UK: Ford has joined forces with Marmalade, a leading provider of insurance for young drivers, to make the UK’s most popular car more affordable for young drivers and improve their road safety skills.

Under the new scheme, Ford is offering drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 a contribution of up to £1,450 on Marmalade’s New Driver Insurance when they purchase a new Ford Fiesta. Ford is also offering up to £1,110 towards Marmalade’s insurance if young drivers choose to buy a new Ford Ka. These deals are only available when financed with Ford Options two-year personal contract purchase plan*. All cars will be fitted with a black box free of charge as part of Marmalade’s advanced telematics system, which improves safety without imposing curfews on young drivers.

Marmalade’s black boxes collect data on accelerating, braking, cornering and speed for each journey and feedback any issues to the driver. Marmalade also provides on going education and support and this approach is dramatically improving young people’s driving skills. On a national basis, 1 in 5 young drivers is involved in an accident, with Marmalade’s telematics customers this goes down to 1 in 17.

This new initiative is being launched to help more young drivers stay safe on the road and supports Ford’s Driving Skills for Life, an advanced free safety training programme for newly licensed drivers. Young drivers will benefit from all the safety features of the new Ford Fiesta and Ford Ka, as well as the latest security and low emissions technology. As standard Fiesta is fitted with Ford MyKey, a new technology that allows parents to limit top speed, encourage seatbelt use and control the volume of the integrated sound system.

Mark Ovenden, Chairman and Managing Director, Ford of Britain said:
“We’re dedicated to helping keep young people safer on the roads. This insurance offer with Marmalade not only makes owning a brand new car more affordable, but also helps offer the latest safety and security features of a brand new vehicle to young drivers.”

Crispin Moger, CEO at Marmalade, said:
“Ford is the ideal partner for us with its commitment to the safety of young drivers. We are passionate about keeping young drivers safe and thanks to our intelligent black box technology have a strong track record of doing so. This new partnership will provide many more young people with a safe and affordable means to get on the road in great Ford cars.”

*Retail only. Finance subject to status. Guarantees may be required. Freepost Ford Credit. Subject to availability at participating UK Ford Dealers for new vehicles.