Learning to drive is an exciting milestone, but there are lots of rules and regulations you need to know as a learner driver that can sometimes be confusing.
From ‘who can supervise a learner driver’ to ‘can learner drivers go on the motorway’, in this guide we’ll answer all your key questions and explain how Dayinsure can help you on your journey to passing your test.
Do learner drivers need car insurance?
Yes, learner drivers must have valid car insurance before driving on public roads. It is illegal to drive without insurance; this rule applies to learner drivers as well as those who have passed their test.
If you’re learning to drive with a friend or family member outside of your lessons with an instructor, you’ll need to ensure you have the correct insurance. If you’re practicing in your own car, you will need your own learner driver insurance. If you’re practising in someone else’s car, you need to either make sure you’re covered by the car owner’s insurance policy as a learner driver, or take out your own learner driver insurance policy. Learner driver insurance covers learners to drive on a provisional licence whilst being properly supervised.
Who will insure a learner driver?
In the UK, there are several types of providers that offer learner driver insurance:
- Specialist Insurers: Companies like Dayinsure provide specialised short-term insurance policies specific to learner drivers. Dayinsure offers flexible, temporary learner driver insurance, with coverage from as little as one day up to five months* and the ability to only pay for the coverage you need.
- General Insurers: Many standard insurance companies offer options to add learners as named drivers on existing policies.
- Banks and Building Societies: Some financial institutions offer insurance products tailored to learner drivers.
How much is learner driver insurance?
The cost of learner driver insurance varies based on factors, such as your age, location and the car you are driving.
How to insure a learner driver
There are different ways you can go about insuring yourself as a learner driver.
- Shorter-term temporary learner driver insurance: If you only want to insure yourself for short-periods at a time, short-term learner insurance can give you the flexible coverage you need. Dayinsure learner policies can range from just one day, allowing you to pay for only the short time period that you need it for. This option is perfect if you want to practice in a car you might not always have access to.
- Longer-term temporary learner driver insurance: If you own your own car, or are practising in a friend or family member’s car you have more regular access to, temporary learner driver insurance can provide the coverage you need at an affordable price. Dayinsure learner policies can be arranged for up to 5 months at a time, with the option to buy as many policies as you need until you pass your test. This allows you to practice when you need without having to worry about arranging a new policy each time you get behind the wheel, until your current policy has expired.
- Annual policy: If you’re going to be practising in your own car, it can be a good idea to take out an annual insurance policy of your own. Whilst this might be the more expensive option, it will allow you to build up your no claims bonus. However, it is important to be aware that whilst it may be cheaper, claiming that someone else is the main driver of your vehicle to reduce the premium (fronting) is actually a form of fraud.
- Named driver on an annual policy: This can be a good choice if you’re learning to drive in your parent’s car, for example. Whilst it will increase the premium (and there is also a chance that some insurers could refuse the policy change altogether), it is usually cheaper to do this than take out an annual policy of your own. It is also worth bearing in mind that if an accident were to happen whilst you were driving, it could affect the no claims bonus of the policyholder.
Rules on the road
Who can supervise learner drivers?
When practising outside of normal driving lessons with an instructor, a learner driver must be supervised by someone who meets specific legal criteria. Whoever is supervising must:
- Be between 15 and 75 years of age
- Have held a full GB driving licence for at least 3 years
- Be qualified to drive the type of vehicle you are learning in
You should also check the criteria outlined in your insurance policy as to who can supervise you whilst learning to drive, as this can be different to legal criteria. Dayinsure criteria states that anyone supervising the learner must:
- Be a qualified driver aged between 25 and 75 years of age
- Hold a full GB licence for at least 3 years
- Be qualified to drive the type of vehicle you want to learn in; for example, they must have a manual car licence if they’re supervising you in a manual car.
For further details of what our learner driver insurance covers, take a look at our product information document
What type of car can a learner driver drive?
A learner driver can drive any car they have insurance for, as long as they are supervised by a qualified driver who meets the legal and insurance company criteria.
Learner drivers can driver either an automatic or manual car, this will however determine the type of licence they will hold once they pass. For example, if you pass your driving test in an automatic car, your licence will be restricted to automatic vehicles.
Whatever type of car a learner driver chooses to drive, it must be:
- Road worthy and taxed
- Properly insured for the learner driver
- Fitted with L-plates [add l plates video]
Can a learner driver have passengers?
Yes, learner drivers can have passengers, as long as the driver is being properly supervised by a qualified driver, who must sit in the front passenger seat.
It is worth noting that some learner drivers may find it distracting having people in the back of the car whilst they’re learning, especially whilst practising manoeuvres.
What times of the day can learner drivers drive?
There are no time restrictions for learning to drive. Learner drivers can practice driving at any time of the day or night, as long as they are supervised by a qualified driver and the vehicle is properly insured and roadworthy.
Can learner drivers drive on the motorway?
Yes, learner drivers can drive on the motorway, under specific conditions:
- They must be accompanied by an approved driving instructor
- The car must be fitted with dual controls
- L plates must be clearly displayed
Learner drivers cannot drive on the motorway with supervising drivers who are not driving instructors or if the car does not meet the criteria above. This is to ensure safety and compliance with legal requirements.
For more information and FAQs on learner driver insurance and the rules and regulations around learning to drive, take a look at our help and support page with more learner driver information.
Why choose to insure with us…
If you’ve just got your provisional licence or you want some extra time behind the wheel around your lessons, Dayinsure learner driver insurance could be perfect for you.
- Flexible coverage: You can choose coverage from 1 day up to 5 months* to suit your learning schedule.
- Quick and easy set up: You can get insured online in minutes or by using our app where you can check all your policy details.
- Excellent Trustpilot rating: We have been recognised for our excellent customer service and are proud to have an ‘Excellent’ rating on Trustpilot with nearly 60,000 reviews, highlighting our reliability and support.
- High quality and reliable insurance: We’re regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and underwritten by Aviva, so you can trust us to provide high standard of product and service.
- Save money: You can save £5 on your policy if you download our app. And if you refer a friend, when they purchase a policy, you’ll both get a £5 gift voucher too.
Get learner driver insurance with Dayinsure
If you’re about to start learning to drive or thinking about getting some extra practice in with family or friend’s, it’s important to make sure you’re properly insured. Dayinsure’s flexible, temporary learner driver insurance is fully comprehensive, giving you peace of mind whilst you’re out on the roads.
Find out more about our learner driver insurance here and get a quote today.
*One month’s cover is classed as 28 days, so a 5-month policy runs for 140 days in total. Cover from 1 day applies to cars that are already insured with an annual policy, otherwise policies start from 1 month.
