or Ford, would cost less to insure.
Because they’re practically guaranteed to have an accident within their first year or so.
Although physically more capable than older drivers, new drivers (of all ages) have less experience, as a result tend to have more accidents, which costs the insurance companies more in claims.
Add to the lack of experience a biological risk prone behavior and a high powered car, insurance company’s experience tells them that you’re very likely to make a claim for the cost of your car plus very expensive personal damages.
If it’s any consolation, with a few years of real world driving experience, no traffic fines, no accidents and demonstration of financial maturity (a job, etc) and you’ll join the crowd of Old Geezers driving Porsches.
Just ask them they will tell you. And quit whining, no one likes a whiner.
They are not hard on young drivers , just doing business as past experience has proven that the 16 to 25 age group are high risk clients .
+1
If insurance companies decided to be “nice” by charging young male drivers the same rates as older drivers, those companies wouldn’t be in business for very long, as a result of the high claims that they typically have to pay-out for younger drivers.
In my area, a young guy was just charged with Vehicular Homicide after passing in a no-passing zone while driving 75 mph in a 35 mph zone, and killing one person and seriously injuring another person when he hit their car head-on. Can you imagine how much the insurance company will have to pay out as a result of his recklessness?
While that is an extreme case, the fact remains that young male drivers have an incredibly high accident rate and insurance rates for that age group are just a reflection of that reality.
The problem with making insurance too expensive for young (male) drivers to afford is that the natural result will be more young men “driving dirty” with no insurance. Especially those who are poor, and barely making ends meet.
I remember when I was young and poor, and driving a POS which was worth less than $1k, and struggling to pay for rent, food, etc. I remember getting a fake insurance card, to produce in case I got stopped by police, and driving illegally with no insurance. In those days, this worked, because the state did not actually verify that your insurance was valid.
I, obviously, cannot recommend that anyone do this today, but at the time I was extremely poor, and it’s not like I would have paid a judgment for any accident anyways. In the event of an at-fault accident, I would have declared bankruptcy, and discharged the debt.
Now, I am older, and my finances have improved, so obviously I have good insurance today, but I also have property worth protecting. And that brings me to my next point. Insurance is for your protection when you actually have something of value to protect (a house, valuable cars, bank accounts, investment accounts, etc). When you are young, and don’t own anything of value, and working low-wage jobs, insurance is really a waste of money (other than from the point of view of complying with the law).
Uh, how about compensating the folks you crash into? That’s a big reason rates are high for young people.
I know it sounds cruel, but unfortunately when you are young and poor, this money simply doesn’t exist. Those people would need to collect from their own insurance, if they have insurance, or they’re out of luck. Whether you agree or disagree with the law, the fact remains that damages from a car accident–including liability for property damage, injury, even accidental death–are dischargeable in bankruptcy provided that you were not driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol.
That is a terrible way to look at things . Just another of your views that don’t relate to the real world .
Wow. Liability was $30/mo when I was 20. Good old days
I am not familiar with the uk insurance market but in the us, usually teenagers are just added to their parents policy. I don’t remember any huge increases when ours were added. My own first policy in 1967 was $26 for six months on my folks plan. All I can offer is talk to the agent your parents use.
I am not proud to say that’s the way I felt when I had to pay outrageous rates for insurance in my youth.
And in my experience, what @bcohen2010 is describing is definitely a reality for many today.
@Haider
Welcome to the site. You ask a valid question. Hopefully some of the replies were helpful, though do feel free to ignore the off topic replies.
@Haider call around to other insurance companies or work with a broker to find the best deal.
When I got my license @ 16 my mom’s insurance jumped a lot.
It dropped a bit as I got older, dropped when I got married and bought a house.
While I would not do what @bcohen2010 did when he was younger, I see that as reality far too often today. Folks that are dirt poor without assets get a beater car and have insurance long enough to get a T plate. After that they drop insurance and drive the T plate long after it is expired. They just do not care. They have no assets to protect so insurance is of no value to them. They can’t see past a few hours in the future either due to dire financial conditions, mental health issues or drug use. This segment of society does not have a sense of the consequences of their actions.
A vehicle at that price might not even run long enough to get home . It might not even pass the MOT. And what does 18D mean ?
The information I see on line says a BMW X1 18D is what the OP refers to.
If this kid is that poor he has no business driving a bmw. He should be driving a Yugo or riding a bicycle.
I don’t think a BMW X1 can be purchased for $1000, it is likely just an old sedan.
18D is an insurance group rating, group 50 being the highest risk; supercars.
