If you’re a learner driver, you may have heard of best learner driver insurance. It’s essential if you want to practice your driving outside of class. There are several ways to insure learner driver, e.g. adding to an existing policy or, which we will explain in a moment, buying special and best learner driver insurance. But how exactly does best learner driver insurance? We’re here to break it down for you.
What Is Best Learner Driver Insurance?
Learner driver insurance is a flexible short-term solution for learner drivers that can cover a friend or family member’s car for anywhere from two hours to 90 days. The insurance is a supplement to any coverage already on the vehicle and includes comprehensive insurance.
This coverage is not appropriate if you own the car you are studying in.
How Does Best Learner Driver Insurance?
Learner driver insurance is specially designed for learners who are practising for their car driving exams. It is a policy purchased in the learner’s name only and covers them while behind the wheel. Whether you plan to take your mom or dad’s car for a quick spin around the block or plan to take your car to the gym, insurance is required by law.
How Do I Compare Best Learner Driver Insurance?
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Enter a few details, this will help us find the right insurance so we can make our best offers. Learner driver insurance is short-term car insurance that lets you drive your car or someone else’s while you take your driving test.
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Look at all the details and choose the best trainee insurance for you and apply for it. If necessary, you can also take out optional extras for your learner driver insurance, e.g. Accident and breakdown protection.
Who Can Take Out Best Learner Driver Insurance?
You can get learner driver insurance if you need to rent a car or if you have your own. Both policies run on behalf of the learner.
Do I need learner driver insurance?
Not all learner drivers need car insurance. It depends on how you learn to drive.
There are four ways you can learn to drive, and these will determine if you should get learner driver insurance.
| Where you’re learning | Insurance required |
| Your own car | None if the lessons take place on private land |
| Someone else’s car | Provisional insurance policy or Named driver on the owner’s policy |
| In a driving instructor’s car | None – you’re covered by your instructor |
| Driving school for under 17s (or similar) | Your car |
Remember that in the UK it is illegal to drive on a public road – or even an abandoned car park – without insurance.
Read more about how best learner driver insurance and what to do if you need cheap learner insurance.
Advantages Of Best Learner Driver Insurance
- Your no-claims bonus will not be affected: As this is a separate policy, your no-claims bonus will not be affected if the learner is involved in an accident while driving.
- No increase in your insurance costs: Adding an apprentice to your existing insurance may increase the price.
- No Interim Change Fees: You may be charged a change fee for adding a learner to your policy.
How Old Do I Have To Be To Take Out Best Learner Driver Insurance UK?
Generally, to get preliminary driver liability insurance for a car, you must be at least 17 years old. You will also need a valid provisional driver’s license.
There is one exception though: you can drive at 16 if you have the increased rate of the mobility component of the Personal Self-Employed Allowance (PIP), which supports people with a long-term illness or disability.
How much does Learner driver insurance cost?
How much learner driver insurance depends on several factors, such as:
- Your age: the cost of insuring a 25-year-old or older starter driver is much lower than the cost of insuring a 17-year-old;
- Your car model: For example, your parents’ Nissan Note would cost a lot less to insure than a brand new Audi;
- Expensive car insurance: If you only need coverage for a few hours on the day of your exam, it may cost you significantly less than a 30-day package.
Let’s look at some company quotes for a 17-year-old living in northeast London who plans to drive his parents’ car, a three-year-old Nissan Note. We found Admiral to be the cheapest at £71.32 for 1 month, £115.94 for 2 months and £151.60 for 3 months. Followed by Marmalade which offered prices of £85.88, £151.14 and £205.01 for the same period and finally Aviva which offered £126.98, £211 and £280.70 respectively.
There are many more companies out there with a variety of options, so it’s best to sit down and try different sites.
Is Learner Driver Insurance Expensive?
Insurance companies are likely to charge learner drivers more. That’s because someone who is learning to drive has a higher risk of an accident than a more experienced driver or even someone who has just passed their test.
However, if you pass your driving test, you can get a no-claims bonus, which will reduce your insurance costs.
Why is Learner driver insurance so expensive?
Insurance for a learner driver is often quite expensive. This is because learner drivers are more likely to be involved in accidents and make insurance claims, so auto insurers charge them higher rates.
But there is good news.
There are now dozens of companies that offer short-term learner driver insurance, which is flexible and can often be purchased on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, and in some cases even hourly. This can prove to be the cheapest option as you only buy as much as you need.
What learner driver insurance may not include
Most trainee car insurance policies have a cap on the cars they cover – you should check if this will cover the cost of replacing your car.
How long do I need best learner driver insurance?
- It depends on how long it takes you to pass your driving test. You can take out short-term learner driver insurance or an annual policy.
- Here you will find temporary learner insurance that covers you for a short period – from one day to five months, depending on the insurer
- If you’ve already booked your driving test, make sure you’re covered by that date if you’re driving a private car
- If you pass your exam, you will need to compare young driver insurance or get short-term auto insurance that will cover you until you can buy a full policy
How Do I Find Cheap Learner Driver Insurance?
When looking for cheap learner driver insurance, you must get the right policy for your needs.
Cheap learner driver insurance can be difficult to find as young drivers are statistically more likely to be involved in accidents and make insurance claims, which means insurers will charge them more.
If you’re learning to drive your car, you’ll need your policy, which can make learner driver insurance a little more difficult to find.
There are ways to ensure you don’t pay too much for your insurance, such as by purchasing black box insurance.
What is the cheapest way to insure a learner driver?
The best way to find cheap learner insurance is to compare learner car insurance.
If you learn to drive someone else’s car, you can apply for your policy or ask them (the owner) to add you to their policy as a named driver.
