What really cheeses me off is that modern cars are either equipped with slightly more powerful engine or more safety equipment that makes the car beyond the reach of under 25s. Direct line should relax their criteria for under 25s a bit.
I was interested in the 2024 facelift Hyundai Kona 1.0 auto. There was only the advance model available. The next trim up is the N-line with extra safety equipment but with same engine and power output. But due to it having extra equipment it put the car into insurance group 18. The advance was in group 16. You might argue that with the extra safety equipment it should reduce any chances of an accident but it’s the repair cost that will be higher.