Tuesday is 'insurance freedom day' for young motorists

Car insurance costs now swallow up around 10% of a young driver's salary on average, according to a trade body.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) said this sum equates to everything a young driver has earned so far from the start of 2018 to Tuesday, February 6.

This makes Tuesday "insurance freedom day" for young drivers aged 18 to 21 years old - when they will typically have earned enough to cover the cost of their annual car insurance.

The average motor premium for an 18 to 21-year-old old is £973 and the average annual income for that age group is £9,319, the ABI's research, which also included Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures, found.

Across all other age groups combined, motor insurance costs only equate to around 2% of their salary.

Drivers aged 50 to 59 pay the lowest proportion at 1.3% of salary on average, the ABI said.

The next most costly age band after 18 to 21-year-olds in terms of motor insurance costs as a proportion of incomes is 22 to 29-year-olds, with these costs taking up 2.99% of the average salary of this age bracket, the research found.

The ABI said the insurance premium tax (IPT) rate, which has seen several hikes in recent years, should be frozen to help keep costs down, alongside further reforms around whiplash claims which also put an upward pressure on the cost of policies.

James Dalton, director of general insurance policy at the ABI, said: "More than any other drivers, young motorists need relief from rising motor insurance premiums.

"While telematics technology is helping many young drivers manage their insurance bills, cost pressures keep mounting."