The Student Car Share scheme and cheap car insurance

It's not easy to get a great deal on student car insurance, we all know that. Shopping around on motor cover websites is one way of saving money on your premium, but how else can young drivers save money on their car costs?

  • Not paying parking charges may work once or twice, but eventually you'll get back to your Punto and find a big yellow triangle attached to your car that won't let you go home until you've paid a large man wearing a leather bomber jacket lots of your student loan to remove the thing from your wheel.


  • Trying to invent an alternative fuel is probably best left to the chemistry students as trying to burn copies of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales mixed with the dregs of three Ouzo bottles and some nail polish remover is likely just to end up with a visit from a big red shiny emergency services vehicle and possibly a stay in your local hospital.


  • And trying to set up a mobile business from the boot of your banger may be prone to all sorts of laws and licences being required, so it may not be worth it in the long run.

We have, however, heard of a scheme for students that might actually be of some genuine money saving use.

The Student Car Share Scheme is a free-to-use online service set up by students for students. It links drivers and passengers online so that they can save money, help the environment and maybe even make new friends.

Registered users can link up with other members to share journeys - any journey - it could be from home back to uni after the summer holiday, or going from college to Glastonbury. All a student needs to do is register their journey details on the site and then search for a like-minded person who is going their way.

The scheme is meant for students over the age of 18 - otherwise they must get parental consent as set out in the terms and conditions before using the site - and there is valuable safety advice for people meeting up with strangers to share lifts.

In terms of how it is likely to affect your student car insurance, it is noted on the site that the Association of British Insurers (ABI) declares that car-sharing will not affect car insurance as long as no profit is made from the journeys.

  • "Giving Lifts - All ABI motor insurers have agreed that if your passengers contribute towards your running costs your insurance cover will not be affected, as long as lifts are given in a vehicle seating eight passengers or less. This agreement does not apply if you make a profit from payments received or if carrying passengers is your business." (Source: ABI website, 2008)

So, it seems like there may be a way to save on your vehicle running costs, keep your student car insurance intact and perhaps even have some fun on the way. If you don't fancy the online car share scheme you could always try putting a notice up in your college or uni and maybe start up a scheme yourself - you never know - if the alternative fuel idea doesn't work out you might find your entrepreneurial skills lie in the transport sector. Good luck.