Would my car insurance go down considerably after a year + getting a full license?

BetterThanThou

I'm 17 right now. I want to start driving because driving would very much help me with my lifestyle. I often have to get to no name towns in the middle of Ireland for one of my hobbies, and usually, if I can't get a lift, that's not a possibility. As well as the fact that driving is so much more convenient than public transport and is a very useful skill to know. I've come into a bit of money. So for this year, I would be able to pay my insurance up front and get a decent car that won't be costing me a huge amount to maintain. But come next year, if my insurance doesn't drop, I probably wouldn't be able to run a car, as from most quotes I've gotten, I'm looking at 3k a year at least. But my question is, if I drive for a year with no claims and get my full license in that year, would that drop considerably? I know it's going to be fairly high due to my age, but would it be more manageable? Or should I just leave driving until I'm older and my insurance will be more affordable?

punisher5112

You will have to start at some point so if you can afford it then if you can start do.

It may go down but there is always a possibility it could be the same or extra the next year nobody on here or even in insurance could answer that.

Best bet is start as small as possible so to get experience and not kill yourself or others by driving a souped up machine.

visual

Insurance in ireland is a rip off from the get-go saying that next year with a full licence and another year under your belt you will be looked on more favourable by more insurance companies so better chance of a reduction. But don't expect a massive drop.

Insurance companies charge what they feel the market can bear. Sure they fob you off with risk profile but the reality is what share of the market they want at given profit margin.

visual

Insurance in ireland is a rip off from the get-go saying that next year with a full licence and another year under your belt you will be looked on more favourable by more insurance companies so better chance of a reduction. But don't expect a massive drop.

Insurance companies charge what they feel the market can bear. Sure they fob you off with risk profile but the reality is what share of the market they want at given profit margin.

JohnBoy26

I'm not sure it would go down that much tbh. I think there are other factors to consider like your age and how much driving experience you have under your belt.

Peregrinus

It won't go down by a huge amount, no. One year's clean driving experience at the age of 17 doesn't greatly alter your risk profile, I'm afraid.

If it's possible, it would probably be a better use of your money to get yourself insured on a car belonging to your parents, and negotiate some deal with them whereby you pay a share of fuel, servicing etc in return for an agreed level of use of the car for your hobby-related trips to nameless midlands dumps. That would cost dramatically less than buying your own car and insuring it and, while it doesn't give you the same level of access to a car, it might give you a sufficient level to make pursuing your hobby a good deal easier.

No Pants

Some insurers count named driver experience towards an NCB. I think Zurich is one. X years named = one year NCB.

djimi

If you are getting quotes of €3k for insurance then you are aiming too high with the car. Something smaller (Yaris, Micra etc) should be cheaper to insure than that, and maintenance and running costs on a car like that will be low (an early 2000s Yaris would be ideal).

Getting your full license should make a noticeable difference to the cost of insurance, but even still it's not going to be pretty while you're still a teenager with little experience im afraid!

ironclaw

+1 on the older Yaris. They hold their value well, are cheap to run and if maintained, will go forever. The only barrier would be the initial purchase price, they can be hard to find in good condition and attract a high enough price tag (Compared to the Polo etc)

At 17, unless you have the cash, your best off in the 1.0L category and build up some NCB in your own name. Two years NCB and 19 years old, you should see a fairly sizeable difference in your premium. And the money you will save by not trying to ensure a massive car at 17 will easily go towards something nicer when you are getting your insurance premium down. I'm not about getting lads to drive terrible granny cars at 17, but simple economics dictates your money is better off being spent on a decent motor in say two years than effectively burning it on an insurance premium. Others would argue to drive what you like when you like, and i'm all for that to, just make sure you have the cash as its going to be bloody expensive. The cheapest part of owning a car is the tax and insurance.

corktina

why don't you get the qualified driver who would be accompanying you until you pass your test to drive you to the no-name towns to start with whilst doing your lessons in an Instructors car and then worry about paying for the Insurance and buying a car? That's the correct order to do it in and you might be a year older with a full license then, which will make a difference to your premium.

another question

Why don't you put in 18 years, 1 years no claims and a full licence for the car you're looking at now and see what quote they give you...if that will be your situation in a year, it should give you some indication now, as opposed to 17 year, no ncb and learner permit.

Maphisto

another question wrote: »

Why don't you put in 18 years, 1 years no claims and a full licence for the car you're looking at now and see what quote they give you...if that will be your situation in a year, it should give you some indication now, as opposed to 17 year, no ncb and learner permit.

That's a good point but I don't find computer quotes that helpful, you have to put so many details in and then they are in and shared with other insurers. I got into a bit of a mess once trying to do a few "what ifs" so much so that my own insurance company wrote to ask me about blah blah.

