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- Learner Driver Insurance
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Learner Driver Insurance
Get learner driver insurance with Tempcover
- Learn to drive when you want with flexible cover
- With policies from just 12 hours up to 28 days find the right policy for you
- No impact on No Claims Discount plus fully comprehensive cover as standard
What is learner driver insurance?
The DVSA estimates it takes the average learner around 45 hours of lessons with instructors and 22 hours of private practice to pass their test.
If you’re a learner driver practising with friends or family instead of or alongside a qualified instructor, you will need your own insurance policy. But, when learning to drive, you probably won’t need cover constantly – instead, choose an insurance policy that’s flexible and that can suit your needs.
With our learner car insurance, you only pay for the cover you need, when you need it. You can choose to take out learner insurance for a day, a week, or a month. With cover available from 12 hours up to 28 days it’s easy to find a policy that fits around you.
With our learner driver insurance, you’ll get comprehensive cover as standard, giving you complete peace of mind while you hone your driving skills.
How much does learner driver insurance cost?
The price of learner driver insurance will vary depending on factors including the age of the learner and the vehicle they are driving in. It is often more affordable than adding a learner to an annual policy as you will only pay for the time you need. With Tempcover, policies can last between 12 hours and 28 days.
How does our learner insurance work?
Our short-term learner car insurance is ideal for learning to drive in your own car or in that of a family member. You can take out cover for the length of time that you need, and you’ll be fully covered to practice in the car of your choice.
As a provisional licence holder, you’ll need to make sure you have someone with you who’s qualified to drive and is eligible to supervise you. With our provisional insurance, there’s no impact on any No Claims Discount so any other policy won’t be affected.
It’s important to remember that your learner driver insurance won’t cover you once you’ve passed your test but it’s an affordable way of getting insured so you can practice driving as a learner.
It's flexible
We offer fully flexible provisional insurance for just the time that you need. So, you can take out cover that fits around your driving practice.
It's cost effective
Our learner driver insurance means you can take out a policy without paying for annual cover. No long-term contracts, just pay for what you need.
Peace of mind
All of our car insurance policies for learner drivers offer fully comprehensive cover. So, you can learn to drive with peace of mind.
It's quick
Need fast learner insurance? You can get a quote online in under 2 minutes.
What does learner driver insurance cover?
Comprehensive cover comes as standard on our short-term learner car insurance policies, so you’re automatically covered for any damage sustained to yourself, the vehicle, or any third parties.
What's covered with Tempcover's provisional insurance?
- Fully comprehensive insurance on policies from 12 hours to 28 days
- Accidental and malicious damage to your car
- Cover for injury or damage to another person or their property
- Driving in the UK
What's not covered with learner driver insurance?
- The excess you agreed to pay
- Release from an impound (unless you buy a specific temporary impounded vehicle policy)
- Additional drivers – we can only cover the driver named on the policy
- A sole claim or separate cover for broken/damaged glass including the windscreen
- Driving once you’ve passed your test
Am I eligible for provisional insurance?
We’re confident that if you meet the criteria below, you will be eligible for learner driver insurance.
To get learner driver insurance, you must
- Be aged 17-69 years old.
- Hold a UK provisional driving licence without any points.
- Have been a permanent UK resident for the last 12 months.
- Have no criminal convictions.
- Not have had a previous policy of insurance declared void by an insurer.
To get learner car insurance, the person supervising you must
- Be aged over 25.
- Have held a full UK driving licence for at least 3 years.
- Have been a permanent UK resident for at least 2 years.
To get learner insurance, your car must
- Be valued between £500 and £30,000.
- Be taxed and in a roadworthy condition with a current and valid MOT.
- Be insured with an annual insurance policy if the owner of the vehicle is not you (the learner and policyholder).
- Be used only when you, the learner and the policyholder, are being supervised to learn to drive.
- Be a right-hand drive car with no more than 5 seats in total and not be modified in any way except to aid disabled drivers.
