Whether you’re a learner driver yourself or the parent of a provisional licence holder, here’s everything you need to know about learner driver insurance.
Do learner drivers need insurance?
When you’re learning to drive it’s important to get as much on road experience as possible, to build your driving skills and your confidence before your test. Most people learn to drive with an instructor and for a lot of people, their first time in the driving seat will be during their first lesson. If you’re learning with a driving instructor, their insurance will cover you when you’re practicing in their car.
Let’s be real though, driving lessons are pretty expensive so people only have an hour or two a week with their instructor. Lots of learner drivers will supplement their lessons with extra practice, usually with a parent or a partner. Before you hop in a car though it’s important to make sure you have the right insurance or you could end up with a fine and points on your provisional licence before you even pass your test. Not cool.
This is where our learner driver insurance comes in. You’re welcome.
Learner driver insurance for your own car
If you’re lucky enough to have your own car before you’ve passed your test then we could cover you. You need to remember to let your insurance company know when you’ve passed your test so they can update your details, but your price might go up. Check out our article on taking a driving test in your own car.
Insurance for learner drivers on a parent’s car
Most learner drivers aren’t as lucky, and need to practice in other people’s cars in between lessons – usually their parents’. If this is you, you’ll need to take out learner driver insurance.
Another option for learner drivers is to be added as a named driver to someone else’s insurance policy. Although this option works for some people, there are some big drawbacks. The biggest potential problem is that any claim a named driver makes, will affect the owner’s insurance policy and their no claims bonus. No pressure there. With learner driver insurance, if you need to make a claim while learning, the owner doesn’t need to declare it to their insurer and they won’t lose their no claims bonus. Much better.
Can you teach yourself to drive?
I’m afraid not. You can watch online videos as much as you like, but if you make a mistake, no one’s there to help you out. You don’t have to have an instructor at all though, if you’re trying to save on money, but you’ll need someone to supervise you practising and you’ll also need learner driver insurance if you’re borrowing a car.
Who can supervise a learner driver?
Any driver over 21 who’s held a current and valid full licence for at least three years (from countries in the EU and EEC) can supervise a learner driver. They have to be qualified to drive the type of car the learner’s practising in though, so an automatic licence holder can’t supervise someone in a manual.
Provisional insurance
Learner driver insurance. Provisional insurance. Provisional driver insurance. All fancy names for the same thing.
Learner driver insurance is a flexible solution that lets you get insured on a friend or family member’s car without affecting the car owner’s no claims bonus. The insurance works in addition to any cover already in place on the car. You can choose instant cover from 2 hours to 180 days depending on how long you need. It’s fully comp so whoever is nice enough to let you practice in their car can enjoy peace of mind while you get to grips with being on the road. Check out our article that explains all the car insurance jargon terms if you’re unsure when you’re doing your research.
How much is learner driver insurance?
Time and money are factors to consider when deciding between learner driver insurance and being a named driver. Adding a named driver usually involves calling up the owner’s insurer to add the learner and paying an admin fee. You can grab learner driver insurance online, so no admin fees for adding the driver or annoying ‘on hold’ music, and you can get a quote in minutes. Easy choice right there.
You can also choose £250 or £100 compulsory excess on our insurance if you need to make a claim. The excess for a windscreen claim can be found in your insurance policy schedule, within your account that’s super easy to set up.
Learner driver insurance for a day
Learner driver insurance is a more flexible option than being added as a named driver because you can choose the perfect length of cover you need, from 2 hours right up to 180 days or anything in between. You could even be insured on multiple cars, depending on who’s got a free car and is happy to practice with you. For example, you could buy a few hours of cover to practice with your big brother on a Sunday, and then 5 days to go out with mum in the evenings after college or school.
Don’t forget that learner drivers need to be supervised at all times and learner driver insurance ends as soon as you pass your test. You’ll be a pro by then.