3 ways to get insurance for a learner driver

With so many insurance products available on the market now for every kind of driver, it can be a little overwhelming when it comes to finding what’s best for you as a learner.

Whichever option you choose though, one thing is certain – putting in the practice while you’re learning can be the difference between a pass and a fail – or even a crash and no crash once you’ve passed.

Practice outside of driving lessons not only ramps up your time spent behind the wheel, but also gives you experience of different times of day, different cars and different kinds of traffic situations. It’s worth its weight in gold, basically.

But you need insurance first. So here’s 3 ways for a learner driver to be covered from ingenie car insurance.

Buy your own car

It can feel like a big step to take before you’ve even got your pink licence, and it is a lot of money while you’re still paying for driving lessons – but it will be a good investment in the long run (as long as you don’t buy a tin can that’s going to last you about 2 miles!)

The pros:

• • You’ll get used to the car you’ll be driving once you’ve passed
  • You’ll start building up your No Claims Discount
  • You’ll be able to practise as much as you want, as long as you have a keen practice buddy willing to jump in next to you

The cons:

• • The cost of a car, full insurance, maintenance, petrol…it can add up pretty fast, so you need to budget for that first
  • You’ll be paying for a full insurance policy but only practising as often as you can persuade someone to supervise you – which may end up only being the odd evening or weekend
  • If you have a bump while you’re learning, the amount you pay towards a claim (the excess) may be high because you’re inexperienced

If you’ve got your own car and you’re raring to start practising, check out ingenie’s black box Learner insurance. You’ll get regular feedback on your driving so you can really focus on the areas to improve while you practise, and you can earn money back just by driving well – up to 21% off your insurance over the year.

Get added to your parents’ insurance

If your parent suggests adding you to their car insurance as a named driver – great! But if you have to ask them, err…just choose your words and timing carefully.

The pros:

• • It’s all on them; you don’t have to do the organising or deal with any admin as they’ll be the policyholder
  • They’ll probably be paying for the petrol, so that’s one less cost for you (for now!)

The cons:

• • It’s not always cheaper than having your own learner insurance
  • If you have a crash, the car owner will lose their NCD and their insurance will go up – that means an unhappy parent to deal with
  • You’re not earning your own NCD, which you could be building up on your own car while you’re practising

Option 3: Get your own learner insurance (on someone else’s car)

This option feels a little strange to get your head around but it’s actually really simple. It basically works out that you’re borrowing someone else’s car (with their permission – of course) but when you’re driving you’re covered under your own insurance.

The pros:

• • The car owner won’t lose their NCD if you have a bump (awkward conversations with Dad avoided)
  • It’s flexible – which means you can choose how many months you need cover for and buy more time if you need
  • You’ll usually have a lower compulsory excess

The cons:

• • The policy will be in your name so you’ll be sorting the admin here and there –  time to brush up on your insurance jargon perhaps?
  • You won’t be earning your own NCD

If you’ve not got your own car yet, ingenie’s flexible Learner driver insurance allows you to drive someone else’s car while you’re practising outside of your lessons. Just choose how long you need, from 1 to 6 months, and if you get to the end of your insurance and need more time, you can buy another chunk.

If you’re still not sure which route to go down, don’t sweat. Before you resort to flipping a coin why not get yourself a quote and go from there.

This article was written by our specially selected partner ingenie