Money hacks 10 routes to cutting insurance costs for young drivers

Young people usually pay more - sometimes a lot more - as they are statistically more likely to be involved in an accident and policies are based on overall risk.

- Mabel Banfield-Nwachi

Check prices early

Drivers aged 17 to 24 pay £828 on average, close to double the £476 typically paid by 25- to 49-year-olds, according to data from comparison site GoCompare.

However, comparing quotes can still save you hundreds of pounds. Comparison sites - others include MoneySuperMarket, Confused.com and Compare the Market - let you easily see prices across dozens of insurers.

Experts say getting quotes about three to four weeks before your policy is due to start often results in cheaper deals.

Add an experienced driver Adding a parent, or any other experienced motorist as a named driver can help lower your premium - as long as they drive the car occasionally. Insurers see this as spreading the risk because the vehicle is not only driven by someone with little experience.

Look for someone with a clean licence and many years of no claims. Whatever you do, do not pretend someone else is the main driver - that is known as "fronting", and is illegal.

Pick the right car Generally, the smaller and less powerful the car, the cheaper it will be to insure. Go for something in a low insurance group (cars are put into one of 50 groups), typically the less expensive models with small engines and where the cost of parts and repairs are generally lower.

The cheapest for 17- to 25-year-olds include Volkswagen up! (averaging £576 a year), Suzuki Alto (£597) and Fiat 500 (£604), according to GoCompare.

"This shows it is smaller cars - specifically modest one-litre-engined hatchbacks - which are taking the top spots as the cheapest cars to insure for young drivers," says Tom Banks at the website.

Buying secondhand will help keep costs down. Just make sure the vehicle is in good condition and has a full service history.