Compare Car Insurance for
21 Year Olds

How much does car insurance cost for a 21 year old? Costs by region, cheapest cars to insure, and how to reduce your premium.

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Premiums could be half what you paid at 17

4 years of no claims bonus means significant discounts

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How much is car insurance for a 21 year old?

A 21 year old in the UK pays between £723 in South West England and £1,306 in London per year for car insurance, depending on where they live. In London, that is less than half the average at 17, thanks to four years of driving experience and up to four years of no-claims bonus.

£723

Cheapest (South West England)

£1.3k

Most expensive (London)

#	Region	Average premium
1	South West England	£723.17
2	Wales	£730.69
3	South East England	£789.99
4	East of England	£792.91
5	East Midlands	£835.92
6	North East England	£848.93
7	Scotland	£873.96
8	Yorkshire	£906.34
9	North West England	£943.83
10	West Midlands	£1,035.67
11	Northern Ireland	£1,238.15
12	London	£1,305.93

London remains the most expensive region for 21 year old drivers, with average premiums 81% higher than the South West. In pounds, the gap between the cheapest and most expensive regions is the smallest of any age from 17 to 21, as the young-driver premium starts to level out.

Source: Quotezone Car Insurance Price Index, Q3 2026. Based on a random sample of over 100,000 UK car insurance quotes.

Turning 21: what changes for car insurance?

21 is a quiet milestone for car insurance. The average premium typically drops between 20 and 21, but the price change matters less than the wider set of options that become available.

Turning 21 typically unlocks:

Temporary car insurance from any provider. The under-21 age gate that some short-term providers use no longer applies.
Multi-car family policies. Most multi-car policies now allow you to be added.
Hire cars with less friction. Rental firms may drop their young-driver surcharge, or reduce it, at 21.
Company car and pool car use. Many employers have a minimum age of 21 for pool cars or company car schemes.
Four years of no-claims bonus. If you drove claim-free since 17, you now have four years of NCB, which could mean a significant discount at renewal.

At the same time, most insurers still classify you as a young driver until 25. The step change to standard pricing typically happens around that age.

Final year university students at 21 should always register their car at the address where it is kept most often. If your car stays at your parents' home rather than near campus, this could result in a lower premium, as postcode is one of the biggest rating factors. University towns may carry a higher risk loading than suburban home addresses. See our student car insurance guide for more information.

Which cars are cheapest to insure at 21?

At 21 with four years of NCB, drivers can start moving into groups 5 to 20 without a huge premium jump. This unlocks more of the mainstream new-driver-friendly car market: family hatchbacks, small SUVs, and hybrid options.

Popular cars in groups 5 to 20 for 21 year olds include:

Volkswagen Golf (1.0 TSI)
Ford Focus (1.0 EcoBoost)
Skoda Octavia (1.0 TSI)
Toyota Corolla Hybrid
Kia Ceed
Hyundai i30
Nissan Qashqai (older, entry trim)
Mazda 3
Renault Megane
Vauxhall Astra

Read our car insurance groups guide for more information on how insurance groups work.

How can a 21 year old get cheaper car insurance?

By 21 you have real bargaining power. Four years of clean driving history means you can compare a full slate of insurers and pick a policy that fits your life.

Compare every renewal. Loyalty rarely pays. New-customer quotes are usually cheaper than renewal offers. Compare quotes →
Protect your NCB. Your NCB could now be worth a significant discount. Paying to protect it is usually a small investment for a large protected asset.
Consider a multi-car policy. If you live with a partner, parent, or share a car, a multi-car policy can be cheaper than two separate policies.
Ditch the black box if you have not already. Standard policies are now usually competitive with telematics for safe drivers. Compare both.
Raise your voluntary excess. Increasing your voluntary excess may lower your premium. Choose an amount you could afford to pay if you needed to make a claim.
Bundle with home insurance. Bundling car and home insurance with the same insurer could reduce the overall cost.
Keep mileage honest. Estimate your real annual mileage. Underestimating can void a claim.
Pay annually. Monthly instalments could add interest to the overall cost.

Building a no claims bonus as a young driver is the single most effective long-term way to keep your premium down. Five years of NCB by 22 typically unlocks the maximum discount most insurers offer.

Temporary car insurance at 21

At 21, temporary car insurance is easy to find. The main under-21 age gates that some providers use no longer apply. Short-term policies from 1 hour to 28 days are readily available for driving a borrowed car, sharing a road trip, or moving a used car home from a private seller.

Common uses at 21:

Borrowing a parent's car when yours is off the road.
Adding a partner to your car for a specific trip.
Driving a new used car home from a private seller.
Insuring a friend on a car you are lending them for a weekend.

See our temporary car insurance guide for what is available and how the prices compare.

What happens to car insurance at 25?

25 is the next big milestone. Most UK insurers may reclassify drivers out of the young-driver risk band around 25, which could result in a noticeable drop in premiums for drivers with a clean claim history.

See our car insurance over 25 guide for what changes at 25 and the regional data for that age band.

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How much does car insurance change from 17 to 21?

Premiums fall sharply between 17 and 20 and then flatten. In London, for example, the average premium falls from £2,997 at 17 to £1,306 at 21. The next big step change happens at 25, when most insurers reclassify drivers out of the young-driver risk band and premiums typically drop noticeably.

Car insurance by age: cheapest and most expensive region, Q3 2026

Each bar runs from the cheapest to the most expensive UK region for drivers of that age. Labels above each bar show the cheapest region and labels below show the most expensive region.

Source: Quotezone Car Insurance Price Index, Q3 2026. Based on a random sample of over 100,000 UK car insurance quotes.

See this data as a table

Car insurance by age: cheapest and most expensive region, Q3 2026. Source: Quotezone Car Insurance Price Index, Q3 2026. Based on a random sample of over 100,000 UK car insurance quotes.
Age	Cheapest region	Price	Most expensive region	Price
17	South West England	£1,873.41	London	£2,997.04
18	Wales	£1,426.37	London	£2,682.03
19	Wales	£982.51	London	£2,316.79
20	Wales	£730.52	London	£1,526.89
21	South West England	£723.17	London	£1,305.93

See how prices change: 17 year olds, 18 year olds, 19 year olds, 20 year olds, over 25s.

Car Insurance for 21 Year Olds FAQs

Based on regional averages of between £723 in South West England and £1,306 in London, that is around £60 to £109 per month. Paying annually avoids interest charges that could add to the overall cost.

On average, premiums typically fall between 20 and 21, mostly due to a fourth year of no-claims bonus. The next major step change is at 25, when many insurers move you out of the young-driver risk category entirely.

Yes, most insurers still classify 21 year olds as young drivers. The full step down usually happens at 25. Most of the big price falls seem to come earlier. In London, for example, the average drops from £2,997 at 17 to £1,306 at 21.

Yes. At 21 you have access to almost every temporary car insurance provider in the UK. Under-21 restrictions no longer apply, which opens up short-term policies from most providers.

A 21 year old who passed at 17 and drove claim-free would have four years of NCB. That could unlock a significant discount at renewal.

At 21, the saving from telematics narrows further. For safe drivers with a growing NCB, standard policies are often competitive with black box policies. Always compare both at every renewal.

Yes. Adding a partner as a named driver is common at 21. If both of you regularly drive the car, a multi-driver policy may be cheaper than two separate single-driver policies. Compare both options.

For most drivers, the biggest drops end in the mid 20s. On average, premiums keep falling for drivers aged 25 to 34, 35 to 44 and 45 to 64, and drivers aged 65 and over pay the least of any age group.

Compare Car Insurance for 21 Year Olds