How Does Learner Insurance Work?

Getting behind the wheel and learning to drive is an exciting time, but like all UK drivers, you are legally responsible for having an insurance policy. This is when you can shop around to find the best insurance option for you.

Insurance in all forms can be tricky, and you may not know what you need – especially since it can be expensive for inexperienced drivers. 

It is best to know what learner driver insurance is, how it works and what you need to get it so that you know exactly what you are getting and how you are covered.

Learner driver insurance from GoShorty is a great way to get on the road with a provisional license. 

What Is Learner Driver Insurance?

By law, every driver needs to have an insurance policy which can be acquired at any insurance company that offers this type of insurance.

Learner drivers, first of all, are drivers currently practising for their driving test. They usually are ages 17 – 25 and may or may not have their own car. The learner driver at this stage has a provisional licence.

Practising can be done either through a private driving school with a driving instructor or a supervising driver who is most likely in close relation with the learner. They can practice in either their own car or a family member’s car.

Like a standard policy, it covers you in the case of theft or accident.

Who Does the Learner Driver Insurance Belong To?

The policy is under the learner driver’s name and is solely for the learner and the vehicle they will be practising in. It is essential to know that this agreement is for one person only and legally can not be used by other learner drivers.

If parents have two learner drivers in their home and take out learner insurance for one, the other is not allowed to drive under this policy. They would have to take out a separate learner insurance policy for them.

Who Qualifies For Learner Driver Insurance?

You only qualify for GoShorty learner insurance if you are between 17 and 25 and hold a provisional license. 

You do not need to be a car owner and can have your driving lessons in a friend or family member’s car.

Is Learner Driver Insurance Expensive?

The price of learner insurance will solely be based on the type of insurance you choose and which insurance company you go for.

What adds to the price is also the fact that learner drivers are categorised as higher risk because they are often young and inexperienced.

What Are The Different Types Of Learner Driver Insurance?

There are a few different types of learner insurance, and the best way to find out how it works and what it is all about is to break down what each policy entails.

Temporary car insurance policy

Short-term or temporary learner driver insurance is a comprehensive cover where you can choose the duration of your policy. This is probably the most inexpensive type of learner insurance as you only pay for the time you spend in the car.

You get instant cover, whether you are getting insured on someone else’s car or your own. This policy does not affect the car owner’s existing policy or claims bonus.

With this learner insurance, you can choose between 3 tailor-made insurance policies based on how long they last.

• Hourly learner driver insurance
• Daily learner driver insurance
• Monthly learner driver insurance

Hourly learner driver insurance

This type of learner insurance is fairly simple and covers you for an hour at a time. This is perfect for the times you want to spend an extra hour practising after your driving lesson.

Daily learner driver insurance

This type of insurance covers you for a full day. Perhaps it is the last few days before your driving test, and you are coming to the end of your driving lessons. This learner insurance will cover you for as many days as you need to.

Monthly learner driver insurance

This type of learner insurance is an excellent choice. Set yourself up for success with a policy for up to 24 weeks. 

Add a learner driver

Another option is to add a learner driver to an existing policy. This is often done by parents whose young children are learning to drive in their vehicles. In this case, parents can add their child to their annual policy as a named driver. 

This does not mean that the learner driver has their own policy. It can result in the insurance premiums increasing, which is not ideal. With this type of insurance cover, there is often an administration fee on top of the monthly insurance premium that must be paid.

Although you can choose to have this cover last for a short period or until the end of the policy term, it can result in overlapping insurance, especially if the learner driver obtains their driver’s license before the end of the policy term.

If this happens, the policyholder would either pay a cancellation fee to remove the named driver or continue paying until the policy term ends. 

Being a named driver under a relative’s existing policy puts the policyholder’s no claims discount at risk.

This type of insurance overall is risky. Not only is this an expensive option, but damaging someone else’s no-claims bonus can lead to challenges when they want to apply for other types of insurance or credit.

How Does A Learner Driver Get Learner Driver Insurance?

Shopping around will be the easiest way to ensure you apply for the best learner insurance. You do not want to rush into getting any type of insurance as a learner driver, mainly because it is a financial responsibility you are going to have to commit to, no matter the duration.

With insurance sometimes being tricky, it is always best to read the fine print so that you know exactly what you are covered for, how much it costs and how long it will last. 

At GoShorty, our quick and easy process is a great way to get a quote and buy cover in minutes. It’s so easy; all you need is a provisional license and a suitable car to learn in.

Once you have selected the best insurance policy for you, request a quote and see if it fits within your budget. Keep in mind how often you have driving lessons and how often you practise outside of your lessons.

Once you have received your quote, ensure you have all the documents required to apply for the learner insurance policy. You will need your provisional driver’s license, the vehicle registration, the policy’s duration and the supervising driver’s information.

This process is not lengthy; it will only take a few minutes and can even be done from your mobile phone. It really is as simple as that.

FAQs

Is learner driver insurance valid after passing the driving test?

Unfortunately, the newly fully licensed driver will no longer be covered by the provisional driver insurance policy after passing the driving test.

Once you have passed your driving test, you will require a new insurance policy covering a full driving license. 

Ways to decrease your learner driver insurance costs

Once you have found the best insurance policy that suits your needs, there are ways in which you can make it even more affordable.

Apply for the learner insurance for a car with a low insurance cost. It does not necessarily have to be an old car but rather one that will not cost more than the average amount to repair or fix when you claim.

Can someone other than the learner driver drive use the same policy on the same car?

No one but the learner driver or policyholder is allowed to drive the car under the same policy. Learner insurance is a legal agreement between the learner driver and the insurance company. This means it is only for the learner driver who took out the policy and no one else.

What are the criteria for being a supervising driver?

Throughout all of these learner insurance policies, the criteria for the supervising driver are the same.

• Must be older than 25 years.
• Must have a valid UK driver’s license for three years or more.
• Be qualified to drive the car that you’re driving.
• Sit in the front passenger seat whilst supervising the learner driver.

Final Thoughts

Learning to drive should be an exciting time for every young person and should not come with the added financial stress of paying for an insurance policy that is not the best option for you.

Take the stress out of finding the best learner insurance by applying for temporary learner driver insurance with GoShorty. We have tailor-made our policies so that you can solely focus on passing your test.

Choose one of our temporary learner driver insurance policies today to be one step closer to passing your driving test.