Just passed your driving test? ....

[NewcastleFalcon]

Can you remember the genuine thrill and elation of passing your driving test. I certainly can. Next though on your mind, I need to get mobile, get my own car, and join the magical world of independance and freedom that motoring can give you.

All this often in your teenage or early 20's.

In my test passing era of the 1970's there were no real unsurmountable barriers to this, plenty cheap near MOT failures to buy and no real problems getting insurance.

Fast Forward to 2016, and if you are under 25 and a recent test passer, insurance if available is eyewateringly expensive. Thousands not hundreds.

If anyone has ploughed through this process, and I'm sure many of us as parents will have, share your experience here. may help someone else!

Regards Neil

[Hell Razor5543]

One way that can (with some insurance companies) reduce the premiums is to then do the "Pass Plus" training (as it can only be done in the first year after passing the main test). I did this, and my insurance company at the time (Tesco) treated it as one year NCB (refunding 10% of my original premiums), which then added onto the generated NCB as time went by.

[mickeymoon]

Think I paid around £550 TPFT to insure a 2CV as my first own car on my own policy in the UK, back in 1996 at the age of 23. I'm told these days that buying something "boring" and "not cool" for a teenager often makes the insurance less than it might otherwise be.

[Stickyfinger]

I'm told these days that buying something "boring" and "not cool" for a teenager often makes the insurance less than it might otherwise be.

That cannot be true, I never see a young person driving a Xantia or a C5 Mk1/2 !

[Peter.N.]

I took my driving test at a unique time, it was in 1956 when I was 17, the Suez crisis had just erupted and petrol rationing was in force, as a result driving tests were suspended but if you already had a provisional license you were allowed to drive by yourself. I did pass my test after hostilities were halted, but they couldn't really fail you after that.

Insurance for 17 year old's must have been a bit of a dilemma for the companies as there were very few drivers of that age but it was still expensive, I was paying £25 in the '50s which was twice the cost of road tax and about 5 weeks wages! Mind you I didn't accrue a no claims bonus for a few years as I drove like a 17 year old.

My insurance now is about the same as the road tax.

Peter

[Gibbo2286]

I took my driving test at a unique time, it was in 1956 when I was 17, the Suez crisis had just erupted and petrol rationing was in force, as a result driving tests were suspended but if you already had a provisional license you were allowed to drive by yourself. I did pass my test after hostilities were halted, but they couldn't really fail you after that.

Insurance for 17 year old's must have been a bit of a dilemma for the companies as there were very few drivers of that age but it was still expensive, I was paying £25 in the '50s which was twice the cost of road tax and about 5 weeks wages! Mind you I didn't accrue a no claims bonus for a few years as I drove like a 17 year old.

My insurance now is about the same as the road tax.

Peter

I passed my test in the army in the Suez Canal zone before all that trouble blew up.

[elma]

I'm told these days that buying something "boring" and "not cool" for a teenager often makes the insurance less than it might otherwise be.

That cannot be true, I never see a young person driving a Xantia or a C5 Mk1/2 !

I drove Xantias through my early driving years, cheap insurance on a 1.9td was one of the main reasons.

[mickeymoon]

I'm told these days that buying something "boring" and "not cool" for a teenager often makes the insurance less than it might otherwise be.

That cannot be true, I never see a young person driving a Xantia or a C5 Mk1/2 !

I drove Xantias through my early driving years, cheap insurance on a 1.9td was one of the main reasons.

My brother drove a BX 17RD for the same reason. I drove a 2CV, a Volvo 360GLS and bizarrely, a Capri 2.8i!

[CitroJim]

I well remember passing my driving test in 1977 - I was in no rush as I was a biker too... I took it in my own 1964 Mini in Bletchley, a car I'd driven many hundreds of miles on a provisional... I could drive without any problems at all - well practised...

The test was uneventful apart from the emergency stop. The car slewed badly ad ended up facing the kerb at 45 degrees. The Examiner simply said "OK, we won't do that again!"

