Learning to drive can be a long process due to the amount of practice required before you’re test-ready. Whilst for most learners the go-to way to bank the necessary hours is with a course of lessons from a qualified driving instructor, you’ll likely want to get behind the wheel between lessons too, for some extra driving practice.
Whilst insurance is covered by the cost of your driving lesson with a DVSA instructor, when you’re getting behind the wheel with a friend or family member, you and your chosen supervisor need to ensure you both have the right insurance in place.
When practising driving outside of lessons you must have appropriate learner driver insurance, and be accompanied by someone over the age of 25 who has had a full licence for at least three years. The car must also have an MOT and be taxed.
You can find more details of who we cover, to check before you get a quote. But our broad acceptance criteria means you will find it easy to get cover with us.
Essentially our learner practice insurance covers you for driving a car with an appropriate supervisor before you have a full licence. The fact that you can get daily learner insurance up to monthly learner insurance for six months means you can save on annual costs, and just take out a policy when you are actually practising.
Our Learner Practice Insurance Includes:
Driving practice is a great way to bolster the driving hours you have under your belt between lessons with your instructor. The DVSA states that the average learner should have had around 45 hours of lessons with an instructor, in addition to at least 22 hours of driving practice with a supervisor, before taking their test.
But not just anyone can supervise a learner driver and it’s essential to make sure the right person takes you out driving between lessons.
Partaking in driving practice has several benefits:
Before you start practising though, you need to be sure you have the right learner driver practice insurance in place.
Our temporary learner practice insurance policies are perfect for anyone between the ages of 17-69 with a UK provisional licence, so however old you are when learning to drive, you can still get some practice in. For your policy to be valid you must be accompanied by someone over the age of 25 who has had a full UK driving licence for at least 3 years.
MID: Please note that all our Short Term Insurance policies are submitted to the Motor Insurance Database (MID) at midnight every day. We recommend always having a copy of your Insurance Certificate with you during the period of cover.
Criteria the Car Being Insured Must Meet:
Criteria the Learner Being Insured Must Meet
If you practise driving outside of your lessons, without the correct insurance you could face an unlimited fine and a driving ban before you’ve even passed your test!
If you own your own car, take out the correct learner driver policy on it and make sure the person supervising you also has insurance.
If you manage to pass your test whilst you are using a learner insurance policy, it’s important to note that the policy will become invalid 3 hours after passing and you will then require an appropriate policy for a full licence holder. Opting for temporary cover is a great insurance option for new drivers.
You can still practise driving if you don’t own your own car though – simply ask the person who has agreed to supervise you if you can use their car. If you’re using someone else’s car for your practice sessions, you have a couple of options for insurance…
You could ask the car owner to add you to their existing policy, however adding a learner to a policy can typically be quite costly. As it’s likely the owner will have an annual insurance policy, you can’t normally be added for just a few days – like you can with temporary cover. Your supervisor may also be reluctant to do this, considering any claims made as a result of your driving will affect their no-claims bonus.
Arguably the best option for the car owner and the learner is to take out a separate learner driver policy on the car you’ll be practising in. Not only will this protect the car owner’s no-claims bonus, but is also generally available at a more affordable price point than other options. You can insure yourself for an hour, or for up to 6 months, with our learner insurance options.
Take out a learner driver policy for practising in a matter of minutes by following a few simple steps, and start your supervised driving practice to supplement your lessons to ensure you pass your test quickly.
Want to learn more about learner cover? Discover if you’re eligible and take a look at our blogs to see if temporary learner insurance is right for you.
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