Teenage drivers have always found it difficult and expensive to get car insurance, but in recent years things have definitely taken a turn for the worst. The reason behind this is that statistically the young drivers age group are far more likely to be involved in an accident because they drive faster, have less experience in risky situations, and they make more night journeys which is a time when more accidents occur.

An insurance company only looks at the level of risk you present as a driver, they do this by looking at the statistic averages for your age group, where you live, your gender and the type of car you drive. If you are a teenage boy living in a big city, you will fall in to the highest risk category which is why you will sometimes be asked to pay 5 or 10 more than your vehicle cost just to insure it for 1 year.

Why so much to insure a car that only cost a few hundred? Well, just say you cause an accident with a top of the range BMW, Mercedes or Jaguar, and your car is only slightly dented but the other car is totalled. The insurance company’s liability isn’t limited to fixing your dents, it will also have to replace the other car and that will cost tens of thousands.

There are a few things you can do to minimise the cost of insurance, such as buy a car with a small engine, keep a clean license, don’t modify your car in any way and pass an accredited advanced drivers course. These things won’t make your young driver motor insurance cheap, but they will reduce that cost by as much as possible.

Many people believe that if their teenage son or daughter wants to drive, they should at the very least be made to pay for their own car insurance policy. The reason behind this is that, as they have sole responsibility over the factors that determine the costs of their insurance, they will be incentivised to take measures to make themselves safer drivers and so reduce the costs they pay – to me this makes perfect sense.

There are a number of other things they can do to keep costs down:

1. Make sure any car they buy is equipped with modern safety features. Cars today fitted with ABS, airbags and crumple zones are much safer than they have ever been. Cars with these features have a much higher safety rating and this can help lower insurance rates.

2. Drive less – I know that might sound crazy, but the more miles you drive the higher your rates will be, so cut out any unnecessary journeys.

3. Take an advanced driving course – Programs like Pass Plus or a defensive driving course can mean a 10% saving and will make you a better driver.

4. Buy cheap used cars – when you first start driving, choose a car that is cheap to repair or replace if it ever gets damaged. Typically an expensive car will cost more to fix, so the insurance company will want more to insure it.

5. Use a number of Internet comparison websites to get as many quotes as possible. There are insurers who have a lot experience in the uk car insurance for young drivers market who should be able to offer you a better price than the high street agents.