I passed at the first attempt... That afternoon I drove to Somerset. A few days later I stripped the front brakes to find one side had wider shoes than the other... No wonder they were unbalanced...

I took my bike test at the same test centre and passed that first time too... That comprised about ten laps between two roundabouts and an emergency stop. That was it. I took the test on a Honda C70 and as soon as I got home I took my Suzuki T500 out for a spin... The first legal one anyway...

Happy days... I believe it's a bit different now...

Much, much later my ex-wife would work at the same test centre as an examiner...

Insurances for Robyn and Sian were initially quite expensive but cheaper because they are girls and now both have been driving a few years their premiums are quite OK... Cover for both cost less than a grand this year...

Both my girls had the distinct advantage of having a mum who was an ex driving instructor turned examiner when they were learning plus loads of practice with me sitting by their sides... That helped enormously. Both have turned out very excellent drivers...

[RichardW]

It doesn't help the OP....

9th March 1992, about 10.30am. Blue Visa Super E, reg SDL 20X at the Newport IOW test centre. First time pass; then up to the hosp where Mum was at work for a cup of tea and so Dad could pick her car up, then I went off to school in his car, and he to work in Mum's (which would have been a BX 16RS: F239 MJH). I well remember feeling pretty unnerved about driving solo the first time, but then all my mates at school wanted to go out at lunch time so we did....

We then had the use of a brown Visa Special (yeah, the one with 652cc!) RJH 822Y - and after I had, er, rearranged the front (with a MK2 Escort of all things....), insurance was >£500 a year I think.... at least I wasn't paying then (thanks, Dad!).

Figures of £5k / year for newly qual drivers are not unknown these days - best to leave it a year as it comes down significantly.

[CitroJim]

I have a vague memory my first car insurance with Norman Frizzell (now LV, who I'm still with) with my Civil Service Motoring Association discount was £26...

[NewcastleFalcon]

After a bit of juggling around with quotes the cheapest of which is about £2500 for a paltry 3000 miles a year and a box fitted, we have discovered the biggest factor in the quotes is undoubtely.....

postcode.

The difference between a Manchester postcode, and our Northumberland postcode was around £2,000 all other things being equal in the quotes.

Regards Neil

PS.. and just for the record...that was my 3000 th post to FCF.....do I get a virtual "orange" belt for that landmark?!

Orange belt: Orange belts represents the expansion of sunrays of the earth. It shows how the student’s knowledge is expanding.

Yes that fits...always keen to learn new stuff!

[Peter.N.]

I have a bike license too Jim but after riding a 125 Vespa for a year I decided I preferred 4 wheels and have never exercised my bike license since. I assume as its a full license I could go out and kill myself anytime I liked.

Peter

[CitroJim]

PS.. and just for the record...that was my 3000 th post to FCF.....do I get a virtual "orange" belt for that landmark?!

Definitely Neil... Consider yourself an orange belt

That tallies nicely with karate grading Never knew that about an orange...

So.. Blue for 1000 Posts, red for 2000 Posts, orange for 3000, yellow for 4000, green for 5000, purple for 6000, Purple and white for 7000, brown for 8000, brown and red for 9000 and for 10,000 black (Shodan) !!!

That makes me a Sandan...

I have a bike license too Jim but after riding a 125 Vespa for a year I decided I preferred 4 wheels and have never exercised my bike license since. I assume as its a full license I could go out and kill myself anytime I liked.

I've not ridden powered two wheels for 25 years now Peter and have no further intention to. I'm strictly self-powered two-wheels these days...

Like modern cars, modern bikes don't inspire me at all...

[NewcastleFalcon]

PS.. and just for the record...that was my 3000 th post to FCF.....do I get a virtual "orange" belt for that landmark?!

Definitely Neil... Consider yourself an orange belt

Thanks Jim I'll tie it in a koma-musubi knot See, told you I like learning new stuff!

Regards Neil

Cheaest Quote so far is from Elephant! Just over £2,000 for 4000 miles and a box.