Car insurance for new drivers
Anyone who has just started driving begins with no no-claims years and therefore encounters clauses experienced drivers never see. Knowing which those are is worth more than comparing premiums.
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- Independent advice
- Several insurers
- Switching arranged
- Help with claims
In brief
Third-party liability cover is not optional. Article 2 of the Dutch Motor Insurance Liability Act (WAM) requires the registered keeper to hold liability insurance as soon as the vehicle's registration is not suspended. If you drive uninsured and cause damage, the Waarborgfonds Motorverkeer pays the victim and then recovers everything from you personally. That recovery has no maximum and no excess. This is the only part of car insurance about which there is no balance to strike.
The difficult thing about a first policy is not the cover but the acceptance. You start with no no-claims years built up and therefore with no no-claims discount, on a low or even negative step of the no-claims scale. On top of that, most companies impose a young driver clause: an increased excess for own damage caused by a driver under a certain age. Some insurers only accept third-party liability or third-party, fire and theft for that group.
Driving your parent's car is allowed, but who the regular driver is has to be right. See car insurance for young drivers and, if you are starting from a completely blank record, insuring without no-claims years.
This page deals with one situation. The full overview is on Compare car insurance.
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We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.
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We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.
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You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.
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We cancel your old policy and align the start date, so you are never a day without cover.
Help with claims
We report the claim and monitor how it is handled. In urgent cases you can reach us on the emergency line.
What to look out for
Four things that make the difference in the first year behind the wheel.
The young driver clause
This clause increases the excess for own damage where the driver is younger than the age named in the policy. It also applies where you occasionally drive someone else's car. So do not compare quotations on premium alone: a lower premium with a substantially higher excess can work out more expensive on the first claim.
Who is the regular driver?
Insurers calculate the premium on the basis of whoever uses the vehicle most. If that becomes a new driver and you keep quiet about it, you do not meet the duty of disclosure in Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code. The insurer may then, under Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code proportionately down to what would have been paid at the correct premium, and pay nothing at all where there was misleading.
Own-damage cover or not, on a first car
On a cheap first car, comprehensive cover is rarely worthwhile: the market value is low and the excess relatively high. Third-party liability with third-party, fire and theft does cover the events you do not cause yourself, such as broken glass, fire, storm and theft. The distinction is set out at Third-party liability with fire and theft.
One at-fault claim works through for years
An at-fault claim puts you back several steps on the no-claims scale, and each step back up costs a year of claim-free driving. A no-claims protector keeps you on the same step for one claim a year, but is usually not yet available for new drivers. How that system works is set out at no-claims years and no-claims discount.
What does your premium depend on?
- Age of the driver: the heaviest factor where there is little driving experience
- Number of no-claims years: starting from zero means there is no no-claims discount
- How long you have held a licence: some insurers apply a minimum period
- List price and power output: a powerful car for a beginner costs disproportionately much
- Postcode and where the vehicle is kept: based on regional claims and theft figures
- Excess chosen: on top of the clause excess for young drivers
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
What is covered
| Situation | Third-party liability | Comprehensive |
|---|---|---|
| You cause a collision in which the other party is injured | Yes | Yes |
| You hit a bollard while parking and only your own bumper is damaged | No | Yes |
| A stone chip on the motorway puts a star in your windscreen | No | Yes |
| Your car is stolen from outside your door at night | No | Yes |
| You drive into a lamp post with too much alcohol and your own car is a write-off | No | No |
| A friend without a licence drives your car and crashes | No | No |
As a new driver you have no no-claims years yet. A claim in the first year therefore works through into your premium for years.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
Can I build up no-claims years on my parents' policy?
Only if you are named on that policy as the regular driver. If you drive without being declared, the no-claims years accrue to the registered keeper and you still start at zero on a policy of your own. So declare your role to the insurer. The premium goes up as a result, but you do build up years of your own.
What is definitely not covered?
Driving without a valid licence or during a driving ban, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and refusing a breath test, and taking part in speed competitions or skill events. Use for driving lessons, hire or carriage of persons for payment also falls outside the cover. Damage through intent or wilful recklessness is excluded by Article 7:952 of the Dutch Civil Code.
My car stands idle for months. Do I have to stay insured?
Yes, as long as the registration is in your name and the vehicle has not been suspended. The insurance obligation under Article 2 WAM attaches to the registration, not to the use. If you want to end the obligation temporarily, you can have the vehicle's registration suspended, but it then has to stand on your own property and may not be driven.
Do I always have to report a claim?
Reporting and claiming are two different things. Article 7:941 of the Dutch Civil Code requires you to report the loss as soon as you reasonably know of it, even if you ultimately bear the cost yourself. On a small at-fault claim you can ask the insurer what the fall back on the no-claims scale costs you and then repay the payment after all, if the policy allows that.
Every situation is different. For these situations we have a separate page.
- Compare car insuranceThe main page
- Car insurance for a young driverNo no-claims years, high premium, options
- Insuring young drivers
- Car insurance for new driversNo no-claims years, higher premium, building them up
- Car insurance for young driversStarting position, regular driver, excess
- Insuring a car that is not registered in your nameRegistered keeper, insurable interest, regular driver