Each insurer on our panel has its own eligibility criteria. Please pay close attention to the Proposer’s Declaration.
How can I get learner driver insurance?
If you’re learning to drive in a private car, you legally need learner driver insurance. It’s easy to get the cover you need for private practice with Tempcover. Just follow these three simple steps:
- Enter a few details about yourself and the car you want to learn in.
- Confirm you’re happy with the price and details of your policy.
- Pay for your policy and get your documents emailed instantly.
That’s it! When your policy expires, we’ll send you a reminder in case you need another policy. If you do, it’s the same simple process every time. Get a quote today and start getting in some extra practice.
You can practise driving with family or friends. Anyone you practise your driving with (without paying them) must:
- Be over 21.
- 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.
- Have had their full driving licence for 3 years (from the UK, the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein).
You can be fined up to £1,000 and get up to 6 penalty points on your provisional licence if you drive without the right supervision.
Can I get learner driver car insurance on my own car?
Yes, any learner driver who has their own car will need insurance to learn to drive in it. There’s nothing stopping a learner buying a car before passing their test. This has some advantages as you can get comfortable in the car you’ll be driving long term.
Despite owning the car, you wouldn’t be able to drive it yourself without learner driver insurance. This policy will give you time to get used to your new vehicle. When you pass, you’ll just need to get an annual policy in place before driving independently.
With learner driver insurance, you need to be supervised by a driver who has held a full licence for at least three years.
How much does it cost to add a learner driver to an insurance policy?
Adding a learner driver to an existing annual policy can be expensive. This is because learner drivers are seen as a higher risk due to their lack of experience. Some insurance providers might not even allow learners to be added.
Adding a learner to your policy could increase your premium and it’s also likely you’ll have to pay an admin fee to amend it. You also face the risk of losing your no claims discount if the learner has an accident in your car. This could be an expensive short-term repair and increase your annual insurance premium.
Learner car insurance is an option that won’t impact an existing no claims discount. This is because it’s a standalone policy that lasts between 12 hours and 28 days. This helps learner drivers get private practice at a time that suits them.
Benefits of insurance for learner drivers on parents’ cars
If you get insurance on a parents’ car, you can get in this extra practice whenever you want to – and only have to pay for the time you need.
Another benefit is the owner of the car’s no claims discount will not be affected, so even if the worst does happen and the learner has an accident they can have the peace of mind that they’re fully covered.
The spiralling cost of tutored driving lessons means private lessons are a more affordable and increasingly popular way for newcomers to get some much-needed on-road experience. But you’ll need the right cover to do it. Here are some reasons why private practice could benefit you:
- To get some extra practice – Extra hours on the road before the test can be valuable, especially in a car and with people you feel comfortable with. Get that crucial extra time behind the wheel with learner insurance. Make sure you also check out our tips on passing your theory test.
- To reduce the cost of learning – Learning to drive is not cheap. For an average person it costs between £25 and £45 per hour-lesson. Provisional car insurance lets you get that extra practice to help you pass quicker and cut the cost of learning.
- To protect the owner’s No Claims Discount – Many family members can be nervous about letting a learner practise in their car. With short-term learner insurance, you get complete peace of mind because it does not affect any existing policy and there’s no danger of losing any No Claims Discount.
- To take your test in whatever car you want – Whether you prefer your own car or are more comfortable in Mum or Dad’s car than your instructor’s, learner driver insurance will let you take your test in the right one for you.
- Complete peace of mind on the road – All learner insurance policies from Tempcover come with fully comprehensive cover as standard, compared to third-party-only cover that most annual insurers offer. This means you can relax and focus on learning.
What happens to my learner driver insurance policy after I pass my test?
Your learner driver insurance policy will no longer be valid once you have passed your test. After passing, you will need to buy either temporary car insurance or an annual policy. Buying a temporary policy gives you the chance to research and find the right yearly policy.
Find out more about Learner Driver Insurance
From the cost of driving lessons to driving test tips and advice on who can sit with a learner driver and how to pass your theory test, Tempcover has so many guides to help you with every aspect of learning to drive.
