Learner drivers' car insurance

Learner drivers: we hate to break it to you, but you may have to pay one of the highest car insurance premiums on the market. Because, thanks to inexperience, you're considered a high risk by insurers.

The statistics show that you're more likely than other groups to make a claim.

But it's understandable - you're bound to make mistakes, great and small, as you learn to drive. 

Whatever the standard of your driving, as a new motorist won't have had the chance to prove your ability yet by driving claim-free and building up a no claims discount (NCD).

In the future, an accumulation of NCD will help keep your premiums lower, provided you drive carefully. Nobody wants accidents and mistakes to become a regular occurrence. 

But, for now, shopping around for car insurance is vital to keep your costs as low as possible. 

Comparing policies will make sure you end up with a policy you can afford. It'll also help you get the right cover in place to protect you legally and financially.

Do learner drivers need car insurance?

Yes. If you're a learner driver, there are likely to be three main insurance scenarios to consider when you hit the road.

You may be taking lessons with a professional instructor. You may have been added to the policy of another driver. Or you might be looking to take out your own insurance.

Whichever category you fall into, here are the things to think about.

Car insurance provided by professional driving instructors

If you're learning to drive only in the car of a professional driving instructor, then you don't need to worry about learner driver insurance.

They'll have cover in place for their students, which is partly what you're paying for.

However, you're likely to want to practise driving without your instructor, perhaps in a friend or parent's car.

Learner drivers in other people's cars

If you're using their car, a relative or friend will typically call their insurer and add you to the policy as a learner driver.

However, not all insurers will accept younger learner motorists onto existing policies.

Others will charge a horrendous amount because they don't particularly want inexperienced learner drivers on their books.

They may have offered a parent a competitively priced policy because of their age and experience.

So you may want learner driver insurance because your guardian isn't willing to add you to their own policy.

Or perhaps you've already bought your own car and want to practise in that.

Maybe you've coaxed several friends into taking you out for a drive and need insurance that covers you in all their vehicles.

In such cases, you'll need a specific learner driver car insurance policy.

What does learner driver insurance cover?

Learner driver insurance lets you practise in any car, so long as you have permission and are properly supervised.

By law, you have to be supervised by a qualified driver who's over 21 and has had their licence for at least three years.

Some insurers set even tougher rules than that, such as specifying that your supervising driver has to be at least 25.

Breaking the rules could invalidate your insurance, so make sure you read all your policy's small print.

Learner driver policies will also usually include limitations on the value of the cars you can drive, such as a cap of £20,000.

If you were planning to practise in a Bentley, it's probably not going to happen.

How long will you need learner driver car insurance?

Some insurers offer very short-term cover for learner drivers.

For example, one popular insurer offers short-term policies for as little as seven days at a time, or you can pay for an annual policy.

Another insurer lets learners buy cover for just one day at a time.

Unless you can genuinely pass your test with just a few weeks of practice, it's likely to be cheaper to buy a longer-term policy rather than topping it up week-by-week.

Research by the Driving Standards Agency suggests the average learner driver needs at least 47 hours of lessons plus 22 hours of private practice to pass their test. So be realistic about how long you might need.

Finding cheaper learner driver insurance cover

If you're learning to drive then there's one important lesson to take to heart.

What matters is not finding the cheapest car insurance so that you're legal to drive - it's about finding the best price for the cover you need.

So don't be tempted into third-party only cover if what you really need is a fully comprehensive policy.

The easiest way to find the right learner driver insurance at the best price is to compare policies.

At GoCompare, you can look at multiple insurance brands in one search. We also highlight the level of cover you get for each premium, so that you can find the right policy at hopefully the lowest price.

Remember to tick the 'UK provisional' option when you choose your licence type when applying for quotes.

Beyond that, all our regular tips to cut the cost of car insurance apply. Particularly relevant for learner and new drivers could be considering telematics or black box policies; a pay-as-you-go car insurance policy if you're only travelling very short distances; choosing a small, sensible vehicle; and thinking about the benefits you may gain from an additional driving qualification such as Pass Plus.

Car insurance for recently qualified drivers

It's an exciting day when you pass your test and receive a full licence.

Well, exciting right up to the point where you start looking at the cost of insurance as a new driver.

Frustratingly, insurers consider new drivers to be at an increased risk of making a claim, particularly if they're teenagers.

In fact, some insurers won't offer cover to drivers under a certain age, such as 21, or even 25.

That's why it's so important for new drivers to compare car insurance premiums and find the best price for the cover they need.

You can read more in our article on car insurance for young drivers.

By Felicity Hannah