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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

How do people afford to start driving?

30 replies

ChristmasMonkey · 22/11/2022 14:20

I've never driven to to illness.

My Husband finally wants to learn (he's 36!)
Just done insurance quotes for a random car (2011 vauxhall zafira)

And the cheapest quote is £5k!!
Five thousand pounds.

I looked at insurance for my 17 year old son, as he wants to start his lessons. His lowest quote is £3.9k!

Ive saved £1.3 to give him towards driving. Once he's had his lessons and test it's going to leave nothing.

Definitely not enough for a car or insurance.

I know it may sound stupid but I've never had anyone in the house that drives so never knew how much insurance costs.

DP has put down a £200 deposit on a block of lessons and I don't even know if he should bother now :(

How on earth could we afford to buy a car, and pay £5k for insurance.

I could cry. I've wanted him to drive for so long :(

OP posts:
Floralnomad · 22/11/2022 14:23

You have to get over the initial cost of being a new driver , that part is expensive but at least you know it will get better . Near us you can’t actually find a driving instructor with any spaces so someone is learning .

amylou8 · 22/11/2022 14:25

Try with a smaller car like a corsa and a black box, will probably bring the cost down considerably.

Original poster
ChristmasMonkey · 22/11/2022 14:27

amylou8 · 22/11/2022 14:25

Try with a smaller car like a corsa and a black box, will probably bring the cost down considerably.

We have 4 children so need a 7 seater.

OP posts:
Baconand · 22/11/2022 14:27

It hasn’t always been this expensive, but the car makes a difference. Older cars can be more expensive to insure as the safety features in new cars that prevent accidents reduce the premiums a lot.

We pay under £50pm to insure 2 new cars, but our old car that we used to keep for the farm used to cost £45 on it’s own. The old car was worth £3k, the new ones are £30k+ each!

New drivers pay a lot, but people who have driven a long time don’t. I’ve never paid more than £600 a year.

It is always worth getting a license (if you can) even if the car is out of reach for a while. It’s such a useful skill. My parents insisted I learn asap even though I went to London for uni and didn’t drive for years after I passed. They were right!

Bullshot · 22/11/2022 14:27

He should learn to drive - it's a skill that he will always have.

That might take some time anyway, plus waiting for a test date.

Then you can worry about being able to purchase a car and insure it.

WhatATimeToBeAlive · 22/11/2022 14:29

Well you don't need to get a 7 seater to start with - start with a small car to build up the no claims. If you've managed this long without a 7 seater then you can manage for another year. Besides, I'm sure the 17 year old won't need to be carted around with the others.

Original poster
ChristmasMonkey · 22/11/2022 14:30

Bullshot · 22/11/2022 14:27

He should learn to drive - it's a skill that he will always have.

That might take some time anyway, plus waiting for a test date.

Then you can worry about being able to purchase a car and insure it.

Hi lessons start next week and its a crash course.

He already has lessons years ago so knows how to drive just never did his test.

We can't get a newer car as we can't get credit. So we've been saving for a few years to get a couple of grand together to fund everything but seems its no where near enough :(

Same with DS.

I thought 1.3k was a good amount for a small car

OP posts:
RagingWoke · 22/11/2022 14:38

Buying a 2nd hand car is expensive right now, prices have gone up a lot over the last few years. It's not prohibitive but certainly makes buying a bigger investment.

5k insurance seems a lot for an adult even as a new driver though, I'd recommended looking at the kind of cars you'd likely buy and get quotes on the specific make and models. Driving is definitely a skill that is worth having long term.

The first few years are expensive for insurance, I've been driving 15 years and my annual payment is now less than a monthly payment on my first policy. You can pay monthly, save, get smaller/cheaper cars, shop around for insurance and breakdown cover.

Dailymash · 22/11/2022 14:39

I started when I was working full time and took a part time job on weekends to save up for my first insurance at the same time as paying for my lessons. When I look back I honestly don’t know how I did the hours but I was determined and wanted the freedom of being able to drive for work.

I’m not sure if they’re still a thing but once I’d passed my test I did a Pass Plus course, this gives you motorway and city centre driving experience and reduces the cost of your policy.

xogossipgirlxo · 22/11/2022 14:46

OP, cars got really expensive :( You won't get anything decent for 1.3k for 7 seater. We paid this much 7 or so years ago for Renault Megane. You'd probably need 3k now. Sometimes garages sell repaired cars. Old, but at least you know they won't let you down like dodgy car from private seller etc.

Kolakalia · 22/11/2022 14:49

You don't pay out insurance all in one chunk. You can, if you have the cash, but the vast majority of people early in their driving careers pay for it monthly.

But yeah, learning to drive is expensive. Always worth getting the licence though even if you can't afford a car, then one day when you need to be able to drive you're already licensed and don't have that time barrier between you and driving.

IMO not driving doesn't work out much cheaper than driving once you have the car, public transport is pricey and there will always be situations where you just can't get places with public transport so need to top up with a taxi/train etc.

polkadotdinosaur · 22/11/2022 14:50

It’s an absolute fortune. Can your son get a part time job and you go 50/50 on lessons with him? That’s what my parents did for me

Pinkdelight3 · 22/11/2022 14:56

Well, the way people tend to afford it is starting with a small car when they don't have 4 DC to pay for, but that's not much help to you at this point. Unfortunately it's just one of those upfront costs that has to be swallowed and yours is bigger at this stage in life. That said, if you've managed with no car up until now, do you need to go straight to a 7-seater? Does DH/DS need it to drive the whole family around or is it primarily for work?

