Boy racers warned of car insurance costs
Young drivers aiming to soup up their motors and pimp them to the max are being warned it can be costly on the insurance.
A rear spoiler can push up insurance premiums by £688.54 a year, while wider wheels mean it is £3,309.61 extra to insure.
Exhaust system changes make the car insurance bill over £6,000 more expensive.
This leads to annual insurance bills higher than the cost of the car itself.
Meanwhile, optting for the 'sporty' version of the most popular cars adds an average of £3,400 to premiums.
The figures from uSwitch.com are for a 17-year-old driver - who is already facing a massive hike to car insurance premiums because of the lack of experience and great risk of accidents.
Young drivers represent seven per cent of the car insurance market, but account for 34 per cent of dangerous driving offences.
A third of drivers killed or serious injured are under 25.
The average premium for a 17-year-old male driving a 2000 Ford Focus is £4.291.64 for fully comprehensive and third party fire and theft insurance.
However, premiums drop to £1,000 after two-years of accident-free driving.
Mark Monteiro, insurance expert at uSwitch, said: "Car insurance for young drivers is already really expensive so opting for cars that fall into a more expensive insurance group really isn't advisable.
"In most cases, insuring cars such as the Peugeot 206 GTI will cost more than actually buying the car in the first place. As soon as modifications are made such as spoilers and tinted windows, premiums will only rocket further."
However, young drivers who invest in their cars to improve performance are less likely to have accidents, claims Adrian Flux Insurance.
Gerry Bucke of Flux said: "Young drivers of modified cars are on average 20 per cent less likely to have an accident and make a claim than young drivers in cars with a standard specification.
"The truth is, guys who modify their cars tend to be involved in fewer accidents. They invest heavily in their cars and take more care of them."
Insurance premium costs for 17-year-old driving a 2000 Ford Focus 1.6cc
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