Young people cause more accidents. That’s why novice drivers have to spend several hundred euros more a year on their car insurance. But there are savings. FOCUS Online has five tips that you can use to reduce your car premiums enormously with little driving experience.
On average, 18 to 25-year-olds are involved in accidents more often than experienced drivers. Because of the higher risk, insurance companies demand significantly higher premiums from them. And not just when the son or daughter insures their first car. A surcharge is also possible if young adults are traveling in their parents’ car. It doesn’t change anything if the parents have driven accident-free for many years. With these savings tips, novice drivers can avoid higher tariffs.
If the children are also insured with the family car, in the worst case you will even pay double the premium. However, with accompanied driving you can reduce the ascent. If the son and/or daughter get their driver’s license at the age of 17 and travel with their father or mother by their 18th birthday, the premium is reduced. However, some insurers require that you drive under parental supervision for at least six months.
Important: If your son gets behind the wheel as a new driver, you must report this to your insurance company. If only the policyholder plus spouse is insured and the offspring causes an accident, the damage is insured. However, you are then threatened with an additional payment and/or contractual penalty of up to double the annual fee.
More and more insurers also have special tariffs for novice drivers. They are called Bonus Drive (Allianz), Smart Driver (Huk) or Better Drive (Cosmos Direkt). With these telematics tariffs, driving behavior is recorded – either with a box installed in the car or via a smartphone app. This is used to check acceleration and braking, but also whether speed limits are being observed. A service provider evaluates the data and transmits it to the insurer. The driver gets points for safe driving. The number of night and city trips are also recorded – but they have a negative effect on the point value. If you drive carefully, you will benefit from a premium reduction of 15 to 30 percent. If you are below the target value, you do not have to pay a premium. The box costs the policyholder around 100 euros.
The advantage of data collection: The technology can educate novice drivers to drive carefully. A possible disadvantage: “It should be certain that the data is handled properly,” recommends Thorsten Rudnik, insurance expert at the Schleswig-Holstein consumer advice center. Therefore, the novice driver should pay attention to a note in the insurance contract that the collected data will not be passed on.
If you insure your first car, you start with no-claims class (SF) 0. Here, the contribution rate for most insurers is 95 percent. However, it is cheaper if the young driver registers the car as his parents’ second car. As a rule, the insurers offer him a no-claims class (SF) ½. This only corresponds to a contribution rate of around 75 to 80 percent. Other insurers make even more lucrative offers. HUK 24 and DEVK insure the second car in no-claims class 4 – but only under strict conditions: The first car must also be insured with the provider and classified at least in SF4. It is also required that all drivers are at least 23 years old.
After a few years, the novice driver has the option of having the discount transferred to their own policy. He can also take over SF classes from relatives, for example when grandpa gives up driving. “However, novice drivers can only be credited for as many years as they already have their driver’s license,” says Rudnik. Important: Discount transfers cannot be undone. Therefore, you should think carefully about whether your grandfather still wants to drive a car.
The type class in which a car is classified is very important for the amount of the insurance premium. It is available in motor vehicle liability insurance as well as in fully and partially comprehensive insurance. The type class is redefined every year for a vehicle type. The amount of damage for each type of car is scrutinized. Vehicles that often end up in the workshop, are often involved in accidents or are popular stolen goods move to a higher type class. The higher the type class, the higher the premium. It is therefore advisable to calculate the insurance premiums before buying a car. “Typical beginner’s cars such as older VW Golfs, VW Polos or Opel Astras are mostly in a high type class,” says Rudnik. “Beginners should take this into account when buying a vehicle.”
You can save the most premium by choosing a cheaper provider. For example, if the novice driver is also insured on a five-year-old Skoda Octavia (with partially comprehensive insurance), it costs 650 euros a year or more than 1,000 euros. You can usually find cheap offers from direct insurers. Or if you conclude a contract on the Internet. Then, however, all processes are only processed online.
The contribution of a very expensive provider can even be three times higher than that of a very cheap provider. A change can save so much that the premium for young drivers is no longer significant. Important for insurance changers: Most car policies expire on December 31st. The cancellation must then be made by November 30th.
Last but not least, the companies also offer many discounts – for example for those who drive infrequently, garage parkers, homeowners or BahnCard holders. And there are other ways to save: novice drivers can do without fully comprehensive insurance for an older car. Or he agrees with the insurer to be bound to a workshop. Then he selects the workshop where your car will be repaired in the event of damage.
