Updated 2015 with latest prices
Adrian Flux investigates the best cars for new drivers
There’s no getting away from it: Car insurance for 17 year olds is expensive. The simple fact is the youngest drivers on our roads are statistically more dangerous, owing to their understandable lack of experience behind the wheel.
This guide is aimed at 17-year-olds who have just passed their test, but includes tips about the cheapest cars to insure that will be relevant to any young motorists.
If you are a young driver trying to get on the road, it’s not all doom and gloom. There are some things you can do to help yourself:
- Take an advanced driving course, like PassPlus, Btec Level 2, IAM, or RoSPA. By getting extra skills and experience, you’ll be making yourself a safer driver and young drivers can often save much more than the cost of the course on their first insurance premium.
- Make your policy work for you. Take a limited mileage policy if you can commit to driving less than, say 1500, 3,000 or 5,000 miles a year. Another money-saving method is installing a black box into your car, which will measure your mileage and reduce your premium.
- Joining a car owners club can drop your premium by up to 15%.
- Keeping your car in a safe place, for example the garage or driveway, and improving security features, such as fitting an alarm, will decrease the risk of theft and keep costs down.
- Add a parent with driving experience onto the policy to further reduce your premium.
So far, so good, but there are some factors you can’t, or are unlikely to change. You can’t make yourself any older, and you probably don’t want to move house just to get cheaper car insurance. So that leaves the car that you choose as the main factor in determining the price you will pay.
The best cars for young drivers
So what is the most affordable car to insure? We did some research into cheap first cars and the result may surprise you.
The top 3 low insurance cars are:
- 1974 Citroen 2CV6
- 1992 Fiat Panda
- 1959 Ford Anglia
The cheapest cars to insure, for a teenage driver, are the classic motors. They may not have Bluetooth, automatic lights or even electric windows, but they do have a lot of character. At Adrian Flux we say the older the better when it comes to affordable insurance for young drivers!
However our research into the cheapest cars for young drivers isn’t just a list of bangers, with respectable modern motors like the Citroen C1, Peugeot 107 and Toyota Aygo doing well for affordable insurance premiums.
Below is the list of cheap cars to insure. You’ll notice that almost all of them are low powered 1 litre engines – if you go for a more powerful car too soon, your premium will accelerate faster than your car, so watch out. All the quotes below are for:
- Third Party Fire & Theft Cover
- A 17 year-old driver with a full driving license studying a white-collar subject (for example business) with a part-time sales assistant job
- Zero no claims bonus, claim and conviction free
- Social, Domestic, Pleasure and Commuting use
- Limited mileage policy of 5,000 miles per annum
- Car parked on the drive in a low risk area
| Vehicle | Value | Engine size | Insurance premium* | Excess |
| 1974 Citroen 2CV6 | £2000 | 0602cc | £814.74 | £100 |
| 1992 Fiat Panda | £2000 | 0769cc | £838.64 | £100 |
| 1959 Ford Anglia | £2000 | 0997cc | £846.78 | £100 |
| 1970 Volkswagen Beetle | £3000 | 1192cc | £846.78 | £100 |
| 1973 Fiat 126 | £2000 | 0594cc | £846.78 | £100 |
| 1959 Austin Mini | £2000 | 0998cc | £847.86 | £100 |
| 1983 Fiat Uno | £2000 | 0903cc | £847.86 | £100 |
| 1986 Suzuki Alto | £2000 | 0796cc | £962.44 | £100 |
| 2005 Citroen C1 | £2000 | 0998cc | £982.03 | £100 |
| 2005 Peugeot 107 URBAN | £2250 | 0998cc | £982.03 | £150 |
| 2005 Toyota Aygo | £2000 | 0998cc | £982.03 | £150 |
| 2006 Volkswagen Fox (54) | £2400 | 0998cc | £1,017.88 | £100 |
| 2005 Renault Clio | £2000 | 1149cc | £1,022.39 | £150 |
| 2010 Chevrolet Spark | £4000 | 0995cc | £1,025.37 | £100 |
| 1997 Daihatsu Cuore | £700 | 0847cc | £1,037.35 | £100 |
| 1998 Daewoo Matiz | £900 | 0796cc | £1,037.35 | £100 |
| 1998 Seat Ibiza E | £1000 | 0998cc | £1,037.35 | £100 |
| 1999 Volkswagen Lupo | £700 | 0999cc | £1,037.35 | £100 |
| 2000 Hyundai Atoz | £1000 | 0999cc | £1,052.31 | £100 |
| 2000 Vauxhall Agila | £1000 | 0973cc | £1,052.31 | £100 |
| 2000 Vauxhall Corsa Club | £1000 | 0973cc | £1,052.31 | £100 |
| 2009 Nissan Pixo | £3000 | 0996cc | £1,069.04 | £100 |
| 2009 Toyota Yaris | £3000 | 0998cc | £1,069.04 | £100 |
| 1997 Peugeot 106 look | £1000 | 1124cc | £1,080.18 | £100 |
| 2000 Hyundai Amica SI | £1000 | 0999c | £1,095.80 | £100 |
*Prices as at 2015.
If you’re looking for cheap car insurance for young drivers, look no further than Adrian Flux. We have specialist policies for new drivers, and can offer cheaper rates on the phone. Give us a call on 0330 123 1232 or request a callbackfrom our advisors.