Author: Emma Mayo

Never mind getting on the property ladder – two in five 18-25-year-olds haven’t got a driving licence, in many cases because they can’t afford to even get onto the car owning ladder.

There are many costs related to running a car, and it’s all too expensive for many young people. To get a driving licence, they have to take driving lessons, which now cost around £15 per hour. Although some drivers pick it up quickly and pass first time, many go on to take a second test, and maybe a third, and so on.

Once you have your licence, you need to buy a car. Cars aren’t cheap, and even second-hand cars mean expense as they are more likely to need to be repaired and fixed regularly. Then there’s the road tax, and car insurance always costs more for young drivers. The average cost for buying a car and running it in the first year is a whopping £5,700 – that could be a sizeable proportion of a young person’s yearly wages.

A quarter of young people with a driving licence don’t have their own vehicle – so it’s clear that there’s a serious problem with young people getting their own wheels.

It’s understandable that so many young people are choosing to go with public transport for the time being. Statistics like this one from Pass Plus, which offers training schemes for drivers, say that in the first year of driving one driver in five is involved in an accident – so that’s even more potential expense, especially as many young drivers can only afford third party insurance.

There are other forces at work too. The general cost of being a young person such as university costs and a lack of income, debts, and low wages – all combine to make it almost impossible to afford buying a car.

So what are young people doing about it? A survey from Direct Line has shown that many rely on borrowing their parents’ cars. Others are thinking about sharing a car with friends, so the costs are easier to deal with.

There are also other implications, namely on road safety. A spokeswoman from Direct Line said: “With fewer first-time drivers owning their own car there can be increased pressure on those with one to drive all their friends around”. The survey showed that 17% of young drivers feel pressurised by their friends to do the driving, 18% feel pressurised into taking more people into the car than it can legally hold, and 41% find it hard to concentrate on driving with passengers distracting them.

The car insurance industry has a few tricks up its sleeve to help young drivers get on the road. For example, Norwich Union has come up with a new scheme which allows young people to use a pay-as-you-drive scheme, see www.norwichunion.com/pay-as-you-drive for more information.

Insurance companies also offer incentives of up to 35% off for new drivers who have taken Pass Plus lessons, or who have taken a driving course with the Institute of Advanced Motorists. Lessons cost between £15 and £30 per hour but could save you hundreds on your car insurance.

For the cheapest car insurance deals, search on the Internet – car insurance is invariably cheaper and many of the mainstream insurers offer online discounts – making it a little bit easier to get on the road!

More Car Insurance FAQ’s
More Car Insurance Articles

Niche Car Insurance

Woman Drivers
High Performance Drivers
Classic Car Drivers
Young Drivers
Mature Drivers
Max no claims bonus Drivers

Technocrati Tags[car insurance]