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Guide · By Driver Age · 19 years

How much is car insurance for a 19 year old in the UK?

The average UK car insurance premium for a 19-year-old is £2,058 in 2026 — about 3.4× the UK adult average of roughly £600, but 28% cheaper than the £2,847 a 17-year-old pays. London 19-year-olds pay £2,690; the cheapest region (North East England) averages £1,660. A black-box telematics policy saves new drivers around £379 a year, and 78% of 17–20s pay less with one. Full breakdown of the factors, the cheapest cars and how to lower your quote below.

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Direct Answer

Average UK 19-year-old car insurance, by region (2026)

A 19-year-old's premium averages £2,058 in 2026 — roughly 3.4× the UK adult average of about £600, and meaningfully below the 17- and 18-year-old figures because most 19-year-olds now hold one to two years of no-claims discount. The figure assumes comprehensive cover, private use, a full year and a standard car (insurance group 5–15), and sits within the £1,800–£3,000 range the wider market reports for 17–19-year-olds. The exact number still swings hugely on postcode, car choice and whether you fit a black box. If you want the underlying reasons premiums are this high, see our guide on why car insurance is so expensive in 2026. Here is how the 19-year-old average breaks down by region:

RegionAverage premiumCheapest carYoY change
London£2,690Hyundai i10 (group 1)+1.9%
South East£2,290Hyundai i10 (group 1)+1.7%
West Midlands£2,210Kia Picanto (group 2)+1.8%
North West£2,090Fiat 500 (group 3)+1.6%
South West£1,975Toyota Aygo (group 2)+1.4%
Yorkshire£1,910Kia Picanto (group 2)+1.2%
East Midlands£1,845Hyundai i10 (group 1)+1.1%
Scotland£1,750Hyundai i10 (group 1)+0.9%
Wales£1,720Toyota Aygo (group 2)+0.8%
North East£1,660Kia Picanto (group 2)+0.6%

Sources: ABI 2026 Motor Insurance Premium Tracker, Confused.com Price Index, NimbleFins young-driver data and Car Insurance Expert composite quote sample for 19yo standard comprehensive policies. Year-on-year changes have eased as the market stabilised in 2026 after the 2024 peak. Refresh: 2026-09-27.

By Car Choice

The 12 cheapest cars to insure as a 19-year-old (2026)

Picking a low-insurance-group car can cut a 19-year-old's premium by 30–50%. Under the older 1–50 group scale, the lowest groups are city cars with small 1.0-litre engines. The 12 cheapest mainstream choices, with typical 19yo standard comprehensive premiums:

  1. Hyundai i10 1.0 — group 1 — avg 19yo premium ~£1,520
  2. Kia Picanto 1.0 — group 1–2 — ~£1,550
  3. Volkswagen Up! 1.0 — group 1–2 — ~£1,640
  4. Toyota Aygo X 1.0 — group 2–3 — ~£1,660
  5. Citroën C1 1.0 — group 2 — ~£1,670 (used)
  6. Fiat 500 1.2 — group 3 — ~£1,740
  7. SEAT Mii 1.0 — group 1–2 — ~£1,660 (used)
  8. Skoda Citigo 1.0 — group 1–2 — ~£1,680 (used)
  9. Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 base — group 4 — ~£1,820
  10. Ford Ka+ 1.2 — group 4 — ~£1,860 (used)
  11. Renault Twingo 1.0 — group 3 — ~£1,770
  12. Suzuki Celerio 1.0 — group 1 — ~£1,510 (used)

Avoid for now: any car in group 15+. Even a Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost (group 7–9) pushes a 19yo premium past £2,000. Performance trims — ST/RS/M-Sport badges — sit at group 25+ with premiums over £3,500. Newer cars are also being scored under the Vehicle Risk Rating 1–99 system introduced in August 2024, but for the small, older city cars most 19-year-olds buy, the traditional 1–50 group still drives the quote. A 19-year-old in a group 1 car may pay £800–£1,200 with telematics; the same driver in a group 20 vehicle can pay £2,500–£4,000.

How to Lower It

Six legitimate ways a 19-year-old can cut insurance cost

  1. Black-box telematics — average saving £379/year for new drivers, with discounts of 20–40% achievable for careful drivers, and 78% of 17–20-year-olds pay less with one. Marmalade, Carrot, Cuvva and Admiral LittleBox lead the market. Best for safe drivers willing to accept curfews and speed monitoring.
  2. Bank and protect your no-claims discount — by 19 most drivers have 1–2 years of NCD. Each clean year typically cuts 15–25% off the renewal; protecting it for a few pounds a month keeps that discount even after one claim.
  3. Higher voluntary excess — moving from £150 to £500 voluntary excess typically cuts the premium 8–15%. Only viable if you have £500 cash available if you claim.
  4. Pass Plus or an advanced course — £150–£200 cost, 10–25% discount with participating insurers (LV=, Aviva, Admiral). Still worth doing at 19 if you didn't take it at 17.
  5. Named-driver setup — adding an experienced low-risk named driver (parent, sibling) can lower the premium 10–20%. But the 19-year-old must be the genuine main driver. Listing a parent as main driver when the 19yo drives daily is “fronting” — fraud that voids your policy and can lead to prosecution.
  6. Multi-car household policy — joining a parent's multi-car policy as your own named car can save £200–£500/year versus a standalone policy.