Cw112 · 22/11/2022 14:57

I started when I was 17, worked part time to cover my lessons and tests and my parents did help by putting me on the insurance on their car. I didn't drive it very often and learnt in the instructors car but then moved away and worked for a few years and saved but it meant that when I got my first job that required a car i was better off in terms of insurance because they counted the years I'd been insured on my mums car as experience and were able to give a no claims discount as a result and I had enough in the bank for a second hand decent car. I bought second hand when I finally got my own car but as pp have said this is now much dearer to do as the cost of cars has gone up in general so that's what you're feeling. I'd shop around in terms of insurance and compare quotes, go back to companies and barter using other quotes against them. Some are better for first time drivers than others. The initial expense is huge but you don't need a car right from the outset which should give you some time while they're learning.

Duckerbizzle · 22/11/2022 14:57

It is definitely painful at first. I was late to learn as well, I passed my test when I was 35. Initially my insurance was 1200 per year. It is now, a few years later only 336 with the same company. It does come down massively after a few years.

MrsVeryTired · 22/11/2022 15:00

Thats a very expensive quote. When I go for quotes I always insure for 2 weeks in the future (or similar) its much cheaper, its always more expensive to be insured immediately. In the past if I've needed immediate insurance I find it cheaper to insure car, then insure for 2 weeks time, then cancel first one. much cheaper.

Hastings Direct with a black box is usually cheapest, and go for the most boring least desirable type car (sometimes the "mum" cars are cheaper than smaller cars, saloons and estates usually cheaper to insure than hatchbacks).

boboshmobo · 22/11/2022 15:07

Most people start to drive when they are young and build up no claims on their insurance etc. You are doing the equivalent to buying a big house while missing out a flat and small house ..

You will have to buy a small car to share and build up your insurance. It will go down after even a year .
Also you don't pay it upfront , you pay it monthly like everyone else .

MilkyYay · 22/11/2022 15:36

Most people take the hit on the first year or two when they are much younger, often by being insured on a parents car, before they have kids and all the costs that go with them.

Many young people take the lessons and get the license but then don't actually get insured/start driving until they are a bit older & funding it themselves.

Whatthediddlyfeck · 12/05/2023 08:23

It’s brutal but it’s about life choices and them biting you in the arse when you’re older and have 4 children….learning to drive has never been cheap…insuring young drivers gas never been cheap…it was starting to really ramp up when I was learning which was 35 years ago

Bullshot · 13/05/2023 11:16

Back in the mid 80s when I was 16 and in my last year at school one of my teacher's parting words was 'Learn to Drive as soon as you turn 17'. Which I did.

It was expensive - cost me £10 for a lesson each week out of my £40 per week wage. When I eventually got a car a few years the insurance was as high proportionately as it is nowadays. I remember having to really budget to make the monthly payments.

I don't regret it though - it must be so much harder to do it when one has a mortgage and kids to support. Also the roads are a LOT busier than they were back then. My DC haven't yet wanted to take lessons, which is a shame but I am not pushing it as will no doubt be footing the bill :)

Newyeardietstartstomorrow · 13/05/2023 11:20

You want a good old fashioned insurance broker. I was told that insurance is cheaper if the car is worth £3+, registered in the child's name, has a competent adult driver named on the insurance and is parked off road. You also have a black box, which brings the insurance down further, and you make sure the engine size is as small as possible.

Singleandproud · 13/05/2023 11:23

In the nicest possible way if its taken a while to save £1000 then you really can't afford a car. If you get a second hand one there will be repairs, even run of the mill things like new tyres, brake pads, servicing etc add up not to mention fuel and car seats.

DH and DS should learn to drive and take their tests but it might be a while before you get a car. As others have said, start with a small run around for DH and DS to share, it'll make life easier for things like shopping even if you can't fit all the children in. There are bound to be prangs and scrapes in the first year and I wouldnt want to drive four children in the back from the offset of being a new driver either.

dizzyupthegirl86 · 13/05/2023 11:28

Also don’t forget you can shop around on insurance as they vary wildly. When I first passed my test (I was about 27) I got quotes ranging from 1300 to 2500, the difference was mad. But you can make changes to them to bring it down. I ended up adding two named drivers to my policy and got it down to something closer to 1100. You’ll probably have to pay the first year or two monthly but that does push the price up a lot. I paid mine monthly and also saved really hard for the next years. My second year was 950 if I could pay upfront but would have been 1400 if I was paying monthly! Luckily I’d saved a chunk of that already so I could take advantage of the cheaper price.

Willmafrockfit · 13/05/2023 11:31

look out for an old volvo estate,
2 seats in the rear
3 seats in the back
they go on and on

Willmafrockfit · 13/05/2023 11:38

just seen this is an old thread, from november Hmm
@ChristmasMonkey
you can pay for insurance via monthly direct debit