Learner Driver Car Insurance

Our learner driver insurance provides fully-comprehensive cover for you to learn to drive in a specific car. However, for the cover to be valid, you must:

• Have a valid provisional driving license – UK law states that in order to drive a car as a learner, you must be aged at least 17 and have an in-date, UK issued, provisional driving licence.
• Be accompanied by an experienced driver – UK law states that a learner driver must be accompanied by an experienced supervising driver at all times. This is defined as someone who is over the age of 21 and has been driving for three or more years.
• Only drive between 6am and 10pm – Our learner driver car insurance policies provide cover between the hours of 6am and 10pm. This is because, based on accident data, the risks significantly increase for night time and early morning driving.

Our learner driver insurance policy will cover you to drive a specific car; this might be owned by a family member or a friend, for example. Regardless of ownership, it must:

• Be insured under a separate policy – The car you’d like to be insured to drive must be insured in its own right. For example, an annual policy in the car owners name.
• Have a value of £30,000 of less – The car must have a current market value of £30,000 or less. Independent valuation data may be used to verify this.
• Be registered in the UK – The car must have been registered in the UK. It therefore can’t be an import.
• Have no more than six seats – We'll only insure cars that have up to six seats.
• Be unmodified – The car must not have been modified. This includes both visual and performance modifications.
• Not be a hire or rental car – We can’t provide cover for a car that has been hired or rented.

The cost of being insured as a learner driver will vary based on a variety of factors; age, location and occupation along with vehicle make and model to name just a few. However, when you buy learner driver insurance through One Call Insurance, you could pay as little as £38 for a week, £66 for a month or £226 for five months.

Aside from using learner driver insurance to squeeze in some additional on-the-road practice, you can also use the cover to take your driving test in the insured car. However, you must note that if you pass your test, you will no longer be classed as a ‘learner’ and the policy will therefore be invalidated with immediate effect.

If you’re learning to drive with a qualified instructor, you won’t need to worry about sorting insurance. However, if, like the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) recommend, you plan on clocking up some additional practice in a car belonging to a friend or a family member, you’ll need to make sure you’re insured to drive it.

There are a number of ways you can do this:

• 1. Become a named driver – Becoming a named driver on the car owner’s existing insurance policy often works out the more expensive of the two options, not only that, but the car owner’s NCD (No Claims Discount) might be at risk if you are involved in an accident whilst behind the wheel, which in turn could push up the cost of their insurance policy at renewal.
• 2. Buy a learner driver policy – Taking out your own learner driver insurance policy will provide you with fully comprehensive cover to drive a specific car. Not only can it work out cheaper, but it also ensures that the car owner’s NCD won’t be affected if you have an accident.

We all like a bargain, and when it comes to learner driver insurance, there are many things you can do to keep the cost of learner driver insurance down. These include:

Don’t learn to drive in a high-powered or expensive car – Learning to drive in a friend’s £30,000 2.0L BMW will inevitably increase the cost of learner driver insurance when compared to the cost of being insured on a £12,000 1.2L Ford Fiesta, in fact you might be declined cover altogether. Instead, team up with a family member or a friend who drives something less expensive and lower-powered such as the aforementioned Ford Fiesta or a Vauxhall Corsa, Fiat 500, Kia Picanto or Hyundai i10.

Don’t break the law – Committing a motoring offence before you’ve even passed your test can have huge implications not just for the cost of learner driver insurance (you’re obliged to tell your insurer about any pending convictions and they may subsequently requote your insurance policy), but also the cost of an annual policy once you’ve passed your test and got your own car. You should therefore:

Avoid the temptation of driving solo – Driving without adequate supervision on a provisional licence could get you points, a fine or even a ban.

Stick to all speed limits – Speeding is a big no. You should therefore familiarise yourself with speed limits, and when driving, be super vigilant as to ensure you pick up on any speed limit drops and temporary speed restrictions.

Refrain from dodging red lights – You might think you have enough time to make it before the lights hit red, but have you really? Not only is dodging red lights dangerous, given the existence of traffic cameras on or close to most traffic lights, it could all to easily result in points and a fine.

The duration of policy you take is entirely down to you. However, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) recommends you have 47 hours of professional lessons along with an additional 20 hours outside of your professional lessons. Using this as a rough guide, you should be able to work out how many days, weeks or months you think you’ll need to complete those 20 hours. Subsequently you’ll have an indication of the duration of cover you need.

If you pass your test sooner than expected i.e. before your duration of cover expires; you can request a refund for the unused cover (minus a cancellation fee), ensuring you aren’t forking out for cover you don’t need.