How Young Drivers / New Drivers Save On Car Insurance

Start as a New driver in the class 0, you pay 100 percent, so the full contribution. With every damage-free year, the contribution rate drops. After two years, on average, only 54 percent are due in motor liability and 46 percent in full insurance.But there are a few ways that you as a New driver get the insurance from the outset a little cheaper. We have put together  ten tips to get cheaper car insurance for new drivers  .

10 Tips To Get Cheaper Car Insurance For New Drivers

# 1. insure the car as a second car of your parents

The easiest and cheapest way is for your parents to insure your car as a second car and register it as a driver . Alternatively, the car can be insured over the grandparents or other relatives. Mostly the insurance over the parents but the cheapest option. The premium for the first car of the parents does not increase thereby.

Insurance classify a second car at least in no-claims category (SF class) ½. Often they even grant an even higher class, in the best case, they grant you the same no claim class, with which the first car is insured.

A car insurance through the parents has even more advantages : these usually have better underwriting values , because they have real estate or exercise a certain profession. In return, the providers usually grant further discounts. Although the premium is lower than if the First time driver would assure himself. However, the inclusion of the New driver in the driver circuit increases the premium significantly, as we found in a financial survey .

Incidentally, parents need not worry that their SF class for the first car will deteriorate if the child makes an accident with the second car. The downgrading is in this case only for the second car.

#2 Use Family Plans

Not all parents want to insure their child’s car as a second car and be the policyholder. What sounds common at first does not have to be a disadvantage. So you as a New driver from the beginning self-policyholders and have their own no-claims discount . In addition, the contract of the parents can still be very useful.

Many insurers offer young drivers the opportunity to start with a better injury class than 0 if their parents have their car with the same company.

In this variant, you insure yourself, the insurance policy then runs on you. This is usually more expensive than the second car insurance on the parents. But you can still save with it.

As part of our investigation into the second car rates, we have found quite a few of these family tariffs. These are special second car regulations , where the car may be allowed to someone other than the policyholder.

For example, as a child, you can register as a holder and be classified with the years without damage that correspond to the duration of your license, or at least the SF class ½. This is especially worthwhile if you have already driven a moped or motorbike before the car driver’s license; These times count as well.

The family rates you can not complete in comparison portals. You must request directly from the insurer of your parents .

#3 Join Accompanied Driving

For some years, young people can already at the age of 17 make the license for the car . The prerequisite is that in the first year they are always accompanied by an experienced driver – so they are not alone on the road.These New drivers, who take part in accompanied driving, statistically cause fewer accidents – after all, the parents usually sit in the passenger seat and take care.

# 4  Take the SF classes from your parents’ contract

All beginnings are difficult – and car insurance costs just in the first years after the driver license purchase already so much premium, because the contribution rate is still high . Over time, however, the insurance will be cheaper if you stay harmless.

Then a good moment has come to enter the car insurance contract even as an insurance policy holder. In the best case scenario, you can have the no-claims discount from your parents’ second car contract transferred to you. Of course, this only applies to the number of years without damage, which corresponds to the duration of the license. But it is important that you skip the hurdle of class 0 or SF class ½.

When you sign up for the new insurance, state that you want to take over the no-claims discount from your parents. The insured parent must agree to this takeover in writing . You then start with the new insurance with your own no-claims discount. You can also switch to a new insurer and do not have to stay with the previous insurance company. You can find out how to do this in our guide to changing car insurance .

It is essential to clarify in advance with the insurer of the parents under what conditions the discount can be transferred. First and foremost, ask which non-pecuniary discount he gives you. Many insurers are straightforward in this regard.

However, some providers do not always allow you to pay claim-free classes when you switch to another insurer. Then you have to calculate whether it is cheaper to stay with the possible discount at the old insurer or to start at another with the SF class ½ – because you have the necessary three years driving license duration then.

#5 Take over the SF classes from relatives

As a rule, you can also take on SF classes from relatives and life partners . This variant is especially worthwhile for drivers who already have a driver’s license for a number of years but have never had their own car insurance. Ask your relatives if they have recently logged off or are planning to drive. This is particularly worthwhile if the grandparents can not or do not want to drive a car and can give you their high discount. Not all, but many insurers grant this carryover.

When accepting a non-pecuniary discount , the old policyholder loses all his SF classes in this contract. That’s worth it only if a contract is no longer needed. For example, if an 83-year-old driver of your relatives decides not to drive in the future, you could use it for yourself and take over the relatives’ loss-free years.However, only as many years without damage can be transmitted as the receiver already has the driver’s license.