All six of these stay well within the rules. If a renewal quote still looks wrong, it is worth understanding what is pushing UK premiums up — from 12% Insurance Premium Tax to record repair and theft costs — before you accept it. You can also compare how your age band sits against the national picture in our UK car insurance cost index.

Common Questions

19-year-old car insurance FAQs

At 19 you typically have only one to two years of driving experience, and 17–24-year-olds remain the highest-risk age band for at-fault claims, so insurers still price for that risk — the 2026 average of £2,058 reflects expected claims cost, not punitive pricing. Wider cost drivers — 12% Insurance Premium Tax, record UK motor claims and rising repair bills — sit on top. The good news is that 19 is past the steepest part of the curve: premiums fall fastest between 17 and 19, then ease more gently each year as your no-claims discount grows.
A 19-year-old pays around £2,058 on average in 2026, against roughly £2,847 at 17 and about £2,610 at 18 — so a 19-year-old pays roughly 28% less than a 17-year-old and around 21% less than an 18-year-old. The single biggest driver is no-claims discount: by 19 most drivers have banked one or two clean years, each of which knocks 15–25% off. Postcode and car group still matter more than age alone, so a 19-year-old in a group 1 city car in the North East can pay far less than the headline figure.
Usually yes — the average saving for new drivers is around £379/year versus standard cover, with discounts of 20–40% achievable, and 78% of 17–20-year-olds pay less with a telematics policy in 2026. Marmalade leads the market on price; Carrot and Cuvva offer flexible monthly options. Trade-off: curfews (often 11pm–5am), speed monitoring, and your insurer can void cover for persistently harsh driving. By 19, if you already have a clean year and a good standard quote, it is worth comparing both — the telematics saving narrows as your no-claims discount grows.
In 2026 the Hyundai i10 1.0 (insurance group 1) at an average £1,520 for a 19yo standard policy is the cheapest mainstream new car. The Kia Picanto 1.0 (~£1,550) and VW Up! (~£1,640) are close behind. For used cars, the discontinued Suzuki Celerio and SEAT Mii can come in cheaper (group 1–2). Avoid the Fiesta ST, Corsa GSi or any sport-badged trim — premiums jump to £3,500+.
Yes — no-claims discount (NCD) is the most powerful lever a 19-year-old has. Each clean year typically cuts 15–25% off the renewal, and the effect compounds: two clean years can roughly halve a first-year premium. Drive claim-free, and consider paying the small extra to protect your NCD so a single non-fault or minor claim doesn't wipe out years of savings. Time spent as a named driver on a parent's policy can also count towards a named-driver NCD scheme with Admiral, Direct Line and a few others.
Adding an experienced, low-risk named driver can cut a 19-year-old's premium by 10–20% — but only if you remain the genuine main driver. Listing a parent as the main driver when the 19-year-old actually drives the car daily is “fronting”, which is insurance fraud. Claims investigators check telematics, mileage and accident location; if caught, the policy is voided, the claim refused, and you can be prosecuted under the Fraud Act. A genuine named-driver setup, a multi-car policy or a named-driver NCD scheme are all legitimate ways to get the saving.
From a 19-year-old average of about £2,058, premiums typically fall to roughly £1,500–£1,700 at 20 (around £1,624 on average) and £1,300–£1,500 by 21, assuming you stay claim-free and keep building no-claims discount. By age 25 with a clean record and 4–6 years of NCD, premiums commonly settle around £900–£1,100. The curve flattens with each year — the 19→21 drop is still significant, but smaller than the 17→19 fall. See our 18-year-old and 25-year-old guides for the neighbouring age bands.
For occasional driving, yes — temporary policies from Cuvva, GoShorty and Veygo can be cheaper than full annual cover for a 19-year-old who only drives at weekends or during university holidays. Cuvva 1-day cover for a 19yo on a Hyundai i10 is typically £15–£30; 30-day cover £150–£250. Rough break-even: if you drive less than about 4 months a year, temporary cover usually wins. But if you drive more than 4–5 months a year, go annual — only an annual policy lets you keep building the no-claims discount that drives your price down at 20 and 21.

Our sources

  • ABI 2026 Motor Insurance Premium Tracker — young-driver average premiums and at-fault claims rates by age band
  • Confused.com Price Index — regional premium breakdown and 2026 market trend
  • NimbleFins young-driver data — £1,800–£3,000 17–19 range and telematics savings
  • Thatcham Research — insurance group and Vehicle Risk Rating data for the cheapest-car list
  • gov.uk — Pass Plus — course information and discount eligibility
  • Car Insurance Expert composite quote sample — 2026 sample across 12 major UK insurers for 19yo profiles

Reviewed by the Car Insurance Expert editorial team

Reviewed by the Car Insurance Expert editorial team (Senior Motor Insurance Editor). Methodology: figures are compiled from ABI, Confused.com and NimbleFins published data plus our own multi-insurer composite quote sampling for 19-year-old driver profiles, and are refreshed quarterly. Questions: editorial@carinsuranceexpert.co.uk.

Last updated: 2026-06-27 · Next scheduled review: 2026-09-27

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