The change from the first year to the second year can be drastic.
Getting on the road for the first time isn’t easy.
It’s a long, arduous process that can very easily take over a year to complete.
First you have to pass your theory test, which isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. Then you’ve to get your eyes tested. Then you’ve got 12 lessons to complete, spread out over a number of weeks. And then and only then can you apply for your actual driving test, where you’ll have at least a month of a wait.
But the most difficult part of learning to drive is the financial cost of it all.
Knowing that you’re going to have pay over the odds for insurance because of your age and lack of experience acts as a real deterrent to young men learning to drive.
But a new report has shown that three steps can reduce your insurance by a huge amount after one year of driving.
Coverinaclick.ie have shown that having your 12 lessons done, having your licence, and having one year’s experience on the road can make all the difference when it comes to the cost of insurance.
Figures reveal that a 21-year-old provisional driver with no experience could pay as much as €3,936 in the first year, but with just one year of driving experience, no claims, and a full licence behind them, they could then secure a premium of €932 by switching to one of the new specialist Lloyds underwriters.
That’s a big, big difference.
Jonathan Hehir, Managing Director of coverinaclick.ie, is advising those who are about to embark on their motoring journey to be prudent in their approach and to do what they can themselves to cut costs, saying: “While insurers are the ones who set the prices, young drivers still have some control over their fate in terms of the premiums they pay – particularly once they have gained some driving experience.
“We ran the numbers and if these drivers can reach and complete three driving ‘milestones’, i.e. get 12 professional lessons, attain their full licence and earn a one-year no claims Bonus, then they will see a huge reduction in what they are charged for motor insurance, as we can switch them to one of our Lloyds underwriters. Even those who only manage two out of three and don’t get their test the first year will still see a marked decrease in premiums”.
