The ten cheapest cars to insure for young drivers

The Ford Fiesta is the most popular car with young drivers but it’s NOT the cheapest to insure: We reveal the top ten cars for cheaper cover

  • The Ford Fiesta is the most popular car for young drivers, data finds 
  • However, it isn’t the cheapest to insure with the Citroen C1 taking that spot 
  • We reveal the most popular – and the cheapest – motors for 17 to 19 year olds 

The Ford Fiesta is the most popular car among young drivers when it comes to insurance searches and costs an average of £711 for fully comprehensive cover, new research has revealed.

However, it isn’t the cheapest to insure. In fact, Citroen’s rival supermini the C1 takes the top spot for cheaper cover, according to data from MoneySupermarket.

Despite not being in the top ten most popular models for 17-to-19 year olds, it costs them £506 to insure – £205 cheaper than the Fiesta. 

This is still much more than the average premium for the country’s most popular car which comes in at £417 – £294 less than for young motorists.

The Citroen C1 was found to be the cheapest car to insure for 17 to 19 year old drivers

Those aged 20 and over pay an average of 51 per cent less to insure the same vehicle at £347.

MoneySupermarket analysed more than one million quotes made by its customers between 9 June 2020 and 9 June 2021 to identify the most popular car with first-time drivers aged 17 to 19 and the typical cost of insuring these vehicles.

It revealed the Citroen C1 is the cheapest car to insure for young drivers, however, the annual cost of £506 is still 72 per cent more expensive than for the over-20’s with an average of £294. 

The second cheapest was found to be the Fiat 500 Pop which costs £509 and the Fiat 500 Lounge costing £519.

Again, these cars were found to be 60 and 71 per cent, respectively, more expensive than for drivers over 20. 

Meanwhile, the Peugeot 107 came in with an average annual insurance of £539 and the Ford Ka at £543, compared to £286 and £315 for those aged over 20. 

The Fiat 500, the Fiat 500 Lounge and the Fiat 500 Pop are all some of the cheapest to insurer

The Fiat 500, the Fiat 500 Lounge and the Fiat 500 Pop are all some of the cheapest to insurer

CHEAPEST CARS TO INSURE FOR YOUNG DRIVERS 
Rank Make and model Ave fully comp policy for 17-19 Ave fully com policy for 20+ £ difference between ages % increase between ages (20+ to 17/19)
1 Citroen C1 £506 £294 £212 72%
2 Fiat 500 Pop £509 £319 £190 60%
3 Fiat 500 Lounge £519 £304 £215 71%
4 Peugeot 107 £539 £286 £253 89%
5 Ford Ka £543 £315 £277 72%
6 Toyota Aygo £550 £305 £245 80%
7 Fiat 500 £560 £299 £261 87%
8 Mini One £587 £429 £158 37%
9 Renault Clio £626 £354 £277 77%
10 Ford Fiesta Zetec (80)  £648 £364 £284 78%
Source: MoneySupermarket         

The most popular car was found to be the Ford Fiesta closely followed by the Vauxhall Corsa costing £689 a year and the Volkswagen Polo at £656 annually. 

The Ford Ka, Mini One and Renault Clio all featured in the top ten most popular cars for young drivers. 

All of the cars were significantly more expensive for young drivers compared to adult motorists.

For example, the VW Golf would cost 17 to 19 year olds £935 – a huge increase of 154 per cent when compared to over 20 year olds who would pay an average of £368. 

First-time drivers who own the second most popular first car, the Vauxhall Corsa, pay an average of £689 for their insurance, £170 more than what a young driver of a Fiat 500 Lounge pays at £519.

Car insurance premiums are often higher for drivers who have recently passed their test as insurers associate more risk with them. 

Prices can also differ significantly depending on the type of car people drive.

The Ford Fiesta is the most popular car for 17 to 19 year olds - but not the cheapest to insure

The Ford Fiesta is the most popular car for 17 to 19 year olds – but not the cheapest to insure

TEN MOST POPULAR CARS FOR YOUNG DRIVERS
Rank by popularity Make and model Ave fully comp policy for 17-19  Ave fully com policy for 20+  £ difference between ages % increase between ages (20+ to 17/19)
1 Ford Fiesta £711 £347 £363 105%
2 Vauxhall Corsa £689 £393 £296 75%
3 Volkswagen Polo £656 £392 £375 67%
4 Ford Ka £543 £315 £277 72%
5 Mini One £587 £429 £158 37%
6 Renault Clio £626 £354 £277 77%
7 Fiat 500 £560 £299 £261 87%
8 Vauxhall Corsa Ltd Edition £716 £508 £208 41%
9 Fiat 500 Lounge £519 £304 £215 71%
10 VW Golf £935 £368 £567 154%
Source: MoneySuperMarket       

Motorists, especially young ones, are encouraged to use price comparison sites to see if they can save on their insurance by shopping around with experts saying they could save hundreds of pounds. 

Praksha Patel-Shah, car insurance expert at MoneySupermarket, said: ‘After a year of delays to theory and practical tests due to coronavirus, many young drivers may now be looking to purchase their first car in 2021, especially with new car number plates due on 1 September.

‘There are a number of ways for newly qualified Britons to reduce their insurance premium. You can keep costs down by reducing your mileage or opting for a higher excess. 

‘You could even look into telematics policies which use data to monitor how people drive and use this to determine the cost of their car insurance – the more careful the driver, the more competitively priced the policy.’ 

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