Table of Contents
- What is learner driver insurance?
- Do learner drivers need insurance?
- How does learner driver insurance work?
- The different types of learner insurance
- What is the best learner driver insurance for you?
- How much is learner driver insurance?
- How to get cheaper learner driver insurance
- Learner driver insurance FAQs
Taking out learner drive insurance allows you to practise behind the wheel of someone else’s car. Here’s all you need to know about being covered when you have a provisional licence, including how to find cheap learner driver insurance that suits you.
What is learner driver insurance?
Learner driver insurance, or provisional insurance, covers you if you’re learning to drive in a family member’s or friend’s car. Having this specialist insurance for learner drivers in place also means the no-claims discount (NCD) of the person who owns the car isn’t affected if you have an accident while driving their car.
Depending on the insurer, learner driver car insurance can be purchased by the day, week, or month. Alternatively, it can be arranged as a more traditional annual policy, providing cover for an entire year.
Do learner drivers need insurance?
Every driver, including learner drivers, must have insurance before driving in the UK. You are breaking the law if you don’t.
If you’re having lessons from a professional driving instructor or attending a driving school their insurance should cover you while you’re being taught.
However, if you want to practise without a professional instructor you will need learner driver insurance or be a named driver on someone else’s standard car insurance policy.
Can I add a learner driver to my insurance?
You will need to check with your insurer if you want to add a learner driver to your existing car insurance policy as a named driver. If you can, the cost of your cover will likely go up and your no-claims discount will be at risk if they have an accident.
A named driver should not be the main user of a car. If they do use the vehicle the most, and you’ve simply added them to your policy as a named driver, this is called ‘fronting’. Some parents may be tempted to do this because their greater driving experience will make the policy cheaper than if their child is the main policyholder. However, fronting is illegal and considered fraud, meaning your policy could be cancelled or voided, and you won’t receive a payout if you make a claim. You’ll probably find cover is more expensive in the future too, and you could face criminal proceedings.
How does learner driver insurance work?
Exactly how learner driver insurance works may differ slightly between insurers, but generally:
As a learner driver, you’ll need to…
- be 17 or over and a UK resident
- have a provisional UK driving licence
- not have made any claims on another policy
- have no penalty points or convictions for driving offences
- get the permission of the car’s owner to drive it
As the person teaching a learner driver, you’ll need to…
- be at least 21 (though some insurers have a higher minimum age)
- have held a full driving licence for three years
- be qualified to drive the car themselves (so have a manual licence if you’re learning in a manual car).
The car you’re learning to drive in must…
- have an MOT and be registered
- be covered by a separate annual car insurance policy (unless you’re the registered keeper)
- have L plates (or D plates if you’re in Wales) when you’re driving
- not be a rental car
- meet any criteria set by the insurer, for example, it may need to be worth less than a certain amount, have no more than a specified number of seats, or have no modifications.
Can a learner driver insure their own car?
You can insure your own car as a learner driver. As well as meaning you won’t have to borrow someone else’s car, it can also mean you can start building a no-claims discount, lowering the cost of cover once you’ve passed your test.
The different types of learner insurance
There are three main types of learner driver insurance. The protection offered by each level of cover may differ slightly between insurers, so always check the finer details of any provisional insurance policy before buying.
Fully comprehensive
Comprehensive car insurance provides cover if your car is damaged or lost due to an accident, fire, theft or being vandalised. The cost of repairs or replacing the car, if necessary, is usually covered, as are any medical bills if you or your passengers suffer injuries. The repair bills for other people’s cars or property are also covered, along with their medical costs.
Third party
Third party car insurance provides cover against damage to someone else’s car, property or injuries but doesn’t cover your car, injuries, or against theft. While it is the minimum cover legally required to drive on UK roads, it doesn’t necessarily make it the cheapest, so check the cost of comprehensive insurance too.
Third party, fire and theft
As the name suggests, this type of policy is similar to third party insurance, in that it covers others, but not yourself, if there’s an accident. However, it does include cover for your car in case of fire or it’s stolen.
What is the best learner driver insurance for you?
