There's frustration that many young drivers are paying more for motor insurance than the value of their car.
Concerns about insurance premiums were highlighted in a series of tweets from journalist and entrepreneur Harry McCann.
Car insurance in this country is ridiculous.
When I first got my car as a learner driver (2 years ago), I was quoted €3,000.
I finally got it down to €2,000 and then eventually down to €1,800 last year.
My insurance is up for renewal this month and my quote is €960.
(1)— Harry McCann (@TheHarryMcC) September 1, 2021
The 22-year-old said a number of insurers wouldn't give him a quote because his car - a 2008 Renault Clio with full NCT - is "too old".
Harry spoke to Lunchtime Live about his experiences dealing with insurers as a young driver.
He said: "I’m only a recent fully-qualified driver, but I had my own insurance policies for the last few years as a learner driver.
“The first year I got quoted €3,000 - I managed to get that down, through a connection in one of the insurance companies who managed to give a family & friends discount. I got that for €2,000, and last year it went down to €1,800.
“My renewal was up this year for €960 - it’s actually €1,100, but they cut it down once I gave them a call.
"Most insurance companies wouldn’t offer me a policy due to the age of my car, or due to me not having a licence for long enough. There were so many barriers and restrictions."
Harry said he spoke to almost every insurance company, and everyone he spoke to had a "different reason" for a high quote or refusing to offer a quote at all.
He observed: “Some weren’t able to offer me comprehensive insurance due to my age or the age of the car. I drive a 2008 Renault Clio - it’s not a particularly big car or a particularly old car.
“Others said they just weren’t able to offer the policy.”
Harry said public transport isn't an option for him and many others, so they're reliant on cars.
However, he believes he's one of the lucky ones despite the high quotes he has received.
He said: "I’ve spoken to people who have much newer cars and have been driving for much longer. I’m hearing people who are still getting quotes well over €1,000.
“For years and years this has happened - people are being overpriced for insurance. My policy originally was €2,000 - my car isn’t even worth €2,000. It’s a bit of a pain to pay more for insurance than the car’s actually worth.
“For younger people - people in their teens and 20s and even 30s - getting insurance is a very difficult task, and far too costly. It’s right across the board.”
“It’s not just younger drivers"
Young male drivers are often those facing the highest insurance premium, but Peter Boland - director of the Alliance for Insurance Reform - says expensive insurance is a very common problem across age groups.
He said: "Harry isn’t alone. It’s a pattern that’s worked its way right through the system.
"The average motor insurance premium in the country is just under €700 - Harry’s probably going there faster than most drivers, because the general feedback we get is it takes quite a while to get down to an average level in Ireland.
“That average level is nuts compared to the rest of the world.
"The rule about cars being over ten years old is another crazy one, especially when they get a clean bill of health from the NCT."
Peter said one of the problems is the limited number of insurers offering motor insurance in Ireland.
He said: "As a result, they seem to be in a position to pick and choose.
“Certainly in our view there’s not nearly enough competition in this market.”
Motor insurance premiums are expected to fall somewhat, under new guidelines around payouts for injuries such as whiplash.
