Getting your first car insurance policy can be much more difficult, more complicated and more expensive than purchasing your first car. But it is not an impossible task. At Western Motors, we have assisted many first-time drivers to purchase the car of their dreams and to drive away, taxed, insured and happy out! Here is our quick guide to getting insured for the first time.
Source insurance before you even look at a car! At Western Motors we always have a great range of cars at tempting prices to suit the needs of all drivers, including the first-time motorist. But don’t choose the car first. Do research into what vehicle criteria insurance companies are currently demanding prior to insuring young and novice drivers. Insurance companies often prefer a car that is under ten years old, a more modern car with more safety features. This goes against the most commonly held thinking that a younger, less experienced driver should start out their driving life in a bit of an old ‘banger’. It also means that you may have to shelve your dreams of driving a souped-up sports car for just a few more years until your driving experience and no claims bonus allow it. This is why we recommend sourcing the insurance first. The sales team here at Western Motors are of invaluable help to new drivers and will direct you to cars that will put a smile on yours, your bank managers and even, those insurance company faces.
A full driving license will definitely assist in accessing more affordable insurance. Having a provisional license will not preclude you from getting insurance, but it will make it more expensive. Put in for your driving test as soon as you are ready. If you do start off being insured with a provisional license, many insurance providers will reduce the costs mid policy, once you pass that test.
Having named driver experience will assist in getting insurance. Of course, this means you have to know someone trusting enough to allow you on their insurance policy. Not surprisingly, this is usually a family member. Named Driver experience works the same way as a No Claims Bonus for some insurance companies. They will make allowances for the number of years that you have been a named driver (without accident) on a third-party policy. Getting named driver experience is a great step towards your own independent insurance policy.
Insurance companies have introduced numerous schemes to assist first time insurers in getting on the ladder to independent driving. These include reductions for attending independent (which you pay for) Start Up programmes where driving classes overseen by the insurance company augment the theory test, driving lessons and state driving tests to improve skill and ultimately reduce risk. A reduced quote is offered on completion of the course. Insurers are also asking young drivers to use telemetry devices, trackers or Speedometers to record the movements of the insured vehicle. These are apps uploaded to a young person’s phone, which then record the driving speeds to ensure that a reduced mileage quota is adhered to. For example, the insurance policy might stipulate that the driver does no more than 8,000km a year at the prescribed speed. The app. records this evidence and there are additional costs for when the car is driven over and above those amounts, in speed or distances. All this goes towards making the new driver more eligible for consideration for car insurance, but it does not guarantee inclusion and the insurance cost can still be quite high.
At Western Motors we appreciate how difficult and complicated it has become for young and first-time drivers to insure their cars. But it is not impossible! Over the years we have seen many a young and first-time driver drive off in the car of their dreams, with insurance sorted. We take a very practical and helpful approach, and this often means getting the insurance criteria and deal sorted before the test drive! But don’t let this stop you from browsing our wide car selection and from picking up the phone or dropping in for a conversation.
As our Digital Dealership grows we know that more buyer confidence is needed throughout the online buying process and to assist we have introduced the Western Motors Group Used Car Grading System. The system has been devised to offer more transparency to our customers and to provide an easy guide as to the quality of the used car being sold.
