Young people who have recently passed their test are considered to be at high-risk of having an accident. The AA reports that the average price for a year’s comprehensive insurance for a teenager with no discounts is now around £5000. Obviously this is a big price to pay for being young as well as a big obstacle in the way of getting on the road after passing the test. No doubt in a lot of cases, the insurance premium is a bigger commitment than the car. But what are the best cars for young people looking for lower insurance costs and do you need to you sacrifice street cred. to get cheaper insurance?
When we carried out the research on premiums for young drivers we were surprised at one of the results that came up and we think you will be too. So are the five cheapest to insure cars for young drivers:-
The Volkswagen Beatle Classic
Yes that is right! The Volkswagen Beatle classic shape with an engine size up to 1600 is the cheapest car to insure for young people according to a large insurance broker established over 35 years ago. Although you might think that these went out of production years ago, a careful search might find one imported from South America, where they were made until as late as 2003.
The Peugeot 107
This is a neat little hatchback that is very economical and has plenty of room for passengers. It was described by What Car magazine as “a smart, solid city runabout that is most at home in town, but isn’t embarrassed elsewhere.” It has earned its place in lower insurance premium ratings because of its low running costs and its reliability. It also earned four stars for safety in the Euro ENCAP car safety performance assessments.
Vauxhall Agila 1000c
This is a car that follows the fashion for a mini-MPV type body shape. It is not the coolest car on earth but it doesn’t look too bad. There is plenty of headroom and the running costs are low. With not much weight to pull, the 900cc engine can pull the car from a sluggish start right up to around 100mph (but don’t tell your teenager that.)
Vauxhall Corsa 1000c
With the second car in the cheaper to insure list car maker Vauxhall left took a big step back into the cool car camp. This rounded and stylish looking hatchback is one that any teenager wouldn’t mind showing off. Running costs are low and the cabin feels roomy and spacious inside. The engine is reasonably nippy but feels refined.
Hyundai Amica 1000c
These have been around for a while and are a good little about town car. You can pick up a good second hand model that is around 10 years old for between £330 and £1330. It drives reasonably well and is well put together even if the materials used are cheap. For people working to a budget they are ideal.
Most of these cars are small engined, economical little runabouts except for one classic which sits up there as the cheapest to insure. Go up a couple of hundred ccs and add a turbo and it can add thousands to an insurance quote for young drivers. All of the cars listed come in at under £2000 for Third Party Fire and Theft for a male, which is not bad when the AA put the average premium for a new, younger driver at £5000.
The author of this article Eric Underhill advises teenagers who have just passed their tests and are looking for
young drivers car insurance to check out some of the little 1000cc and under city cars to get the cheapest insurance premiums.