4 March 2007
Newly-qualified young drivers should choose their first car carefully in order to avoid high insurance costs, the British Insurance Broker's Association (BIBA) has advised.
Although many young drivers opt for fast, sporty models which carry expensive insurance costs, BIBA said that many would actually profit financially by choosing a smaller, older vehicle.
The body also explained the importance of maintaining a full driving licence for over one year in order to substantially reduce insurance premiums.
Commenting on the issue, Graeme Trudgill, Technical Services Manager at BIBA, said: "The most important thing is to make a sensible choice over the type of car that they choose to have as their first car.
"On many occasions we see young drivers wanting to buy something sporty. If you buy something that's grouped a level higher it's going to be expensive on insurance and cost a lot of money.
"It's also very tempting for young drivers to modify their vehicle, put on alloy wheels and things like that, that is a bit of an insurance nightmare and will raise their premium again so best to leave the car as bare as possible," he explained.
Mr Trudgill also encouraged youngsters to get their own contract instead of being a named driver on their parents' insurance policies in order to save money.
The comments follow a report from the AA which found that car insurance premiums have reached their highest ever level, with the average quoted premium index for an annual comprehensive car insurance policy rising 2.5 per cent, to over £822, in the first three months of this year.
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