Its an expensive business being driver. Car tax, repairs, MOTs and insurance policies are enough of a financial burden to bear at the best of times, let alone during a recession.
For young drivers, who have just passed their tests, this load is even greater because as we all know buying a cheap car insurance policy when you are under-25 is virtually impossible.
And the newer a driver is to the road, the more expensive those premiums will be.
Its all down to statistics. Figures show that fledging drivers are the most dangerous.
According the AA, one out of every five young drivers, within their first year of driving, will be in a crash.
What is more, young drivers are also ten times more likely to be involved in a serious collision than their older and more experienced counterparts.
It means insurers, in anticipation of young policyholders making more claims, increase their premiums to cover this.
Young men are also looked upon more harshly by insurance companies. Their premiums are usually much higher than those of women of their age because, according to the statistics, men have more accidents.
Whether male or female, however, the gap between the prices paid by a young driver compared to an older motorist, is vast.
Research by price comparison website, Moneysupermarket.com, showed the average premium in 2008 for an 18-year-old man was just over 2,200 per year.
This was 1,905 more expensive than the average motor insurance premium for a male driver in his 50s, which as 294 per year.
Its no surprise that many people are doing whatever they can even entering into the shady world of fraud in a bid to save themselves a bob or two.
Fronting, a process where a parent of a new driver tells the insurance company they own their son or daughters car and take on the insurance policy, with their offspring as the named driver, has become rife recently.
So much so that many insurers are clamping down on the illegal practice.
Steve Sweeney, head of motor insurance at Moneysupermarket, said: "Those considering lying to their insurer to save money are playing a very risky game."
"If caught," he warned, "your insurance will be validated and a younger driver could face court, charged with driving without insurance."
According to Hayley Parsons, chief executive of another price comparison site, Gocompare, fronting was not just illegal but it would prove, eventually, to be a false economy.
This was, she explained, because many insurers were now wise to the practice and had set their price according to the age of the youngest driver.
She added: "In the long run it is better for young drivers to hold insurance in their own name to build up valuable no claims discount."
So, with fronting being weeded out, what other options do young drivers have open to them?
Many insurance industry experts say there is an argument for avoiding the named driver route and using your mum or dads car, and instead taking out your own car insurance policy.
Hayley Parsons agrees, she said: "In the long run it is better for young drivers to hold insurance in their own name to build-up valuable no claims discount."
This no claims discount is a valuable feature. If you buy your own car insurance policy and do not make a claim for several years usually five you will eventually receive substantial savings on your premiums.
But, while you are waiting to accrue your own gleaming car insurance profile, there are other ways to reduce costs.
Make sure you shop around and get as many quotes as possible when looking for a deal.
The Association of British Insurers said people can save as much as 35 per cent by comparing just five insurance providers.
Go online and use price comparison websites too. Not only do these provide a way for you to compare policies like-for-like, but they can also prove cost effective.
Hayley Parsons of Gocompare said young drivers were the most likely to use the website.
She added: Young drivers rely on price comparison sites more than any age group as they have the most to save by shopping around.
And, according to Moneysupermarket you can often get better rates by buying your policy online where many insurers offer internet discounts.
But, beware of getting too bogged down in bargain basement deals.
Simon Douglas, director of AA Insurance warned: "It is important to compare the benefits and excesses if you have to make a claim, that's the wrong time to discover that your insurance doesn't provide the level of cover you expect."
If you still cannot find a policy which you can afford, there is of course the named driver route. At least you will be covered to drive a car legally without being saddled with massive premiums.
And, if you really cannot face sharing a car with your mum, dad or siblings, then there is still some hope for lower premiums for the future.
Earlier this year, at a conference by the Association of British Insurers, Simon Douglas called for young drivers, particularly those who proved they were making efforts to improve their driving standards, to be rewarded.
He said that while the figures showed young drivers were at greater risk on the roads, it didn't mean they were all more reckless or careless when behind the wheel.
Mr Douglas added: "Good, safe drivers should be rewarded and the insurance industry is well placed to provide incentives that encourage responsible driving."
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