Kit Cars Can Save Young Drivers Thousands On Insurance

Car insurance in the UK can be ludicrously expensive for young drivers. Even when covering a dinky used hatchback with a tiny engine, daft quotes as high as (and sometimes higher) than £3000 a year are common. There are ways of reducing the impact - brand new cars cost less to insure, for instance - but if a newbie driver wants to save some serious money, it’s time to think kit car.

Most kit cars will be out of the question, as specialist kit car insurers tend to have age limits which are well above 17. Quantum kit cars, however, are one exception. Models like the Quantum Saloon and Coupe (pictured above and below) are constructed from a fibreglass monocoque, with a Mk2 or Mk3 Ford Fiesta - typically an XR2 or XR3 - being used as a donor car for most of the mechanical bits.

Nothing particularly exotic by any means, but these cars can be comparitively inexpensive to insure. The Quantum Owners Club has an insurance deal with specialists Adrian Flux, through which drivers aged 17 or over can arrange cover on Quantum kit cars. Prices as low as £500 are common, and the only real downside is a mileage cap, typically 5000 a year.

Sure, it’s not the most glamorous route into motoring, but by having one of these for the first few years of your driving career, you could save thousands, all of which can be put away for your dream car purchase.

Sound tempting? The Coupe and Saloon are no longer in production, but used examples do come up for sale with reasonable frequency on the Owners Club website. There’s also this example currently on eBay for just £725.

Image source: Brian Snelson