Which type of learner car insurance is best for you will depend on your circumstances, wants and needs. As well as deciding between comprehensive, third party, and third party, fire and theft learner insurance, there is also a choice over the length of cover.
The two main options are:
Annual learner insurance: This provides cover for an entire year, similar to a standard car insurance policy.
Short-term learner driver insurance: Also known as pay-as-you-go or temporary learner driver insurance, this cover can be arranged by the hour, day, week, or month.
» MORE: Temporary car insurance explained
Does learner insurance cover your driving test?
Learner driver insurance usually covers taking a driving test, though it’s important to check the terms and conditions of your policy to make sure. However, your learner insurance is invalid as soon as you pass your test. This means you can’t drive again, including back from the test centre, until you have standard car insurance in place.
» MORE: Young driver insurance
How much is learner driver insurance?
The cost of learner insurance will depend on several factors including the type of cover chosen, the length of the policy, and the excess you’re willing to pay if you need to make a claim. Other factors such as the make and model of the car, your age and where you live can be important too.
As a rough guide, you might expect daily learner insurance to cost upwards of £20 a day, while monthly learner insurance could cost hundreds of pounds. Learner driver insurance is likely to cost more than standard car insurance because drivers yet to pass their driving test will be considered to have a higher risk of having an accident and making a claim.
The only way to find out how much learner driver insurance will cost you is to get quotes and compare insurers.
How much does it cost to add a learner driver to my insurance?
The cost of adding a learner driver to your existing car insurance policy will usually depend on many different factors including the age and address of the person you want to add, how often they’ll use your car, and the vehicle itself. You’ll need to check with your insurer to find out exactly how much it will cost.
» MORE: Why is car insurance so expensive?
How to get cheaper learner driver insurance
There are steps you can take that may lower the cost of learner driver insurance, including:
Shopping around
As with any type of insurance, you should compare learner insurance quotes from different insurers to find the best policy for you. Check the cost of different types of cover too. For example, it’s not unusual for comprehensive cover to cost less than third party policies.
Agreeing a higher excess
The more you’re willing to pay to an insurer as an excess if you need to make a claim, the cheaper premiums usually get. Importantly, make sure you can afford what would need to be paid if you did make a claim.
Picking your car carefully
If you’re getting your own car as a learner driver, it pays to choose carefully. Car insurance tends to be cheaper for lower value cars. Cars that are classified as ‘group one’ are usually the cheapest to insure.
‘Black box’ insurance
With black box insurance, your driving habits, including speed, distance travelled and times of day you drive, are monitored by a device installed in your car. This information is shared with your insurer, and if it shows you to be a sensible and safe driver, your premiums could go down.
Only paying for extras you need
Insurers usually give you the chance to add optional extras to any car insurance policy, but you’ll need to pay more for any you choose. So consider carefully whether what you’re being offered is worthwhile, and also check if you can get something like breakdown cover cheaper as a separate policy, if that is an option you want.
Adding an experienced named driver
If you own your own car, some learner insurance policies may allow you to add an older, more experienced named driver to your policy, such as a parent. It may lower your premium and it allows them to drive your car if they need to.
» MORE: More tips for getting cheap car insurance
Learner driver insurance FAQs
Some learner insurance policies count towards building a no-claims discount if you’re taking the cover out on your own car. You’ll need to check the terms of the policy to be sure.
According to the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency, learner drivers need on average 45 hours of driving lessons with a professional instructor and another 22 hours of private practice to pass. But this will be different for different people, there’s no guarantee you’ll pass the first time, and you won’t do all your lessons in quick succession. As a starting point, you could think about how many lessons you’re likely to have each week or month, and use the averages to work out an initial cover period. You should have the option to take out more cover if you need extra time.
As a general rule, it is a good idea to have your own insurance if you’re supervising a learner driver so that you can take over driving if needed. If a learner driver is practising in your car, you will need your own car insurance, and they will either need their own learner insurance or be a named driver on your policy. However, if it’s not your car, and the learner is driving a car they own, there is no legal requirement for you to have insurance just to supervise.
The best way to find the cheapest way to insure a learner driver is to check with your insurer how much it would cost to add a provisional driver and compare this with quotes for separate learner cover.
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