This will likely increase your premiums, but the additional cost may still be less than the cost of taking out your separate policy.
Keep in mind that having a named driver can be a great way to get cheap learner insurance, but it will affect the other person’s premiums in the future if you have an accident while driving.
5 tips for the cheapest learner driver insurance
Before looking for a car insurance quote, consider the following:
- Choose the right car: The make and model of the car you want to cover is an important factor in insurance premiums, so using a smaller and less powerful car will help keep costs down.
- Become a Named Driver: Being a named driver on someone else’s auto insurance policy is generally cheaper than getting your auto insurance policy. On the experienced drivers’ side, it’s important to consider how much it might cost to add a learner driver to their car insurance.
- Ask about the black box: Many insurers now offer black box or telematics coverage for learners and provisional license holders. It works by monitoring your driving habits and rewarding good driving with lower premiums.
- Opt for flexible short-term policies: Many insurers offer flexible short-term protection for novice drivers from 2 hours to 5-6 months. Bring only as much as you need for your training or your driving test.
- Adjust your policy: Because you’re only insuring while you’re learning to drive, you probably don’t need to add too many extras to your policy. By expanding your insurance to cover the most important insurance aspects, you can lower your premiums and add coverage again at any time after passing.
Can I get learner driver insurance for my car?
Once you have your car, the best way to save on your car insurance, in the long run, is to get your policy while you’re still driving on a provisional license.
That means:
You can start building up your no-claims bonus even before you get your driver’s license. Once you start building your no-claims bonus, your premium should steadily decrease each year as long as you’re not making claims
You don’t risk damaging your friend’s or relative’s no-claims bonus by naming you as a driver on their policy, and their insurance premiums remain the same.
How can a learner driver affect my no-claims bonus?
Adding a friend or family member as a learner driver can be very expensive and can affect your no-claims bonus if they have an accident.
Your no-claim bonus will typically “retire” two years for each claim. For example, a three-year bonus would be reduced to one at your next renewal. A new claim by the learner driver would lead to the loss of the no-claims bonus due to the resulting step backwards.
For this reason, some insurers such as RAC, Marmalade, Veygo by Admiral and others offer special short-term car insurance for learner drivers from 2 hours to 5 months. Learner driver insurance offers you a separate policy for the car. Claims you submit do not affect the car owner’s No Claims Bonus. So you don’t have to report it to your insurer.
Coverage is only applicable if the learner driver is accompanied by a holder of the full UK driving license and ends once they have passed the test.
Car insurance for learner drivers
Most auto insurers will only cover you if you’ve already passed your driving test. Be sure to shop around and look for companies that specialize in learner driver car insurance.
Use our comparison service at the top of this page to find the best young driver insurance from the biggest and most well-known providers. We also show you some of the best learner driver insurance policies from smaller insurance companies.
How can you get best learner driver insurance?
Unlike other methods of insuring a learner driver, you can complete learner insurance online in minutes. All you need is the license plate number, date of birth and zip code to get a quick quote. Then you can take out a full policy within a few minutes.
5 Best Learner Driver Insurance Companies In UK
The following table compares the cheapest learner driver insurance policies offered by some of the most popular providers:
1. Ingenie
30 days: £193.33
60 days: £381.36
90 days: £572.05
Special black box policies for learner drivers who want to learn to drive their own car
Flexible cover (1 month to 6 months)
If learning in someone else’s car, the car owner’s NCD is protected
2. Veygo
30 days: £71.32
60 days: £115.94
90 days: £151.60
Offers flexible cover from 3 hours up to 90 days
Tailor made policy for people with no car
At any insurance agent
3. Aviva
30 days: £126.98
60 days: £211
90 days: £280.70
Administered by a temporary specialist provider Dayinsure
Offers cover lasting from one day to five months
At any insurance agent
3. Marmalade
30 days: £85.88
60 days: £151.14
90 days: £205.01
Offers cover for 30, 60 or 90 days
Option of renewal for a further seven or 14 days
At any insurance agent
4. Hastings direct
30 days: £173.91
60 days: £343.06
90 days: £514.60
Specialised black box policy offering different coverage options Some are great, some are useless. Some are too expensive
At any insurance agent
5. Rac
30 days: 224.66
60 days: 443.17
90 days: 664.76
Specialised black box policy from RAC
Let’s you choose your mileage limit
No installation fees At any insurance agent
Top 10 cheapest cars to insure for learner drivers
Learner drivers often have to bear the brunt of high insurance costs as they are considered more risky due to their inexperience.
However, here’s a handy list of the top 10 cheapest cars to insure for learner drivers between the ages of 17-25:
| Rank | Model | Monthly average insurance cost |
| 1 | Seat Mii | £45.64 |
| 2 | Kia Sportage | £47.21 |
| 3 | VW Up! | £47.43 |
| 4 | Dacia Sandero | £47.67 |
| 5 | Ford KA | £48.35 |
| 6 | Volkswagen Beetle | £48.95 |
| 7 | Peugeot 107 | £49.10 |
| 8 | Citroen C1 | £49.28 |
| 9 | Audi Q2 | £49.60 |
| 10 | Fiat 500 | £53.64 |
Who can guide me in learning to drive?
Anyone who has held a full UK driving license for over three years and is aged between 25 and 75 can drive if you have provisional driver insurance. These can be parents, family members, or friends. There are a few important things to keep in mind when guiding a learner driver. Your supervisor must not use his mobile phone while driving and he must not be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. This includes prescription drugs that prohibit driving. Your instructor may also not accept payment unless they are an approved instructor.
