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There’s no real difference between the cover teens take out after learning to drive and car insurance for those over 25. You’ll still be picking between the same types of cover. However, you’ll hopefully notice that when you compare car insurance providers for over-25s cover, the quotes you receive will be cheaper than when you were younger.
But why is over-25s car insurance less expensive than cover for younger drivers? This article explains why your premiums should start to come down and how you can reduce the cost of your cover even further.
The simple rule of thumb for car insurance is the older you get, the less your cover will cost (at least, until you’re in your 70s).
The table below shows the dramatic decreases you can expect as you get older:
| Age | Average annual price |
|---|---|
| 17-19 | £1,268.54 |
| 30-39 | £872.41 |
| 50-64 | £483.40 |
Based on annual comprehensive car insurance policies purchased through MoneySuperMarket between October 2023 and December 2023
Of course, these are just averages. Your driving profile will inform your actual premium. For example, if you learned to drive later and haven’t built up a no-claims bonus, your car insurance will be more expensive than someone of a similar age who started driving earlier.
Similarly, if you’ve made multiple claims or have any driving convictions, your cover will cost more than it does for someone with a clean record.
The cost of car insurance for over-25s tends to be cheaper than it is for younger drivers because, in theory, over-25s have more experience behind the wheel. According to the Association of British Insurers, that means you’re less likely to make a claim, and if you do, the cost should be lower than it would be for someone aged between 17 and 24.
This trend continues as you get older, with every decade likely to bring comparatively cheaper premiums. That is until you get into your 70s and 80s – at that point, the cost of your insurance will start to creep up again, as you’ll be seen as more of a risk by providers. But don’t worry! It won’t get back to the levels you paid if you first started driving in your teens.
You can get new driver car insurance at any age, be that in your late 20s or your early 70s.
If you’ve just learned to drive in your late 20s, you’ll probably pay more than a peer who learned to drive at 17, for example. This is due to your lack of experience on the road and the fact that you haven’t had a chance to build a no-claims discount.
However, your premium should still cost less than that of a newly qualified driver under 25. This is because, statistically, you’re less at risk of getting into an accident and making a claim.
If you want to get the cheapest over-25s car insurance without sacrificing on coverage, you can try the following:
When choosing over-25s car insurance, you’ll usually be picking between the following levels of cover:
You may be tempted to go for third party insurance thinking that’d be the cheapest option. However, comprehensive cover is often the cheapest form of car insurance. This is because the risk profile associated with someone who buys third party only insurance is higher than that of someone purchasing comprehensive cover.
As the name suggests, comprehensive insurance also allows you to claim for a wider range of situations. This means that even if your comprehensive quote was higher than it was for third party or third party, fire and theft, it might work out to be the better financial decision in the long run.
You’ll likely be bombarded with potential add-ons when you take out your car insurance. It’s always worth carefully considering which ones you’ll realistically need before committing to anything.
Typical optional extras include:
Typically, the cheapest cars to insure if you’re over 25 are found in the lower car insurance groups, such as Group 1 and Group 2. The lower a car’s insurance group, the cheaper it’ll be to insure.
Example cars from Groups 1 and 2 include the Volkswagen Polo Hatchback, the Skoda Fabia Hatchback, the Ford KA+, the Fiat Panda 4×4 and the Ford Fiesta Hatchback.
Adding a named driver with more experience can make your over-25s car insurance cheaper. This is because providers will assume that your car will occasionally be driven by someone with a lower risk profile than yourself, therefore reducing the chance of an accident and subsequent claim.
What you can’t do, however, is allow a more experienced driver to take out a policy in their name and add you as a named driver if you intend to be the main person behind the wheel of that car. This is called fronting and is a form of insurance fraud.