I wonder if it would be better going to a broker. You could find out what it costs now and what it costs now if you were a year older more experienced etc.

djimi

Maphisto wrote: »

That's a good point but I don't find computer quotes that helpful, you have to put so many details in and then they are in and shared with other insurers. I got into a bit of a mess once trying to do a few "what ifs" so much so that my own insurance company wrote to ask me about blah blah.

You didnt actually use your own details, did you? Joe Bloggs, 123 Main Street, whatever town you live in (this part needs to be right).

Whatever poor sod has the phone number 0851234567 must get a million and one phone calls from insurance companies :pac:

Maphisto

djimi wrote: »

You didnt actually use your own details, did you? Joe Bloggs, 123 Main Street, whatever town you live in (this part needs to be right).

Whatever poor sod has the phone number 0851234567 must get a million and one phone calls from insurance companies :pac:

This was the UK so I had to use my own postcode and they also required the car reg so ...

djimi

Also, looking for a quote for being one year older will give you a very rough guide, but a lot can change with an insurer in a year, so the quote that you get now might bear no resemblance whatsoever to the quote you will get next year with the same details.

Brokers probably wont entertain the idea either of looking for quotes with incorrect information; it would be a fairly fruitless waste of their time.

djimi

Maphisto wrote: »

This was the UK so I had to use my own postcode and they also required the car reg so ...

Ah right. Its not the same over here; you can stick in any old nonsense into the personal information provided the key information (age, gender, city/town, driving experience) is right. A lot of the online forms will also have a section to enter a reg number, but you can usually enter these details manually also.

Cymini Sectores

OP, apart from your age and period of no claims, there are other factors that will affect your insurance cost, one of them being the insurance company itself. So it's difficult to say how much your insurance will go down by. But what you could do is write down a list of insurance companies including brokers together with their respective phone numbers and start calling them to get the best quote.

MugMugs

Technically speaking somebody who passes their test is more of a risk than they were on a provisional as they're no longer supervised.

Passing your test doesn't mean the premium will reduce. Could well go up actually.

djimi

Techically speaking someone who has just passed their test has just shown that they are a competent driver by the minimum standards set in this country, so there is absolutely no reason for their premium to go up.

Thats not to say that it doesnt happen of course, I would put nothing beyond Irish insurance companies. But that logic makes no sense at all.

MugMugs

Who would you be more likely to hand your car keys to?

Somebody who is going to be supervised whilst driving your car or somebody who has just passed their test and is out alone ?

I got my first real scare when i was out alone. It wouldn't have happened had my full licence holder been there.

Six of one and half a dozen of the other but some underwriters take the above view and I can see why.

djimi

In fairness, in this country, its not like learners are supervised either way, and it would be utterly ridiculous of anyone who underwrites policies to do so on that assumption given that an Irish learners permit is basically just a full license in a different color.

I take the point that youre making, but I dont agree with it. Youre asking would I prefer to have a driver who has proven themselves to be competent drive my car unaccompanied or a learner who has not drive it supervised? Id pick the former every time. Only so much that supervision can do when you are in a car that doesnt have dual controls.

keithclancy

MugMugs wrote: »

Technically speaking somebody who passes their test is more of a risk than they were on a provisional as they're no longer supervised.

Passing your test doesn't mean the premium will reduce. Could well go up actually.

Your basing it on the assumption that Insurance premiums make sense.

This is not the case.

MugMugs

keithclancy wrote: »

Your basing it on the assumption that Insurance premiums make sense.

This is not the case.

A decade of experience inter industry actually.

ironclaw

20 Year old, Irish Male with 0 no claims on a provisional driving a 1.0L worth €2000, the quote is €2,282.87.

All the same, with a full license: €1,300.76.

Surely there should be some law prohbiting the cost of insurance being more than the insurable asset itself? I know insurance covers other things other than the car, but serious, thats taking the mick a shade.

keithclancy

ironclaw wrote: »

20 Year old, Irish Male with 0 no claims on a provisional driving a 1.0L worth €2000, the quote is €2,282.87.

All the same, with a full license: €1,300.76.

Surely there should be some law prohbiting the cost of insurance being more than the insurable asset itself? I know insurance covers other things other than the car, but serious, thats taking the mick a shade.

Third Party Fire and Theft.

The insurance is for the potential risk associated with other peoples assets.

You could cause as much damage in a 10 year old Passat than a 1 year old one.

corktina

keithclancy wrote: »

Third Party Fire and Theft.

The insurance is for the potential risk associated with other peoples assets.

You could cause as much damage in a 10 year old Passat than a 1 year old one.

and also medical and legal expenses.

djimi

keithclancy wrote: »

Third Party Fire and Theft.

The insurance is for the potential risk associated with other peoples assets.

You could cause as much damage in a 10 year old Passat than a 1 year old one.

Exactly. I write off a €100k Merc then it doesnt matter what Im driving!

Peregrinus

Yup. The main risk is liability, and obviously liability is unrelated to the value of the asset, and can vastly exceed it. Awards for seriously disabling injuries can run into the millions.