Young motorists in Northern Ireland are facing hair raising car insurance premiums of £1470, just £8 off London, the UK’s most expensive region.
Using data from Q4 2025, car insurance experts at CompareNI.com reviewed the insurance costs of teenage drivers both locally and across the UK to try and discover ways to reduce costs.
While most UK regions saw premiums for young drivers drop, prices in Northern Ireland rocketed by £152 over the previous quarter – the biggest jump anywhere in the UK.
London tops the list of most expensive regions in the UK for young drivers, with Northern Ireland coming a very close second, followed by Yorkshire in third place. The cheapest areas, Wales and South West England were more than £500 cheaper.
Across Northern Ireland, seven of the District Council areas saw teenagers facing premiums of over £2000, with Belfast, Lisburn & Castlereagh and Fermanagh & Omagh the worst affected.
Even the cheapest areas, Causeway Coast & Glens and Ards & North Down still reported premiums of over £1770.
Not surprisingly, the youngest drivers, 17 and 18-year-olds, were the most expensive to insure – with 18-old-drivers in Belfast facing eye-watering costs of more than £3000.
However, data shows premiums for all District Council areas decline significantly by the time the driver hits 19-years-old, showing the value of just a few years’ experience behind the wheel. In some areas, such as Mid Ulster, drivers aged 19 are saving as much as £839 compared to those just a year younger.
These trends reflect the lack of experience and increased accident rate amongst this age group, with 1 in 5 drivers having an accident within their first year of driving.
Historically, drivers in Northern Ireland are the hardest hit by car insurance, mainly due to a combination of higher claim costs and a poorer road safety record compared to the rest of the UK. This is particularly true for young drivers, who are over-represented in collision statistics.
According to government statistics, 17 to 23-year-old drivers are responsible for 21% of all fatal or serious collisions, yet they accounted for just 8% of car-driving licence holders. Young drivers were also responsible for 73% of the casualties in collisions involving drivers aged between 17 and 23.
A controversial topic high on Stormont's agenda, politicians here are reviewing support for drivers and measures that could help tackle spiralling costs and make roads safer, particularly for young drivers.
Ian Wilson, car insurance expert and Managing Director at CompareNI.com said: “Young drivers sadly pay the most for their car insurance given their higher risk of accidents and lack of driving history.
“As drivers demonstrate safe driving and build no claims bonuses, insurance premiums start to decline, with reduction in premiums across all District Council areas by the time drivers hit 19-years-old.
“There are however other ways to demonstrate responsible driving to the insurer in a bid to reduce premiums, such as taking advanced driving training and using telematics products.
“Telematics or black box insurance gives the insurer access to data on the driver’s ability, allowing them to make a more accurate risk assessment and reward safe driving with reduced premiums.
“Younger drivers could also find savings by adding a more experience driver to the policy and reviewing when they buy, where they keep their car and what type of car they choose.
“Anything drivers can do to make the car safer and less at risk of theft or accident could all help to minimise risk in the eyes of the insurer, and therefore cut insurance costs.”
The average cost of car insurance in Northern Ireland is currently £626, which is £19 higher than the overall UK average. Car insurance prices spiked throughout 2023, reaching record highs before heading into decline throughout 2024 and stabilising with a more gradual decrease in 2025 – the hope this that 2026 will continue to see a reduction in costs across all age groups.
However, young drivers are unlikely to see any dramatic reductions in costs given their perceived risks and accident statistics, especially in Northern Ireland.
Tips to help young drivers save on insurance:
1.Choose the time to buy wisely - normally 15-24 days before a policy is due for renewal is when the prices are most competitive, as drivers could save between 33-45% during this period – worryingly 62% leave it to the last minute and buy at the most expensive time.*****
2.Buy a less risky car - cars with smaller and less powerful engines are normally cheaper to insure as they cost less to fix, are less likely to get into serious accidents and are less attractive to thieves.
3.Safety is key - where possible, parking in a private driveway, garage or carport overnight rather than on the street can be a great way to reduce premiums, with motorists able to make savings of around £140 – the closer you can park your car to the house, the safer it is likely to be.
As Northern Ireland’s largest price comparison site, CompareNI.com gives drivers of all ages the tools to shop around and find better quality car insurance at competitive prices.
