The first thing to understand is what falls into the 'modified' category.Insurers class a modification as being anything that changes the state of the car from the original factory specifications.This can include such seemingly harmless things as a re-spray or changing the seats.The first rule of car modification is to check with your insurer as to their view about your plans - and more importantly the likely change in your premium.Why Modified Car Insurance is Costly.Generally modifications have two aims - either to improve the looks or the performance of a car.In the insurers view this will increase either the value or the risk level of the car, resulting in a rise in the cost of your insurance.Of course, there are modifications designed to improve security; immobilisers, alarms and tracking devices are all classed as modifications but will generally have a positive effect on your car insurance premium.When it comes to modifications that improve the looks of your car - spoilers, low profile tyres or a new paint job it's worth considering adding security features that can help to offset any potential rise in premium at the same time.Performance Car Insurance.When it comes to performance modifications, insurance is likely to rise significantly.For younger drivers who already pay high premiums, modifications should be considered with care.Contact your insurer before making any changes that improve the performance or the speed of the car.Changes to the exhaust, suspension and particularly the engine are likely to raise insurance costs for a modified car.When checking with your own insurer consider a little comparison shopping at the same time to see what savings can be made by changing insurer.Specialist modified car insurance brokers should be considered as they may be willing to take into account that modified car owners are enthusiasts and are more likely to look after the vehicle well.Additional Factors.The main reason that modified car insurance is more expensive is simply that modifications tend to increase the risk of a claim.Claims for modified cars can be more expensive to settle if parts are harder to source or more expensive.Where possible keep modifications to a minimum - but if you are a real enthusiast always shop around for the best deals on modified car insurance.Comparison sites will give you a good spread of quotes and you should check them before making changes and always check again around the time of your renewal.Also consider the other aspects that affect your insurance profile - age, car storage, claim history and mileage - and try to combine the factors (such as mileage) to the best advantage to lower your quote.

If you are new to driving it would be better, unless you have lots of money, to begin with a car from a lower insurance group.If you can build up and maintain a no-claims profile with no penalty points, you should be able to move up the car insurance groups without significantly increasing your premium.The idea is that cheap car insurance for young drivers should be competitive because you are cutting out the middleman, so the insurer can pass the savings on to you.However you will have to do the leg-work though, which can take a few hours, but it will be time well spent.You should call at least three insurance companies before deciding on a policy.And remember that you can often save between 10% and 20% by going online.Most insurance companies offer cheap car insurance for first time drivers online.So if you get a telephone quote then you need to check you are not missing out on a deal which you can only get online, even from the same insurance company.There is no shortage of websites that will let you compare car insurance policies and prices between different car insurance companies.But to get the best possible deal, then you need to spend a few minutes making certain that you are answering all of the questions correctly before you jump online.Don't think, however, that you can get away with only looking at comparisons on one website.Each website only compares a small handful of insurance companies.If you really and truly want to make sure that you are getting the very best deal possible on your car insurance, then you really need to bite the bullet and take the extra time to make the same comparisons on at least 3 different websites.Another way to secure cheap car insurance for first time drivers is to pay up front for the policy.Paying by monthly instalments may appear to be the cheaper option but many insurers will charge interest on the payments (up to 25% APR) and this could effectively clear any perceived savings you made on the policy.Also consider adding breakdown cover to the policy if offered by the insurer as this could save you a lot of money in the long run and is usually quite cost effective considering the peace of mind it delivers.You can save £50-£100 by getting your breakdown cover this way.So, before purchasing cheap car insurance for young drivers it would be wise to view the car insurance groups that a particular car falls into.These car insurance groups classify cars in a certain level of insurance and each car is assigned a group starting from one and ending at twenty.Buying a car relative to the most affordable group would be a more sensible way to save money on insurance.