Veedub Beetle tops cheap-to-insure chart

Young, Driving and Broke: Adrian Flux Insurance looks at what are the Top Ten cheapest cars to insure for 17-year-old drivers.

[ClickPress, Wed Jun 20 2007] The first thing a young driver should ask about any car they’re thinking of getting is not how much does it cost to buy, but how much does it cost to insure. A first car is often much cheaper to buy than to insure for a year.

So what’s the cheapest car for 17 to 21 year olds? Flux Insurance has come up with a list of the Top Ten cars to insure if you’re young, driving and broke. Older Fiats, Vauxhalls and Citroens all offer good value but there’s no doubt which is the cheapest car to insure. “Usually lower powered models will be cheaper,” says Gerry Bucke of Flux. “But the number one by a mile is the classic VW Beetle. A 1600cc version is cheaper to insure than, say, a 1000cc Uno, Panda or Corsa.”

Here are Flux’s top ten cheapest cars to insure, if you’re 17 years old. All quotes are for TPF&T and assume the car is valued at less than £5,000. Costs are not loaded for people living in high-risk areas.

Car model/engine size Male Female
(1) Volkswagen Beetle (old shape, up to 1600cc) £932.00 £714.00
(2) Vauxhall Corsa 1000cc £1320.00 £1052.00
(3) Peugeot 106 1000cc £1320.00 £1055.00
(4) Fiat Panda 1000cc £1323.00 £1058.00
(5) Austin Mini 1000cc £1325.00 £1058.00
(6) Fiat Uno 1000cc £1330.00 £1058.00
(7) Citroen Ax 1000cc £1334.00 £1060.00
(8) Peugeot 205 950cc £1334.00 £1060.00
(9) Renault 5 1000cc £1336.00 £1060.00
(10) Vauxhall Agila 1000cc £1336.00 £1060.00

Flux also warns against being tempted by a cheap, higher powered car. A car with a performance engine will cost thousands more to insure than a 1000cc version of the same model. In the example above, the 1000cc Renault 5 costs £1336 for a 17-year-old male to insure, but for a Renault 5 Turbo he could be paying a premium of £4,000 or more.

There are (legal) ways to reduce the costs even further. Flux gives these examples:

· Take the Pass Plus certificate, several insurers offer a discount – Flux’s is a minimum 20%.
· Limiting mileage to, say, 5000 miles per year can knock the premium down by 5 to 10%.
· Membership of a Car Owners Club can secure a 10 to 15% discount on insurance.
· Alarms and security devices may qualify for a discount.
· Some insurers offer a discount for keeping the car garaged or parked off the road.

“All these discounts are discretionary and the key thing is to tell your insurer about them,” says Gerry Bucke. “Once you’ve paid your premium you’re unlikely to get a retrospective discount for, say, parking off road.”

Adrian Flux is one of the leading insurers of young drivers and has a huge range of policies for the motoring enthusiast. For details contact the Adrian Flux quote line on 0800 505 3000, email the company at quotes@adrianflux.co.uk, or see the Flux homepage on www.adrianflux.co.uk

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