Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

Car insurance for 17 year old

36 replies

Hairydogmummy · 26/05/2020 14:53

Hi all...my DS16 is desperate for a car when he turns 17 in November so have told him to look in to all the costs and come up with a plan and I will help him. Can a 16 year old get an insurance quote in advance? This is obviously going to be a huge expense so if anyone has any advice/experience of how to go about this, I'd love to hear it. Ideally I want him to be able to drive on his actual birthday.TIA

OP posts:
nasalspray · 26/05/2020 14:58

You can only get a quote 30/31 days in advance. You could run a quote anytime and change his dob to give you an idea but the reality is it could change drastically by the time comes to do it for real.

nasalspray · 26/05/2020 15:00

For him to drive on his birthday you can have the insurance start that day.

DS just did lessons but when he passed and bought a car she went with Direct Line and they were cheaper than any of the specialist young insurance companies.

Original poster
Hairydogmummy · 26/05/2020 15:50

Thanks @nasalspray do you mind me asking what sort of car he has and roughly how much for a year? Did you go on his insurance as well to make it cheaper? I wasn't sure about putting a fake DOB in as might affect his credit rating?

OP posts:
nasalspray · 26/05/2020 15:57

Insurance quotes won't affect credit rating.

DS bought a new FIAT 500 and paid 1200 for the year. I am on as an additional driver although I don't know what the difference in price would have been without me as we didn't run both quotes, just the one for him with me as an addition driver. It was £950 with a black box but he didn't want that as a lot of them are very restrictive and to get one that didn't have a silly 11pm curfew he would have paid more then the 1200 direct line took for no box!

One thing to remember is if you add him on to your policy as a learner it will often cost less than to add him once he has a full licence. The risk of a new driver is higher then that of a learner because they are under supervision

nasalspray · 26/05/2020 15:57

Oh, he won't have a credit rating if he is 16 anyway.

Original poster
Hairydogmummy · 26/05/2020 16:08

Oh really? That's helpful thanks. I hadn't even thought of adding him to mine as it's a sporty Alfa Giulietta and I thought would be too much. I'll check though if that's the case. I had a 500 a few years ago. Love them! £1200 not bad. I was expecting more to be fair

OP posts:
Chasingsquirrels · 26/05/2020 16:12

're adding them to your own.
I couldn't add my 17yo learner to mine last Sep as they just wouldn't cover him. On renewal last month I got some quotes and have added him at very little extra compared to quotes without him. I'm paying £275 for the year, but ran the same details but with him having just passed instead of on a provisional and it was £5,500. He will be coming off as soon as he passes!

Susiesue61 · 26/05/2020 16:23

DD passed last year at 17. I couldn't add her onto my insurance as a learner, they refused! She got a new Fiesta and the insurance for the first year was £1800 with a black box 😟 That seems typical among my friends so whether its whre we live. This year it has come down a lot although we have changed insurer

nasalspray · 26/05/2020 16:25

I hadn't even thought of adding him to mine

Sorry, I assumed that's what you meant re him being able to drive on his birthday! Are you planning to buy a car for him? In which case definitely compare provisional quotes with quotes for when he has passed. As above the difference can be massive and you may end up with an unaffordable car.

Original poster
Hairydogmummy · 26/05/2020 16:30

Yes was hoping he could buy a car (or his gran may be giving him hers) and to get insurance with him as a main driver and me on the policy ... actually now I'm saying it that's silly isn't it? I need to try to add him to mine maybe?

OP posts:
Original poster
Hairydogmummy · 26/05/2020 16:32

&@Susiesue61 was that £1800 as a learner, or after she passed?

OP posts:
nasalspray · 26/05/2020 16:33

We looked at all options and decided proper lessons was the best all round. Get through the test then get a car. I never added him to mine as I have a 2L SEAT ALHAMBRA - too much car for a 17 year old learner.

It's not silly to start with your own can and insurance etc but it's a hell of a commitment if it doesn't go smoothly.

Susiesue61 · 26/05/2020 16:39

That was after she passed

Original poster
Hairydogmummy · 26/05/2020 16:49

Yes I see what you mean. We'd need to know the insurance as a learner was affordable before he got a car but I can see why you'd wait until he'd passed. Neither of our cars are learners cars really. Mine is too fast and DH's is big estate. I just thought would work out expensive if we weren't teaching him and he had to do all practice with instructor. Mind you, he has had quite a few young driver lessons. Just needs to learn how to drive on the road. Just! lol!

