Student Car Insurance Guide

Free Quote Hotline

0800 028 3571

• Home
• Mortgages
• Credit Cards
• Loans
• Investments
• Banking
• Pensions
• Insurance

Car Insurance for Students

Having a car at university is a convenience, but also a luxury. For a student running a car is a huge expense, especially the cost of insurance. Students are generally quoted high premiums because of their lack of experience, which in the eyes of insurers makes them a high risk. Fortunately, many insurance companies are now offering special student deals so that they can afford to drive to university and still have enough cash to meet their everyday living costs.

To find the right student car insurance policy, you need to decide what cover you require, what you can afford to pay and whether you need to add any special features to your policy.

Click here for a Student Car Insurance Quote

Levels of Cover

Third Party Only

This option is the minimum level of cover required by law and is usually the cheapest. It covers you in the event that you injure someone else (including a passenger) or damage their car or property in an accident. However, it doesn't pay for repairs to your own car.

Third Party Fire and Theft

This option provides the same level of protection as Third Party Only, but also covers the cost of repairs or a replacement car if your vehicle is damaged, stolen or destroyed by fire. This is particularly useful for students as it doesn’t cost much more than a Third Party Only policy and provides cover against theft, which is vital for students, especially those living at university in a large city.

Fully Comprehensive Cover

A Fully Comprehensive car insurance policy covers all of the above, plus compensation for repairs if your car is damaged in an accident (accidental damage cover), the loss or theft of personal items from your car (up to a set limit) and personal injury-related medical costs. It also provides a free courtesy car if yours is off the road following an accident.

Remember, the cost of your cover will depend on the level of cover you take out.

Policy small print

As with any insurance policy, it is important to check the small print carefully before committing to any deal so that you are fully aware of the policy terms and conditions and any exclusions. Common policy stipulations that go unnoticed include:

• Higher premiums for paying in instalments


• Charges for updating policy details during the contract term, e.g. changing your surname or address, and


• Higher premiums for adding other drivers to the policy

Also, make sure you double check which special features are included in your policy as standard and which will cost you extra. Special cover options such as breakdown cover, glass cover and legal expenses cover are most likely to be included in a fully comprehensive policy, although there is no guarantee that you will get any of these features for free.