Blackbox and insurance questions

Unfortunately insurance is currently very high for first time drivers, higher so for those passing at the age of 17/18, even higher for male drivers thanks to statistics. I would definitely recommend steering clear of some 'big' named insurers like the AA, for example, as they will want to give you lots of add ons. Your best bet might be looking at comparison sites (e.g. are Confused, compare the market, go compare) and remember to delete your browsing history or use incognito as cookies in your browser will tell these sites that you're looking around and the quotes will increase.

Also consider putting your Dad on the insurance as a second driver as this should bring it down a bit.

Some black boxes don't restrict the times you travel, for example mine with Admiral is purely speed/braking/cornering and although it might collect other information it doesn't comment on times of travel (I've done back-from-the-club runs before and had no calls/comments) and you can also look at what data is collected online and what they think of your driving.

Have a look at Marmalade as well as they can decrease your premium even during one year if they judge you to be a safe driver from whatever their black box records.

Have you chosen your car yet? The "insurance group" (a number) can tell you roughly how expensive insuring that car will be. A lower number is cheaper and the higher the spec of the car the higher the number. Try and stay around 15 and below.

As well as covering insurance, also think about vehicle tax for the car which is set to increase dramatically over the next few years. Keep an eye on emissions of the models you're looking at in g/km and keep it as low as possible.

Sorry if I've repeated some stuff you already knew but better to cover everything. Hope that helps a bit


Posted from TSR Mobile

I appreciate the detailed reply. I didn't realize that not clearing my cookies increased the insurance. After putting both my parents on the insurance it goes down about £100-250. With just dad on the insurance there's only like a £40 difference. I haven't yet picked a car but I narrowed it down to 3 cars that suit my needs

Sounds like you've got it pretty much covered! I'm sorry but for first time drivers it really is expensive and there's not an awful lot you can do about it 😕 I hope things work out though!


Posted from TSR Mobile

I appreciate the detailed reply. I didn't realize that not clearing my cookies increased the insurance. After putting both my parents on the insurance it goes down about £100-250. With just dad on the insurance there's only like a £40 difference. I haven't yet picked a car but I narrowed it down to 3 cars that suit my needs

Luckily after your first year- as long as you get your first years no claims and you dont get any points on your licence, the price starts to go down quite a bit.
Try and pay for the insurance annually if possible as well, as it costs more to pay monthly.

I'll just repeat what most people have said but it's true that after a year your rate will significantly drop if you prove to be a safe driver. Each insurer has their own Black box policy, so I'd double check… if you could get a black box insurer with your parents name on it you'd save a lot, by your 2-3 year you could remove them and be paying around the same or even less. On full prices, people can see their insurance costs halved by the second year, sometimes even more, although factors like area, where you park, Mileage, etc. will play a part in just how much you save (it seems to me like everyone just lies about their mileage…)

Thanks for the info. I would lie about the mileage but with a blackbox that wouldn't really be possible. I can see myself doing 12-15k miles a year easily.

Hi guys,
If I were to get a Black Box fitted with a certain insurer, would they then share information about my driving habits with other insurers in the future (or would that information be available to other insurers)? I've heard numerous people complaining about how their black box "unfairly" scores them for driving safely and under the speed limit, so I don't want this to affect any future policies I go for with other insurers.

Hi guys,
If I were to get a Black Box fitted with a certain insurer, would they then share information about my driving habits with other insurers in the future (or would that information be available to other insurers)? I've heard numerous people complaining about how their black box "unfairly" scores them for driving safely and under the speed limit, so I don't want this to affect any future policies I go for with other insurers.

If the insurers are within the same group, then yes.

the cheapest and has no premium increases or fines