Our situation re paying for it all is complicated. His DF and I divorced years ago and he's funny about paying for stuff and I had two DSCs with DH who we'd need to be able to treat the same way.

OP posts:
Ladymuck · 26/05/2020 17:00

We used Veygo for insurance so just insured him for the time he was on the road in one of our cars. In fact now that he is at uni we still do that.

TeenPlusTwenties · 26/05/2020 17:02

We have Admiral multicar insurance.
We bought a car for DD1 to learn in but had DH as the owner and registered keeper and main driver. (This was OK as we just made sure DH drove it as much as DD1 was.)
Actually the insurance as a learner is OK, it is when they have passed their test it goes up.

DD2 starts learning next year and we plan to get an adaptor kit (brakes for the adult in charge) for whatever car we get for her to learn in. DD1's car had that and it really helped DH teach her (which he mainly had to do as no automatic instructors available at the time)

Chasingsquirrels · 26/05/2020 17:38

(Posted already)

My ds has been having lessons, so I wasn't too bother about not being able to add him to my insurance (2L VW Passat estate) for practice.

However with lockdown stopping lessons and my renewal coming up and making me consider it again, and having got a good price to include him as a learner, I decided to do so.
Not sure I thought that was such a good decision when we then went out for some practice!!!

Rugbylife · 26/05/2020 18:05

I’ve recently renewed my 17 year old ds insurance as a learner, it’s his car and insurance in his name with me and DH on with Post office for £472, had it added to admiral multicar for the first 2 months after he was 17 but on renewal of policy it had risen to £1100 still on provisional. Obviously when he passes test it will be around that price but I’m not paying that for provisional. He was having lessons with an instructor but I’m letting him drive when we do our weekly shopping as we shop for my mum who’s shielding.

Original poster
Hairydogmummy · 26/05/2020 19:22

Thanks all...this is all good to know. I don't know many people with kids same age as mine IRL! @Chasingsquirrels what happened? Did you fall out? I've a feeling I might with DS where with an instructor he wouldn't say boo! @Rugbylife did you have his insurance and his car all set up then before his birthday so he was ready to go on the day? That seems really reasonable what you're paying.

OP posts:
Rugbylife · 26/05/2020 19:43

Yes, we were lucky and a perfect car came up for sale at a good price 3 months before he was 17 so we took out a day policy for me to drive it home then put it on our drive and used SORN with DVLA for for 2 months so not taxed or insured. I set up insurance for me on it for a month then added him on his 17th birthday. We made him have 3 lessons with an instructor before we let him drive it with me, he was close to passing his test before lockdown with his theory cancelled the day before it was due. He’s very good on the road now with me but it’s only the last 2 weeks that I’ve let him drive as it was classed as not essential.

Original poster
Hairydogmummy · 26/05/2020 23:30

Aw that's a shame about his test...I guess there will be a backlog when it all gets up and running again as well. Practical tests will be difficult to social distance. I wonder what they'll do about that? That all sounds like a good plan re the car... did you literally ring up on his birthday? How did you know if it was affordable? Am hoping that my ex MIL will give DS her car. She barely drives it and hates driving and really shouldn't be at her age anyway. DS could drive her around!

OP posts:
Chasingsquirrels · 26/05/2020 23:55

No we didn't fall out, I just expected that after 3 months of lessons he'd be better than he was!
And it's a bit disconcerting.
But it's good to keep the practice up atm.

Rugbylife · 27/05/2020 00:04

I used compare the market for quotes and put year earlier for DOB to get rough idea of quotes, then rang my current insurance to get quote 30 days before his birthday using correct DOB. You can apply for driving license before they reach 17 but it won’t be valid for cars until their birthday. That way he can be ready to drive or have first lesson on day of birthday.

Original poster
Hairydogmummy · 27/05/2020 09:11

Lol @Chasingsquirrels yes you'd think so after three months! I was also desperate to drive at 17 (lived out in the country) and passed in 3 months but that was with lots of practice with my dad. Tbh I wish he was a bit younger then I could ask him to teach my DS!
I think I'll do that@Rugbylife my exH thinks that wouldn't work though as you can't put driving license no in?? He's also checked DVLA website and you can't apply for a provisional at the moment because of Covid...there's going to be such a backlog.

OP posts:
nasalspray · 27/05/2020 09:43

He's also checked DVLA website and you can't apply for a provisional at the moment because of Covid...there's going to be such a backlog.

No use to you now but for anyone reading it might be helpful to know, you can apply for your provisional (under normal circumstances) when you are 15y 9m

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

Join Mumsnet Log In

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.