First time insurance for my son...advice needed

My son turns 17 next week and is busting to get driving both mine and his mums cars are auto's so learning in them isn't an option. He'll obviously get lessons from an instructor but will want and need additional driving time.

I'm therefore looking for a wee car for him now, but I'm not sure on the legalities and was hoping someone here had been through similar.

I'm not clear on whether he can be the registered keeper if he hasn't got his license yet? I'll go black box for insurance, partly to keep the price down but more so to keep his driving in check. Can I insure him a a learner on a month by month basis? Any recommendations for insurance companies/brokers for this sort of thing? I've heard of marmalade who specialise in first time drivers but any more worth contacting?

Ta!

My girlfriends son was with Hastings I think, it was the cheapest for him and he had a black box.

I'm pretty sure you can register a car to anyone? and also I think they will insure him as a learner/provisional let's face it you'll do relatively little mileage this way, I think there can be a massive jump on passing so either, like you say get a monthly setup, or perhaps they will quote/fix a price initially for when he eventually passes?

Cheers Scooter I'll look into Hastings too. Feel a bit bad as the way supra prices have gone I could sell mine and buy myself something cheaper and have change left over to buy him a car.

Feeling passes after a couple of moments

I should hope so too, little banger micra etc is all they need, almost certain to bump it in some way or another early on....

yes he can own a car with no licence, zero issues

Hi Jim my young lad just turned 17 last week to.

We insured him with marmalade. special rates until they pass their test.We insured the oldest first time with Admiral bell

on my 2007 2.2 TSpirit Avensis that I gave him for £850 fully comp with every fringe benifit last year and renewal £650 this year abbey were looking £2200

Worth trying only thing black box had to be fitted to monitor driving. If the driving is good you do get big reduction in premiums

If the driving is good you do get big reduction in premiums

If not they can cancel in term (rare) or 'choose not to offer a renewal' at the end as happened to the girlfriends son (opps)

Seriously he's not that great a driver though, I had the dubious pleasure of being his first 'victim' post passing (how he managed it from what I experienced I'll never know!)

Anyone know what these black boxes track? I've refused one every time as I like a blast round B roads, which involves being hard on all pedals and probably some "out of the ordinary" sideways g-force.

Anyone know what these black boxes track? I've refused one every time as I like a blast round B roads, which involves being hard on all pedals and probably some "out of the ordinary" sideways g-force.

Usually records speed, distance travelled and the time of day or night that you are on the road.

They also monitor braking and cornering. It will also record the types of road on which you usually travel, and the times of day and night you tend to drive, to build up a profile of you as a driver.

Anyone know what these black boxes track? I've refused one every time as I like a blast round B roads, which involves being hard on all pedals and probably some "out of the ordinary" sideways g-force.

braking (sharp braking is frowned upon)

cornering (take corners gently)

consistent steering (no sudden veering)

speed (staying within the limits)

time at which you drive (driving at night is considered more dangerous)

mileage (drivers with lower mileage usually get lower premiums).

Probably best I don't have one then. They will probably be mandatory at some point.

Probably best I don't have one then. They will probably be mandatory at some point.

And then just like catalytic converters and DPF's there will be people who will help you round this inconvenience

Possibly, but if the government/insurance companies want to stop anyone and everyone getting the slightest bit of pleasure out of driving, it will be done regardless. There will be a point where I just become a criminal.

There will be a point where I just become a criminal.

"will" be?

Thanks for the replies, some very useful info that's a very very good price from Admiral Al! Will definitely be giving them a ring

"will" be?

 

touché...

My daughters were give their first cars on their 17th birthdays and insured in their name, as the vehicle owners. One insurer did a strange thing to us, in that the moment the policy holder passed the insurance lapsed without any repayment of the unused 12 months cover. It was in the small print and they didn't cover newly qualified drivers. So that was effectively 6 months wasted in unreturned premiums and lost time towards NCB. So if you take insurance out in your sons name do check its not a policy that lapses as soon as they pass.

Black boxes record the smoothness of driving and monitor speeding. They have to be careful with this as after a set number of warnings the insurer will reserve the right to cancel the policy and probably without any refund.

Its better for the parent to give the kids their own policy so they can start building up their own driving record and if they do have an accidents, its their premiums that get affected (even though you might be the one paying it) and not your own. Both of my offspring passed first time (the extra tuition home driving gives probably helped) and they both have built up their own no claims to the number of years they have been driving. Just do check its not one of the flaky insurers that will insure learner drivers but not newly qualified that you end up going with.

Good info on the lapsing policy, will bear that in mind too, thanks Rider I agree on the own policy bit, earlier he starts to (hopefully!!) build up his no claims the better.

We did a lot of ins quotes with various cars, we found a bit of a loophole? - mini 1.6 petrol, between 2002 - 2004 I think, (non cooper non ragtop) and that was cheaper than a Yaris/peugeot/citreon variant for a 17yr old boy. We did check 3-4 months ago as were trying to forecast what to do for him next year.

It's the big lad's birthday today, I found him a wee black clio campus and we spent most of the day yesterday cleaning and polishing it I've coached his football team since they were under 6's, they're under 18's this year and it's the last year I'll have them before they move on to senior football, so I'm hoping that the car will give us something to continue to be involved in together

I did all the cleaning, polishing and fixing on my own ready for the unveiling on their birthday. Never seen the kids so excited as when they got the keys to their first cars. We all remember our first car and having dad as part of that is a big and enduring deal for the offspring and something I never had. Mind you, in my day you had no choice but to be self sufficient in pretty much everything.

Hope you took some pictures, I still go back to the ones when my kids saw their cars for the first time and also when they passed their tests (removing L plates). Fond memories, treasures really.

I drove my mums nova until I'd saved enough to buy myself a beetle different times these days I suppose. I took him to look at it before buying it, I wanted him to be involved in choosing it too, but I have some pics of him sitting in the drivers seat for the first time with his big cheesy grin

My son has just turned 17 so I am letting him drive using the special leaner only insurance its costs me about £50 per month, you can save a couple of pounds by buying a longer policy, but as stated above as soon as they pass their test it is not valid. I did do some exploritary quotation checking. Supra, forget it it was £5.5k (more than the car me), my wifes A3 2.0TDI cabrio, £1400, the cheapest little run around I could find was £800, but that meant buying yet another car. I think I will pay the extra for the audi, and my son will be over the moon, about whizzing around in a convertible. It seems some cars that are far less likely to be driven by leaners are not much more expensive. Putting myself on his insurance as a named driver brought the policy down by a few hundred pounds as well.

Wee update, just got his insurance sorted, his provisional licence only arrived yesterday.

I went with Adrian Flux, £417 fully comp, pay monthly and can cancel when he passes. Added plus is that it will count towards his no claims bonus. Third party only was £398 so the extra £20 for fully comp was a no brainer.

Fun starts later today lol