To ask how on earth we can help to get DS affordable car insurance?

[SlimJimmin]

Has anyone helped to buy and insure a car for their DC as a new driver very recently? Insurance prices are just crazy, and even crazier than ever it seems. Does anyone have the magic formula? I wondered if there’s a type of car we should be looking for which hits the sweet spot of being one he’ll actually ‘be seen dead in’ 🙄🙈 but also doesn’t cost the absolute earth to insure due to age/mileage/engine size etc? Is there a specific insurer you’ve found who can offer a more reasonable premium? We know about adding ourselves as additional drivers but still prices are astronomical. DSS bought his first car last year and prices seem to have shot through the roof for insurance even since then, and we’re wondering if we can even get him on the road at all at this rate, which we really could do with doing to help his plans for when he finishes college in summer (many options he’s looking at for his future seem to want a driving license).

Thank you so much if you have done this very recently and can offer any tips!

We own two cars with Dh as the main driver on a multi car policy and me and the kids as named drivers. One of the kids is now using our second car for his regular commute to work so we rang the insurance people who said that this is fine under our policy and that he is fully covered to do so.

I don’t know if the difference is that Dh is the registered owner of car? But we checked with them so we couldn’t be accused of fronting and they told us it was totally fine

Unless you're saying it's unreasonable to live somewhere without public transport youre not understanding the practicalities of getting a job without your own transport

My driving age children have cars so have been able to get career type jobs rather than the children of two of my friends who have to work in minimum wage jobs at the a place the once and hour bus goes to and even then have to walk a good way at each end

Rural bus services just dont work for regular jobs and only the foolhardy would cycle on some of the raids near me

Bizarrely, I've generally found 3rd party to be more expensive than fully comprehensive.

I own the car (it is my only car) and she's insured as a driver on her own policy with marmalade. We have a black box too

@Goldfinchtriad I don’t know if the difference is that Dh is the registered owner of car? But we checked with them so we couldn’t be accused of fronting and they told us it was totally fine

I own a car which DD keeps and drives. She is the main driver on the insurance policy, with other family members as named drivers. I would prefer to just transfer ownership to her, but strangely that would increase the insurance, so I've retained ownership.

Its not bizarre, it's because statistically people who take 3rd party only are more likely to make claims, be poorer drivers

Maybe it want always the case but Martin Lewis has been telling people to do fully comprehensive quotes for a long time

Not 100% going to be a lower quote but definitely something to try

Unfortunately driving is a wildly expensive luxury these days. We've gone backwards in so many aspects of life.
If a car isn't a true need, but is a want, I'd get him to wait. Unless he has £100 a week for insurance.

Genuine question- why would a hotmail email increase your insurance?!

As may well be, but many many millions of people would be unable to pay the thousands required for this car insurance. You're privileged if you can carve that out of your finances to subsidise it. Hence this thread.

There's also the option of a moped or small motorbike which rarely seems to be recommended. A 125cc bike can go on all main roads except motorways. Have a provisional driving licence, do the CBT for around £100, and away you go.

That's how we coped in SW Cornwall in the 90s anyway - all the lads had bikes. I was one of the privileged kids who had parents who could put me on the insurance of their car.

I learned to ride a motorbike in my 30s when I could not afford to run a car for a few years.

OP, have a look at low powered motorbikes. A 125 would be safer than a 50cc. Get him some decent second hand bike clothes and boots and brand new helmet. Smaller initial outlay than a car and sets him up in much the same way.

There's an app called Cuvva where you buy insurance by the hour/day/week. If he's only occasionally driving your car that might be an option. Black boxes can inadvertently penalise you if you speed or have a bit of an incident as it's all recorded.

There isn’t really a mechanism to transfer ownership anyway unless she’s actually going to pay you for it and you write her a receipt.

@Mumofteenandtween The other thing that has changed things is gender neutral pricing which was brought in in December 2012.

So annoying. The one area of sex discrimination that benefitted women, and they did away with it!

if It’s her car in all but name and you’re insuring it for her then that’s fraud.

Well there is, I'd sign over the V5C.

What are you talking about? You just fill in the V5. How else do you think people give gifts?

Look, this scenario is actually in the DVLa form:

That’s nothing to do with ownership.

When you give someone a birthday present, how do you transfer ownership in that present?

You say “this is my gift to you”.

No different with a car.

The only way to prove ownership of a car is with receipt/invoice etc. The V5C has nothing to do with ownership, the DVLA don’t care who owns it, only who’s responsible for taxing it etc. The registered keeper may or may not be the owner, it’s irrelevant.

I'm sorry to hear your son has had two bikes stolen. PAYG pricing might be the way forward or a rental car club where everything is included if you are near a big city that does them.

Yes, absolutely! There’s no way to prove who owns it or that it was given as a gift.

I wish that people would understand how proof and evidence work.

Evidence does not come in documentary form only. A person’s statement of what happened is evidence, it is called witness evidence.

If witness evidence is disputed, it is tested in court by cross examination and the judge (civil case) or jury (criminal case) decides whether or not to accept it.

So if I could afford to buy my child a car how would they prove that they owned it other than me saying that's what I'd done?

Older car.
1 litre.
No turbo's etc
Black box
Limited mileage.
Add parents as drivers HOWEVER this didn't work with us because my husband can't work due to ill health and it actually increased the premium.

My own insurance went up by over £300 this year. I was told it's because mist prices have been pretty stagnant since covid but companies are now increasing it in line with everything else. I have a friend who works for the financial ombudsman and the most complaints they're having at the moment is about car insurance

You could formalise it by writing a receipt of sorts but otherwise the transfer of ownership happens when you say “this is your car”