Young drivers look to fronting to overcome high insurance costs

Nearly one-fifth of young drivers aged 17 to 19 are committing insurance fraud or driving uninsured, according to research from Gocompare.

The new research revealed that 16% of young drivers admitted to fronting – driving a car insured in the name of their parents, to obtain a cheaper premium.

The Gocompare survey of 1,000 young drivers found that nearly a quarter of 17 to 19-year-old drivers have difficulty in affording to run a car, with 30% getting financial help from their parents.

A further 3.5% of drivers aged 17 to 19 admitted to driving without any insurance at all.

Gocompare head of car insurance Scott Kelly said: “The costs of getting your first car on the road can seem sky-high to a young driver and certainly the insurance premiums for new, inexperienced drivers can be substantial. However, we’d warn people against fronting in an attempt to reduce the cost of their cover.

“Fronting is fraud and if you do have to make a claim on the policy the chances are you’ll be found out and you may end up in a lot of trouble. Not only will the policy be invalid, but you may find yourself open to prosecution, liable for accident costs and find it hard to get insurance in the future.”