17-Year-Old Drivers’ Car Insurance Jumped 4 Percent This Quarter to £1,755

• Car insurance for 17-year-old drivers jumped 4 percent in the third quarter of 2026 to an average £1,755, the biggest quarterly rise of any age group, according to Confused.com and WTW.
• 19-year-olds saw the same 4 percent quarterly increase, taking their average premium to £1,853, even though both age groups still pay less than they did a year ago.
• Telematics policies, named-driver cover and smaller engines remain the most reliable ways for young drivers to bring the figure down, insurers say.

Why Young Drivers’ Premiums Jumped This Quarter

Car insurance for 17-year-olds rose 4 percent between July and September 2026, according to the Confused.com Car Insurance Price Index compiled with WTW, taking the average premium to £1,755. Eighteen and nineteen-year-olds saw a similar rise, with 19-year-olds now quoted an average £1,853. Both increases outpaced the 1 percent fall in the overall market average, which dropped to £713 across all drivers over the same quarter.

The index is built from actual quotes drivers were given, not list prices, which makes the gap between young drivers and the overall market one of the clearest patterns in UK motor insurance. A 17-year-old now pays roughly two and a half times the average premium paid by the rest of the driving population, for a car that is statistically far more likely to be involved in a claim in its first year on the road.

The Longer Trend Underneath the Quarterly Rise

Despite the quarterly jump, both age groups are still better off than they were a year ago. Seventeen-year-olds pay £253, or 13 percent, less than in the same quarter of 2025, and eighteen-year-olds pay £259, or 12 percent, less. Insurers point to two causes: fewer claims from the age group over the past two years, and the growing share of young drivers choosing telematics, or black box, policies that track driving behaviour and reward steady braking and lower night-time mileage with lower renewal prices.

That longer fall makes the quarterly rise look smaller than it is for a family budgeting for a first car. A parent who priced a policy for their child in June and waits until October to actually buy the cover will find the number has moved against them even though the yearly trend is still downward.

What Insurers Actually Charge For

Age on its own is a proxy for risk insurers cannot measure directly: years of driving experience, a clean claims history, and a demonstrated pattern of careful driving. A new driver has none of those things to point to, whatever their age, which is why a 25-year-old who only passed their test last month will also see a far higher quote than their age alone would suggest. Engine size, postcode and the number of named drivers on a policy all move the figure further. A car under 1.2 litres with a single named driver and a telematics box typically prices several hundred pounds below a similar car with a second young named driver added and no telematics fitted.

Where the Savings Actually Are

Telematics policies remain the single biggest lever for a new driver, often cutting several hundred pounds from a quote in exchange for the insurer monitoring braking, cornering and the time of day a car is driven. Being added to a parent’s policy as a named driver, rather than taking out a standalone policy, can also reduce the cost sharply, provided the parent remains the policy’s main driver in practice and not just on paper, since insurers investigate claims where a young driver appears to be the one actually using the car day to day. Smaller engines, a higher voluntary excess, and paying annually rather than by monthly instalment, which carries its own interest charge, all shave further amounts off the final price.

What to Watch for Next Quarter

Confused.com and WTW publish the index every quarter, and insurers typically reprice young-driver cover around the September and January renewal peaks, when the largest number of new drivers come onto the road after passing their test over the summer or around the new year. A driver shopping for cover in the next renewal window should expect the same seasonal push upward that showed up this quarter, and should get quotes at least three weeks before a policy is due to end rather than on the renewal date itself, when the choice of insurer narrows and the price advantage of switching shrinks.

Sources:

• Young drivers see biggest savings as car insurance prices decline