This depends on what you want from your car insurance.
To help you decide, here are the pros and cons of the 2 main ways to insure a learner.
"If you're practicing your driving with a parent or friend then you'll need to arrange insurance before you start. As a new driver, navigating the world of insurance for the first time can be overwhelming. But we're here to help you choose the option that best suits your needs, and your budget of course!"
You can compare learner driver insurance quotes with us in 3 quick steps.
If you're looking to get a quote for a standard 12-month policy, it takes about 5 minutes.
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Once you've passed your test, your learner driver insurance will no longer cover you. You'll then need to make sure you have the right cover in place before you hit the road.
How you do this depends on the type of insurance you took out as a learner driver.
Annual car insurance
Temporary policyholders
Named drivers
Average cost of learner driver insurance:
Annual car insurance
£2,611*
Temporary insurance (1 day)
£412
Temporary insurance (1 week)
£562
*Confused.com data Q3 2024.
2Average cost of temporary insurance based on Confused.com data, September 2024.
It costs £2,611* on average to insure a learner driver on an annual policy.
This is higher than the average cost of car insurance, which sits at £861***.
For temporary insurance, the average for 1 day of cover is £41, a week costs £56 on average.
Generally, learner driver insurance is more expensive than the average due to learner drivers' lack of experience behind the wheel. This makes them statistically more likely to be involved in an accident.
Learner cover also tends to be taken out by younger drivers, who make more expensive claims than older drivers. Insurers factor this into the prices they offer you, and learners pay more for their cover as a result.
*** Confused.com price index Q3 2024.
2Average cost of temporary insurance based on Confused.com data, Sept 2024.
Despite offering you a higher level of cover, fully comprehensive car insurance tends to be cheaper than third party insurance.
If you've yet to buy a car, think about getting one in a low insurance group. Car insurance companies assign all cars a group from 1-50. Generally, the higher the car insurance group, the more expensive your insurance is. Check your car insurance group.
Black box insurance policies use an app or a device installed in your car to monitor your driving. If you're a safe, responsible driver, this will be shown in the data your device collects, and you could be offered cheaper insurance as a result.
Voluntary excess is the amount you’re willing to pay towards the cost of any claims you make. Sometimes, choosing a higher excess can lead to lower insurance costs. Just remember to opt for an excess you could realistically afford to pay if you needed to make a claim. The most popular excess amount taken out by our customers is £250*.
Choosing to pay for your insurance annually instead of monthly could help you save money. Our shows that those paying annually for their policies paid 50%* less on average than those paying monthly. If you can afford it, it can be a smart way to save.
Adding a named driver to your policy, especially an experienced one with a good driving history, can sometimes help to bring your insurance costs down. Just make sure whoever is using the car the most is insured as the main policyholder.
*Confused.com data Q3 2024
When you're comparing quotes, we'll ask you if you want to add optional extras onto your policy. These allow you to make sure your insurance covers everything you want it to.
Add-ons come at an additional cost, though, and are only available with an annual policy, so think about what you need before buying your cover.
Some of the most popular extras include:
Breakdown cover
Personal accident cover
Windscreen cover
Legal expenses cover
Yes. If you need to take your test in your own car, or a friend or family member's car, you should be covered by your learner driver insurance.
If you're doing your test in an instructor's car, you don't need insurance as the instructor will have this covered.
In this case, you may need to look at convicted driver insurance as standard insurers might not cover you.
There are options available but they're likely to be limited and cost more. Your choices depend on the type of conviction and whether it's spent or not.
Just passed your driving test? You might be wondering what P plates are, whether you need them, and how they could help.
Figuring out which level of cover suits you can be a headache. Here’s a quick rundown of the most common policy types and what they do.
If your car is in an accident and is declared a write-off, here's what happens next. We show you the different categories of write off and what they mean.
Being able to drive other cars isn’t included on every policy. Find out more about the driving other cars policy clause.
Whether you’ve declared your car as SORN, sold your car, or have simply renewed your car insurance early elsewhere, you’ll need to know how to cancel your car insurance policy.
Gives you cheap, short-term cover from 1 hour to 28 days for social and business use.
Page last reviewed: 31 October 2024
Reviewed by: Louise Thomas
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