Under-30s risk a huge hike in huge car insurance premiums later in life if handed the IN10 endorsement
Young people using private electric scooters on roads and pavements risk facing huge insurance premiums when they want to drive a car, says the comparison website MoneySuperMarket.
It emerged this week that almost 800 children aged 13 to 16 had been issued an IN10 endorsement – the code used by the police for “using a vehicle uninsured against third-party risks” since the start of 2020. It stays on a person’s driving record for four years from the date of the offence.
IAM RoadSmart, a safety charity that obtained the figures with a freedom of information request, said many of the cases were likely to involve private e-scooters, which cannot be driven in public spaces.
MoneySuperMarket’s figures, based on policies for sale through its website, show an IN10 endorsement could add £1,000 to the annual cost of car insurance. It ran quotes for 17- to 19-year-olds with no recorded offences and found the average annual premium for a one-off payment was £1,766. The same driver with an IN10 would be quoted £2,767. Among 20- to 29-year-olds, the quote for a driver with no offences was £1,272. For those with an IN10 it rose to £2,272. Hilary Osborne
Kara Gammell, car insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket, said: “If you own an e-scooter, you need to know that riding one illegally is punishable by up to six penalty points on your driving licence and a £300 fine, which can also significantly drive up the cost of your car insurance.”
She added: “If you’re a parent considering buying your teen an e-scooter, or they already own one, be sure to have a conversation with them about using it responsibly, and let them know that riding it on a public road, as well as being illegal, could seriously affect the cost of your car insurance, or theirs in the future.”