Example : A 25-year-old driver who has taken the driving license at the age of 18 can take on a maximum of seven SF classes. At the age of 21, he bought his first car and insured it as a second car over his parents. From this contract he can take over four years without damage.

However, if at the same time there is the possibility   to take over more than four SF classes from the contract of a relative, this variant is  cheaper  for him.

The example shows: You can only take over as many classes as you  would have achieved if you had insured a car directly after passing the driver’s license exam. You can usually take over the SF classes six to twelve months after you have opted out of a car insurance policy. For this reason, please also check whether vehicles have been Unregistered in your relatives some time ago.

#6 Use the SF classes of scooters and motorcycles

Not only can you transfer the SF classes from one car to another, but also from motorcycles and scooters to a car. It must be at least a scooter from 50 cubic centimeters. Maybe even your parents insured a motorcycle or something similar some years ago, so you can now take their discount.

You can always exchange the  no-claims discounts between your vehicles . The case that you have already collected several damage-free years with the motorcycle offers a good starting position for this exchange. The discount scale for motorcycles is not as long as that of cars, it is currently only up to the SF class 20 and runs much flatter: It begins in the class 0 already at 90 percent in motor insurance, after a year without damage the contribution rate drops to 50 percent.

With the exchange you transfer a very good claim-free class to the car and lower the contribution rate there. And your motorcycle is classified as a secondary vehicle in the damage class ½. for example, 65 percent contribution rate will be payable in motor vehicle liability insurance and 85 percent in full insurance.

#7 Use the times of car sharing

If you participate in car sharing , you drive regularly without owning it. This is a very good opportunity for novice drivers to get into driving practice, without having to dig deep into their car and insurance.

But if you eventually need your own car, because you want to commute to work or to be more independent, you do not have to start from scratch at the insurance company. Just as some insurers charge the accident-free times of the company car as a pre-insurance period, some providers are also car-sharing users. We have found this out in the context of our investigation into the second car insurance .

If you have the required number of driven days and kilometers together, you will be credited with correspondingly damage-free years. The car sharing provider must confirm this data in writing.

#8 Use telematics tariffs

With telematics tariffs  , car insurers offer discounts for a safe driving style. An app on the smartphone or a telematics box in the car evaluates, for example, acceleration, braking and speed. In perfect driving style novice drivers can save up to 30 percent – depending on the provider. However, even the most discerning discounts are barely reached even by experienced drivers, partly because factors that are often difficult to influence are included in the score, such as trips in larger cities.

Nevertheless, the telematics discount can at least cushion the disadvantage of the lack of damage class for young drivers. So make sure you check whether your insurance also offers a telematics option.However, you should be aware that using telematics you can pass on a large number of your driving data to the insurance company. This evaluates the data anonymously.

#9 Do not choose a typical New driver car

Whether VW Polo, Opel Adam or Ford Fiesta: These cars recommend car dealers like drivers newcomers who are looking for the first own car. However, these models are more often involved in accidents. That translates into high type classes – and makes the insurance more expensive.

The type classes range from 10 to 25 in liability insurance. The higher the type class, the higher the risk of damage and the higher the insurance premium. The type class of a model depends on many factors, for example the year of manufacture and the engine.

Before buying a car on autoampel.de or on the website of the German Insurance Association (GDV), check the respective type class of your car and compare it to similar vehicles. Pay particular attention to the exact type designation of your car, because, for example, the type classes of a Golf IV differ by up to four levels, depending on horsepower and year of construction.

#10 Avoid the hull with very old cars

A liability insurance is required by law for every car in Germany. Casco insurance, on the other hand, is voluntary . The conclusion of a comprehensive insurance has no meaning in older cars with low residual value. It usually only pays off if the car is less than five years old. Remains the question of the part comprehensive insurance. There are three main factors to keep in mind: the residual value of your car, the price of the part comprehensive insurance and the question of whether you will be in financial trouble if it has been stolen.

Compare offers with and without partial comprehensive insurance. And weigh up whether the extra cost is in reasonable proportion to the residual value of your car. Also consider whether you can choose a higher deductible to lower the premium. In a recent investigation , we found that a retention of 500 euros per case of damage neat contribution saves. If now the residual value of the vehicle is still clearly above what you have to carry in case of damage anyway, then the partial coverage is worthwhile.

Please note that a partial comprehensive insurance usually only covers the following claims:

• Theft,
• Fire, explosion,
• Storm, hail, flood,
• Clashes with wild deer

The cheapest car insurance can be found if you compare several providers. Our great  portal test  has shown that it is best to combine at least two comparisons. Not all insurers are represented on all comparison portals.