Young drivers with automatic-only licences face paying £760 more for car insurance than those who can also drive a manual vehicle, according to new figures.

In what is described as a “concerning” rise, figures from comparison site Compare the Market show motorists under 25 with automatic licences now pay £2,803 on average.

That is a year-on-year increase of £916.

It is a concern for the increasing number of drivers taking automatic-only tests, with DVLA data showing that 138,354 passed in an automatic car in 2022-23.

That figure was 34,749 in 2012-13.

“The increasing cost of car insurance is concerning for young drivers across the board, particularly those who have only learnt to drive automatic cars,” Julie Daniels, motor insurance expert at Compare the Market, said.

“These drivers face paying over £900 more this year to insure their car.”

The figures also show insurance premiums have risen since January 2023 by £644 on average to reach £2,009 for drivers under 25.

It all means young drivers now face paying £3,043 on average for the total running costs of a vehicle, a 25% increase from last year when this bill stood at £2,436.

“A tip for young drivers would be to look around for cheaper car insurance first, either when their policy is up for renewal, or when taking out insurance for the first time,” Ms Daniels added.

Read more:
Car insurance premiums hit record levels due to rising costs
Monthly motor insurance can cost hundreds more than paying annually

Be the first to get Breaking News

Install the Sky News app for free

“Adding an experienced named driver to a person’s insurance can also help reduce prices – as long as the information is accurate.

“Finally, a telematic policy, also known as a black box, can help give a younger driver more affordable quotes.”

Related posts:

Former banking lobby chief Jones joins shared branches start-up OneBanks ‘Truly dark day for drivers’ as petrol prices hit record high in UK Britain’s crisps supply crunch has eased – though they’re still hard to find in one in four shops Black Friday heralds raft of offers from big retailers but event ‘not what it once was’ Six Nations Rugby to name former O2 chief Dunne as chairman ‘Food was great! Unfortunately Putin spoiled our appetites by invading Ukraine’ – TripAdvisor disables Russian reviews The inflation index signalling a 1970s-style leap in prices is looming large Microsoft to axe thousands of jobs in latest cull by tech giant Cost of food still at record levels – but the speed at which prices are rising may have peaked FTSE 100 hits 8,000 points mark for first time Sainsbury’s and Asda rapped by regulator over ‘anti-competitive agreements’ Grocery price inflation at ‘lowest level in more than a year’