A TEENAGE driver says he was quoted almost £18,000 for a year’s insurance on a car he bought for just £400.

Chris Berry, aged 18, passed his test last year but has been unable to drive his 1997 onelitre Volkswagen Polo, which he bought last November, because he cannot afford to insure it.

Now he and other young motorists are calling for a change in the rules to stop them being priced off the road.

The cheapest quote Chris received was from Quinn Direct and came to just under £5,000 for basic third-party insurance — but this shot to £17,800 for fully comprehensive.

Chris used various price comparison websites to search for a car insurance deal. Other quotes included £8,807 for third-party cover from igo4more, £6,000 from Endsleigh and £12,500 for third party, fire and theft cover from the AA.

He even tried being a named driver on his parents’ insurance, which only resulted in thousands of pounds being added to their premiums.

His car has no engine modifications, has a clear history and has to be kept in his back garden as cars without insurance are not allowed to be kept on a public highway.

Chris, who lives with his parents in Nevis Grove, Astley Bridge, said: “They actually rang me up after I got that quote and asked me if I wanted to take it out, I told them they were having a laugh — it’s a Polo, not a Ferrari.”

No insurance broker would offer Chris a quote if he had a Ferrari.

A spokesman for Quinn Direct, a specialist young person’s insurer, said insuring young drivers could be an expensive business. He said the firm recently carried out research that showed the average cost of getting on the road as a first-time driver was £8,260, with parents footing much of that bill.

John McDonagh, head of consumer Insurance at Quinn Direct, added: “Parents looking to get their children on the road need to be aware of all the costs involved, not just the cost of getting them though the test or buying a low-cost first car.”

Chris is keen on his cars, and so has had to come up with a new way of getting on the road. He said: “I have to drive a tractor to get about — it has a four-litre engine and it only cost me £57 a year to insure! It’s a lot cheaper than my car.”

He added: “I’ve looked into doing my Pass Plus, but even that won’t save me much money.

No one can be happy about the price of their insurance, it’s not even just young men now, everyone’s premiums seem to be going up. I think that every new driver should be given reasonable prices in their first year, as a lot of us are good drivers. Then if we crash or get points during the first year, that’s when you can put the premiums up.

“I’ve emailed David Cameron about it but received no reply.

“I just want to get something done about it, it’s getting a bit silly now.”

Hugh German, of Bolton Advanced Motorists said: “Young men pay the price for their actions, it’s a terrible state of affairs, but most of these young men see the test as a hurdle to get past, and then they just want to drive as quickly as possible.

“To become an advanced motorist it only costs £139 and takes just 12 weeks, and then you can save money on your insurance for life. The youngsters can benefit tremendously from it.”

Bolton North East MP David Crausby said the quotes being given by some insurance companies were encouraging young people to take risks.

He said: “This whole issue is getting completely out of hand.

This is not in the interest of making sure everyone insures their vehicle.”

From June 20, it will be illegal to own a vehicle without insurance under the new Continuous Insurance Enforcement law.

The British Insurance Brokers’ Association said while premiums for young drivers had always been high, all motorists had seen a rise in premiums due to factors including increasing levels of fraud.