Quick answer
The cheapest cars to insure at 17 are entry-trim city cars in insurance groups 1–5 — small engines, cheap parts and low values. Picking a group 1–5 car instead of a group 15 one is the biggest saving available before you even get a quote, and a telematics policy is usually the biggest one after.
At 17 you have no claims history, no no-claims bonus and no track record for an insurer to price against. Almost every variable in a quote is fixed by circumstances you can't change this year — except one. The car's insurance group is a decision you make at the point of purchase, and then live with for as long as you own it.
That makes it worth getting right. Below are the picks from our dataset whose entry trims sit in the lowest groups, with an honest note on each about what you give up.
Typical at 17–20, entry trim: £475–£745/yr*
About as cheap as modern motoring gets to insure, while still feeling like a proper small car rather than a penalty box. Cheap parts, strong dealer network and a long warranty history.
Watch out: The N Line trim climbs several groups for styling rather than real performance — not worth it on a first policy.
Typical at 17–20, entry trim: £475–£745/yr*
Sits in the lowest groups in entry trim and has a reputation for surviving the first-year learning curve. Running costs are as predictable as the insurance.
Watch out: Higher trims add alloys and kit that nudge the group up without changing the driving experience much.
Typical at 17–20, entry trim: £475–£745/yr*
One of the lowest-rated cars we cover. Tiny engine, tiny repair bills, almost nothing on it that is expensive to replace.
Watch out: Older examples only — it's no longer sold new, so condition varies hugely. Check the service history carefully.
Typical at 17–20, entry trim: £475–£745/yr*
Consistently near the bottom of the scale, genuinely easy to park and cheap to fix. A sensible choice if your budget is tight on both purchase and premium.
Watch out: Equipment levels are basic on early cars, and the driving position suits some people far better than others.
Typical at 17–20, entry trim: £475–£745/yr*
The entry trims rate very low while feeling more grown-up than most city cars — solid build and a reassuring motorway manner for a car this size.
Watch out: The Up GTI is a different proposition entirely and sits around ten groups higher.
Typical at 17–20, entry trim: £475–£745/yr*
Low entry groups and a huge used supply, so it's easy to find one in budget. Popular enough that parts and repairs are straightforward.
Watch out: Space is genuinely tight in the back, and the sportier Abarth-flavoured versions rate much higher.
Typical at 17–20, entry trim: £525–£815/yr*
Unusually spacious for its price and insurance bracket. If you need more than a city car but still want a low group, this is the obvious compromise.
Watch out: The Stepway version sits noticeably higher than the standard car for what is largely a ride-height and styling change.
Typical at 17–20, entry trim: £525–£815/yr*
Entry versions sit very low while the car itself is big enough to be a genuine do-everything first car, with VW-group mechanicals behind it.
Watch out: The TSI engines and Monte Carlo trim push it well up the range — the plain MPI is the one that keeps the premium down.
*Estimate only, not a quote — 17–20 age band, medium-risk postcode, 8-year-old car, comprehensive cover, based on each model's lowest trim. How we calculate this.
Once the car is chosen, the remaining savings come from how you structure the policy. These are the levers that genuinely move the number — ordered roughly by how much they tend to be worth.
A box or app scores your driving and prices accordingly. It's the clearest way for a 17-year-old with no history to prove they're low risk. Expect curfews or mileage caps on some policies — read them before you sign.
Adding a parent as a named driver is legitimate when they genuinely drive the car sometimes. What is not legitimate is putting them down as the main driver when you're the one using it daily — see the fronting warning below.
Only raise it to a figure you could genuinely pay tomorrow. A £1,000 excess you can't cover turns a small claim into an uninsured repair.
Lower genuine annual mileage prices better. Guessing low to shave the quote is misrepresentation and can void the policy when you claim.
Monthly instalments are usually a credit agreement with interest attached. If the lump sum is possible, it's typically cheaper over the year.
It is common advice in school car parks and on forums: put the policy in a parent's name with the teenager as a named driver, and the price drops. If the parent is not genuinely the main driver, that is fronting — and it is insurance fraud, not a loophole.
The consequences land at the worst possible moment: the insurer can refuse the claim after a crash, void the policy from the start, and leave the young driver legally uninsured with a criminal record. Adding a parent as a named driver on a policy the young driver holds is entirely legitimate and often reduces the price on its own.
Be prepared for the premium to exceed the value of the car. That isn't a sign you've done something wrong — it reflects genuine claims statistics for newly-qualified teenage drivers. As our cost-by-group comparison shows, a 17–20 year old in a group 1 car still pays more than a driver in their fifties pays in a group 50 car.
The good news is that it moves fast. A clean first year builds no-claims discount, and prices typically fall sharply from the second renewal onwards. Check any car you're considering with the free reg checker before you buy — a two-minute check now sets your cost for years.
Entry-trim city cars in insurance groups 1–5 are consistently cheapest — small-engined models like the Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto, Fiat Panda and Suzuki Alto. The exact winner depends on your postcode and the policy type, but the group is the part you control at the point of purchase.
Aim for groups 1–5 if the budget is tight, and treat group 10 as an upper limit. Above that, the premium at 17 climbs quickly for a car that won't feel very different to drive.
Newly-qualified teenage drivers are statistically far more likely to have a serious crash in their first year than any other group. Insurers price that risk, and no car choice fully offsets it — though a low group plus a telematics policy gets you as close as realistically possible.
For most 17-year-olds, yes — it's usually the biggest single lever available, because it replaces assumptions about your age with evidence about your actual driving. Check the terms, though: some policies apply night-time curfews or mileage limits.
Only if they are genuinely the main driver. Registering a parent as the main driver on a car primarily used by their child is called fronting, and it is insurance fraud — it can void the policy, leave you uninsured after a crash, and create a criminal record. Adding a parent as a named driver on a policy you hold is the legitimate version.
Often, but not always. Older cars usually sit in lower groups and have lower values, which helps. Very old cars can lack modern safety equipment, which works against them — and comprehensive cover is frequently cheaper than third-party-only regardless of age.
No — do it the other way round. Check the insurance group and run indicative quotes on your shortlist first. The group is locked in for as long as you own the car, so it's the one cost you can control before committing.
The explainer: why groups 1–10 is the advice, and what each band actually costs at 17–24.
For anyone newly qualified at any age — why passing late changes the maths.
Holistic picks: safety, reliability and running costs weighed alongside the group.
The data: every car we cover with an entry trim in groups 1–10, ranked.
The policy side only — excess, mileage, telematics and the fronting rules.
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