The study found that 25 per cent of parents whose children are driving have insured their child’s car in their own name, in order to secure cheaper insurance premiums.

This practice, known as ‘fronting’, constitutes fraud; detection would invalidate a policy, and potentially land perpetrators in court. The findings also revealed that a further 41 per cent of parents would consider, or have considered, fronting a car insurance policy for their child.

The stimulus for the prevalence of this illegal practice was starkly underlined by other areas of the study; 50 per cent said that insurers should be doing more to help young drivers with the cost of getting on the road, 49 per cent of respondents believed insurance premiums for younger drivers to be a ‘rip-off’, and 38 per cent agreed with the statement ‘high premiums are pushing young drivers to drive uninsured’. According to Gocompare.com’s figures, the average car insurance premium for a driver aged 17 to 25 is £1480.37 annually.

“Insurance premiums for new, inexperienced drivers can seem high and people are often surprised at how much they are compared to the value of the car they’re insuring,” Matt Oliver, car insurance spokesperson for Gocompare.com said. “Unfortunately, drivers aged 17 to 20 are twice as likely to make an insurance claim as other drivers and their claims costs will be three times higher.”

“Although it’s understandable that a parent would want to help their child with the cost of getting on the road, insurance fraud is not the best option. If found out, the parent may find themselves in court and unable to get insurance in the future.”

For suggestions on how you can reduce your car insurance premiums, please visit ‘The Your Money Guide to lowering your car insurance‘.