Car insurance for new drivers
This page is about setting up the policy itself: in whose name, with which clause, which cover and which excess, so that there is no argument when you claim.
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Work out for yourself what it would cost.
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- We compare the offerings of several insurers
- An adviser checks whether the cover suits your situation
- We arrange the switch, including cancellation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
- Independent advice
- Several insurers
- Switching arranged
- Help with claims
Why the premium is high
You start with zero no-claims years and fall into an age group with demonstrably more claims. Both feed through into the rate.
It falls away of its own accord: every year without an at-fault claim earns a no-claims year, and the first years give the biggest steps in discount.
What you can do
Choose a car in a low rating group: less power and a lower list price make a considerable difference.
Consider third-party, fire and theft instead of comprehensive cover for an older car. That usually saves the most.
A a higher excess lowers the premium, provided you can do without that amount when you claim.
What you had better not do
Registering the car in the name of a parent while you are the main driver. That is an incorrect declaration under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code, and when you claim the insurer can refuse or reduce the payout.
Some insurers do offer a second-driver arrangement under which you legally drive on a parent's policy and build up years of your own. Ask about it. That is the correct route.
In the long term
Your no-claims years are accrued capital. With a small claim, paying yourself is often cheaper than claiming; work that out before you report it.
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Why arrange it through Finass Verzekert?
We look at the terms as well as the premium, and stay your point of contact when there is a claim.
Independent
We are not tied to one insurer and compare on the basis of an objective analysis of several companies.
One fixed adviser
You call or email someone who knows your file. No menu options, no changing call centres.
Switching without hassle
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.
In brief
As a novice driver you have little influence over the rating table, but a great deal over the way the policy is set up. The four levers are the registration in your name, the named driver clause, the type of cover and the excess. Anyone who sets those four correctly is properly insured; anyone who sets one of them wrongly only finds out at the moment there is a claim and the insurer goes through the file.
The most important is the question of who the main driver is. That is the person who uses the car most often, not the person in whose name the registration stands. If you declare that incorrectly, it is a breach of the duty of disclosure in Article 7:928 DCC and the insurer can reduce or refuse the payout under Article 7:930 DCC. A second-driver arrangement is the correct solution.
If you want to know how the rate itself is built up and how the bonus-malus ladder works, read what a novice driver pays. See also the page on the young driver.
Where things go wrong in practice
Put the main driver down correctly on the form
The main driver is the person who uses the car most. If the car is registered to a parent while you drive it every day, the declaration is wrong. When you claim, the insurer checks this against fuel purchases, claims statements and use. If the declaration turns out to be incorrect, a reduction or a refusal follows under Article 7:930 DCC. Correct a wrong declaration of your own accord, even if nothing has gone wrong.
The second-driver arrangement is the legal route
Many insurers have a clause under which you, as a young driver, are added to a parent's policy. You then drive under the conditions, usually with an increased excess, and with some companies you build up no-claims years of your own. Ask specifically about that last point, because it differs by insurer. Without building up years of your own, you still start at the bottom when you later take out a policy of your own.
Choose deliberately between third-party, fire and theft and comprehensive cover
Comprehensive cover also pays for damage you cause yourself, which with little driving experience is the most common cause. On an older car with a low market value, however, that cover works out expensive in relation to what there is to pay for. Add the annual premium and the excess together and set that against the market value. With a financed car the choice usually disappears, because the lender requires comprehensive cover until the credit has been repaid.
What is excluded in any event
Driving without a valid licence, while disqualified or under the influence rules out own-damage cover; third-party cover does continue towards the victim, after which the insurer can recover the loss from you. Giving driving lessons or carrying passengers for payment is not covered without a separate arrangement. Wear and mechanical defects are not damage, and intent or wilful recklessness falls away under Article 7:952 DCC.
What does your premium depend on?
- Who is declared as the main driver. Decisive both for the rate and for whether the cover holds good when you claim.
- The driver clause chosen. The owner only, the family, or any driver above a minimum age.
- Type of cover. Third-party liability, third-party fire and theft or comprehensive. On an older car the difference is large.
- Level of the excess. For young drivers an additional excess on top of the standard amount often applies.
- Rating group of the car. Power, weight and list price determine how the vehicle is rated.
- Mileage and purpose of use. Private, commuting or business use is assessed differently.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
Frequently asked questions
This is what people ask us most.
May the car be registered in my parents' name?
The registration itself is a free choice, but the application form must show who uses the car most. If you drive it every day, you are the main driver. An incorrect declaration touches on Article 7:928 DCC and can lead to a reduction or a refusal when you claim. Ask instead about a second-driver arrangement. You then drive legally under the conditions of that clause.
Do I build up no-claims years as a second driver?
With some insurers you do and with others you do not. Where it is possible, you receive your own cancellation statement afterwards which you take with you to your first policy of your own. Ask about this specifically when you take out the policy and have it recorded. Without building up years of your own you drive claim-free for years and then still start at the bottom of the ladder, which is a costly miscalculation.
Which excess should I choose?
Choose an amount you can genuinely do without when you claim. For young drivers there is moreover often an additional excess on top of the standard amount, which applies automatically as soon as you were at the wheel. Add both amounts together and check whether that total is manageable. A high excess you cannot pay creates a problem when you claim rather than a saving.
What should I do after a small claim?
Always report the claim within the period in Article 7:941 DCC, even if you do not yet know whether you want to claim. Reporting and claiming are two different things. Then ask for a repair estimate and compare it with your excess and with the effect of dropping down the bonus-malus ladder. If the difference is small, paying yourself is usually cheaper.