Drivers Aged 17 to 24 Pay £112 Extra to Spread Insurance Monthly, Quotezone Finds

• Drivers aged 17 to 24 paid a typical £111.61 extra to spread car insurance monthly in the first quarter of 2026, down from £241.76 in the first quarter of 2024, Quotezone data shows.
• The monthly premium markup fell from 12.41 percent in 2024 to 10.41 percent in 2025 and 9.64 percent in 2026, and the 17 to 24 annual premium dropped from £1,908.55 to £1,238.30.
• London 17 to 24 year olds paid the most, an annual £1,882.03 plus a £172.92 monthly gap, while South West drivers of the same age paid the smallest gap at £83.86.

Young drivers who pay for car insurance by the month are handing over far less extra than two years ago, but the charge has not gone away. Quotezone, the price comparison site, published research on 11 June 2026 comparing monthly and annual premiums for the first quarter of 2024, 2025 and 2026. For drivers aged 17 to 24 the typical extra cost of paying monthly was £111.61 in the first quarter of 2026.

That compares with £143.36 in the first quarter of 2025 and £241.76 in the first quarter of 2024, according to the Quotezone Index figures in the article. The extra cost is the interest built into a monthly payment plan, which is a credit agreement, so the total across 12 months comes out higher than one annual payment.

The figures cover quotes in the first quarter of each year, not the whole of 2026, and the page was last updated in June 2026. They are the most recent monthly against annual breakdown from Quotezone that we could open in full. The sections below set out the numbers by age and region, what has driven the fall, and the steps a driver can take to pay less.

Monthly Cover Costs 9.64 Percent More, but the Gap Has Halved in Two Years

For drivers aged 17 to 24 the average annual premium in the first quarter of 2026 was £1,238.30, against a monthly total of £1,363.16. Quotezone puts the difference at £111.61, or 9.64 percent. The same percentage applied to the 25 to 34, 35 to 44 and 45 to 64 age groups, while drivers aged 65 and over paid a slightly lower 9.17 percent.

The percentage is nearly flat, so the pound figure rises with the premium. Quotezone reports these first quarter 2026 averages by age group, with the annual premium first and the extra cost of paying monthly second:

• Aged 17 to 24: £1,238.30 a year, £111.61 extra to pay monthly.
• Aged 25 to 34: £877.40 a year, £81.96 extra.
• Aged 35 to 44: £631.62 a year, £59.67 extra.
• Aged 45 to 64: £473.86 a year, £45.76 extra.
• Aged 65 and over: £407.59 a year, £36.42 extra.

The youngest group pays about three times the monthly markup of drivers aged 65 and over, as the markup tracks the size of the premium.

The direction of travel from 2024 to 2026 is the main finding. The article says the extra cost for 17 to 24 year olds fell from about £242 to about £112, which it describes as a 36.6 percent drop. That headline percentage does not match the pound figures, which show a fall of roughly 54 percent in the gap itself (our calculation from the two published figures). The article’s own tables show the annual premium for the age group falling from £1,908.55 to £1,238.30 over the two years, a fall of about 35 percent (our calculation).

The percentage markup for drivers of all ages followed the same path. Quotezone reports monthly payments costing about 12.4 percent more in the first quarter of 2024, then 10.4 percent more in 2025 and 9.64 percent more in 2026.

One caution applies to the pound figures. The age group totals in the article do not always subtract to the published difference. For 17 to 24 year olds, £1,363.16 less £1,238.30 gives £124.86, not £111.61. The article does not say how the difference column is calculated, so this report uses the published difference figures as stated and treats them as typical values, not a quote for any single driver.

The article links part of the fall to a Financial Conduct Authority review of premium finance, which it says has saved motorists around £157 million. Quotezone does not break that figure down by year or provider in the page we read.

Where Young Drivers Pay Most and Least

The regional breakdown for 17 to 24 year olds in the first quarter of 2026 shows a wide spread. London had the highest annual premium at £1,882.03 and the largest gap, at £172.92 extra for paying monthly. Northern Ireland had the lowest annual premium at £991.26 and a gap of £98.89, while the South West of England was close behind at £1,051.87 with the smallest gap of any region, £83.86.

