My eldest (nearly 18) is just about to start driving lessons. We’re buying a 53 plate 1.4 Ford Fiesta for her to practise in between lessons and which I will also use occasionally to go to/from work (my car is temperamental in winter !). Insurance will be in her name with me as a named driver.

Anybody got any recommendations for decent insurance companies or ones to avoid at all costs?

I’ve looked on some of the comparison websites, but personal experience is always useful.

cheers

Just been through this with our 17 year old. Not insurable on either of our cars and most of the insurance companies that deal with old fogies like me don’t want to know. Issue seemed to be that there were plenty of companies that were happy to insure her for around 400ukp while she was on provisional, with 2 adults with clear no claims on as additional drivers, but most of them would then not insure her or wanted ridiculous amounts to insure her once she had passed. In the end went with Admiral as they were about the cheapest after she passed – around 750ukp – and a little bit less beforehand. Same price with or without a black box so we went without.

Only one of her friends who has done better turned out to be driving a car his mum bought a year ago and has now replaced with something more in keeping with her image, but without apparently informing the insurance company that she is no longer the main driver. Not recommended.

Directline keep the premium the same before and after test passed.
It’s a strange market tho, two mates paid a lot more a year ago (+25%) for their respective children than I did this year. The company giving the cheapest quote seems to vary regularly too

Admiral Multi-Car as the post test premium will be lower than normal from our experience.

Having got 3 sons driving over last 5 years I’d say don’t bother buying her a car until she’s passed her test.

If you’re car is crap, then buy the Fiesta for you and insure her as a named driver (£50-£100) whilst she learns.

Once she passes you can then transfer the car to her, and insure it in her name and yourselves as named drivers (reduces the premium).

A note on insurance, for whatever reason it’s just gone up again for youngsters – my eldest has gone from £1600 to £600 and then back to £1000 over the last three years.

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

br – my wife had thought about having the fiesta and puttingthe daughter on as a named driver, but her current insurers wanted £100s for doing that – more than we were quoted by other companies for the daughter to insure it herself. guess they didn’t want the business.

Collingwood Insurance insure learners on a monthly basis on the learners own premium.
My pupils get discount when they quote my adi number.