Car insurance – what to know for P-platers and young drivers

Learning to drive and successfully acquiring your P-plates is an exciting time – no longer do you need to rely on others to get you from A to B. Though, if you’ve just forked out for driving lessons, your driving test and buying a car, chances are that paying even more money for car insurance might be a bit of a sore point.

Here we’ll look at some reasons why car insurance might cost more for P-platers, and how you could save money on it.

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Having the right car insurance and roadside assistance to cover you if you’re in an accident or if you break down is something worth considering. Finding the right car insurance for your needs requires some research, and it can help to ask family and friends about their experiences.

Suncorp Car Insurance can cover drivers for certain loss or damage to their car, and offers Roadside Assist as an optional extra.

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Why could car insurance cost more for P-platers?

Young drivers - especially those under the age of 25 who make up a large percentage of P-platers - could be considered to be high-risk applicants by many insurers. This is because P-platers are often less experienced than other drivers, and may have a developing ability to make sound decisions and judgements. Of course, these traits may or may not apply to any individual driver, but data from many drivers is used to form generalisations which inform premiums.

How to save money on car insurance as a P-plater

Car insurance for young drivers doesn’t need to cost the earth. Here are a few ways you could save on your premium:

• Many insurers may offer discounted rates on policies if you buy them online. For example, by purchasing a new Suncorp Comprehensive Car Insurance policy online you could receive a $50 discount on your first year’s premium. Suncorp Insurance also offers a family discount, so if you’re under 25 years old and your parent also has Suncorp Comprehensive Car Insurance, you could receive 10% off your new Suncorp Comprehensive Car Insurance premium.
• If you don’t have your own car, but drive someone else’s car occasionally, you might be able to be named as a driver on that car. That way, you won’t have to pay directly for car insurance (unless you’ve agreed to first!).
• Opt to catch public transport, cycle or walk if you don’t need to drive that often. Often, if you drive less than a certain number of kms – around 10,000 km - per year, your premium might be a little lower.
• You can choose to select a higher excess to lower your premium. However this does mean that if you make a claim under your policy, you’ll pay more for your excess.
• If you’re a Suncorp Insurance policy holder, download and manage your policy with the Suncorp App for access to Suncorp Benefits which includes discounts on petrol from participating retailers.

Though car insurance may cost more for P-platers, it could cover you in the event of an accident. If you’d like to learn more about Suncorp Car Insurance and talk about your options, call us on 13 11 55 between 8am and 10pm (AEST), 7 days a week.

Read more:

• How to protect your car from hail and storm damage
• What are the different types of car excess?
• VIDEO: How to maintain your car

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Insurance is issued by AAI Limited ABN 48 005 297 807 trading as Suncorp Insurance. Consider the Product Disclosure Statement before making a decision about this insurance. This advice has been prepared without taking into account your particular objectives, financial situations or needs, so you should consider whether it is appropriate for you before acting on it.

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