The other regions, with annual premium first and the monthly extra second, were:

• West Midlands: £1,587.36 and £149.43.
• Yorkshire: £1,517.72 and £140.13.
• North West England: £1,512.60 and £134.21.
• North East England: £1,373.81 and £124.43.
• East Midlands: £1,318.40 and £113.38.
• East of England: £1,314.13 and £113.81.
• Scotland: £1,282.81 and £115.47.
• Wales: £1,248.99 and £105.54.
• South East England: £1,149.32 and £99.71.

The gap between the dearest and cheapest annual premiums is £890.77 (our calculation: £1,882.03 less £991.26). A 17 to 24 year old in London who pays monthly faces a markup more than twice the size of one in the South West, at £172.92 against £83.86.

What Else Moves the Price

The article also splits premiums by driving record and by how the car is used. These breakdowns are presented separately from the 17 to 24 regional table, so they should be read as figures for the wider set of quotes, not for young drivers alone.

On claims, a quote with no claims averaged £542.42 a year with a £51.65 monthly gap. With one claim the annual premium was £631.60 and the gap £59.78.

Convictions made a bigger difference. With no motoring convictions the average annual premium was £542.34 and the monthly gap £51.59. With one conviction the premium was £750.76 and the monthly gap £73.86.

Vehicle use also changed the figure. Social use alone averaged £517.02 a year with a £48.96 gap, and social use plus commuting averaged £588.92 with a £55.90 gap. Commercial travelling was far higher, at £1,535.80 a year and a £173.03 gap.

In each case the monthly gap sits at close to the same share of the premium, so anything that raises the annual price raises the cost of paying monthly with it.

Most Drivers Do Not Know What They Pay

Quotezone also ran a consumer survey alongside the data. It found that 51 percent of drivers do not know how much extra they pay to spread the cost. Only 35 percent correctly identified the typical 9 to 12 percent increase, and 53 percent said it is unfair that people who cannot pay annually are charged more. The article does not give the sample size or survey dates, so treat the survey results as indicative only.

Greg Wilson, founder and insurance expert at Quotezone, said of the fall for young drivers: “That’s a big saving for such a cash-strapped age group.” He also described the cost difference for 17 to 24 year olds as significant.

Can You Avoid the Monthly Payment Charge?

The most direct route is to pay the annual premium in one go. Monthly payments are a credit agreement, so the extra cost is the price of borrowing the premium. For a driver aged 17 to 24 with the average gap, that is £111.61 saved on a typical policy. For a London driver of the same age it is £172.92.

If a lump sum is out of reach, the Quotezone article sets out these options:

• Use a 0 percent purchase credit card. Pay the annual premium on the card and repay it monthly, but only if you clear the balance inside the interest free period. Check the end date of the offer before you buy.
• Compare no deposit car insurance. Spreading the cost can be done by paying a lower first payment, and the article suggests comparing no deposit options to keep the upfront bill down.
• Check your quote details. Mistakes in marital status, job title or number of children can quietly raise the price.
• Look at bad credit options. If poor credit is pushing the price up, the article suggests comparing bad credit car insurance alongside different payment options.
• Compare at renewal. Do not let the policy roll over. Shop around to see whether switching insurer or payment method saves money.

Two points about reading the data. First, the figures are typical values from the first quarter of each year and cover quotes, not policies sold, so your own quote could sit well above or below them. Second, the percentage markup is close to 9.64 percent for most age groups, so you can estimate your own extra cost by multiplying the annual quote by 0.0964. On a £1,000 annual quote that is about £96 (our calculation), though the exact figure depends on the insurer and the plan.

Ask for both prices before you accept a quote. The difference between the annual total and the monthly total is the cost of spreading the payment.

Sources:

• Quotezone: Young Driver Car Insurance: Monthly or Annual? (published 11 June 2026, last updated June 2026; Quotezone Index, first quarter 2024, 2025 and 2026)