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Full fronting impact

Our 18-year-old son is about to take his driving test and needs a car. He has been offered a Vauxhall Corsa 1.2i 16v Design Twinport 3 door with 54 plate for £2,800. The car is from reliable friends so we trust its history. But insurance quotes are horrendous, around £2,400 a year. We are advised that the old method of putting one of us as main driver and him as subsidiary is unwise since insurance companies won't pay now if they consider that he is the main user. Is this an unwise car for him to buy? Is there a cheaper way for him to get motoring reliably?

Asked on 7 August 2010 by MG, Harpenden

Answered by Honest John
Not really. You are being advised against 'fronting' that could disqualify the insurance, but it's often the only answer to get a kid on the road in an insured car at an affordable premium. The way to do this legally is to make sure that you regularly use the car that he is insured for as an additional driver. Then it isn't 'fronting'. Check the camshaft retaining bolts on that Corsa engine. They have a habit of coming loose, leaving the engine to self-destruct.

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