How can I get learner driver insurance?
The details you will need
- The vehicle's reg number
- Your details (name, address, date of birth, etc.)
- The value of the vehicle
- Your occupation
- Your email/phone number (to send policy documents)
- When you'd like the policy to start and end
We work directly with insurers to provide you with short-term insurance to suit your needs
You can pay for your short term insurance policy in several ways. Using our secure payment system, you can use the following payment methods:
After you’ve bought your policy, your documents will be emailed to you instantly so there’s no waiting around.
Learner driver insurance FAQs
No – only your qualified instructor’s insurance covers you as a learner automatically. When you’re in your driving instructor’s car, they have a special kind of insurance policy that covers you so long as you’re paying for their services. If an accident were to happen, it would be for them to claim and sort out, so learners need not worry about insurance at all when paying for classes.
But, if you’re arranging private sessions with a friend or family member, you will need a separate policy to cover learner drivers. The car owner could try adding you to their policy, but since you haven’t even passed yet, there’s a good chance their insurance provider will say no – and cover could cost a lot of money regardless. Because their insurance won’t apply to you, you’ll need another arrangement. And that’s where our short-term cover comes in. You can get learner insurance for one day, one week, or one month.
Yes. Any learner driver will have to have insurance cover, whether you want to add them to your existing policy or not. But if you’d rather eliminate the risk, Tempcover’s provisional insurance doesn’t affect your main policy, and your No Claims Discount is protected.
Learner driver insurance policies are tailored to the needs of provisional drivers. Tempcover’s learner insurance is a flexible, short-term option that’s ideal if you’re learning to drive and want to get some experience outside of your usual lessons, in a different car.
This type of cover can be taken out for the time period that suits you, unlike standard policies that usually offer annual cover. This makes our provisional insurance a cost-effective way of getting covered while learning to drive. Get a quote today to find out how affordable it could be.
No, a learner driver is only insured to drive the car that’s named on the policy. But nothing is stopping you from paying for another provisional insurance policy on a different car if you wanted to get some practice by using a second vehicle.
Your learner driver insurance quote will depend on a range of factors including how long to want to take out cover for and the vehicle you want to insure.
Get a quote and see how little provisional insurance could cost you.
You can find cheap provisional insurance by choosing the right insurance for your situation and only paying for cover when you’re actually behind the wheel.
Without road experience, insurers will always increase the cost of provisional insurance. To get cheap learner driver insurance, you will first need to choose the right type of insurance:
Learner driver insurance – The ideal option for learner drivers who want something more flexible and don’t want the huge expense of an annual policy. If you only practice on weekends, learner insurance for one day, or weekend insurance is likely to be the best option. If your test is in a week or a month, getting just one week’s insurance or one month’s learner insurance will be more cost-effective than an annual policy.
With temporary learner driver insurance, there are no long-term commitments, so if you pass your driving test sooner than expected, you aren’t left tied into a contract.
Become a named driver – Being a named driver on your parents or other family members’ policy can be a better option if you’re planning on learning for a long time or aren’t sure exactly when you’ll be practising. However, there are a few drawbacks, including the risk to the vehicle owner’s No Claims Discount and the likelihood that the cost of their insurance will go up to cover you.
Annual learner driver insurance – This is a long-term option if you aren’t planning on taking or potentially passing your test in the near future. Once you have passed your test, you can update the details of the policy and continue with that insurance provider or cancel the policy (both actions will come at an additional cost).
Choosing the right policy for your needs is the best way to get cheap provisional insurance. You can also reduce the cost of your policy by taking the following steps:
- Practice in a small-engine car in a low-insurance group
- Increase any voluntary excess on the policy
- Add a more experienced driver to your policy (if it’s your vehicle and you are still the main driver)
- Choose comprehensive cover over lower levels of cover
Yes, you can get one-week learner driver insurance. Like other temporary car insurance policies, you can get learner insurance for 12 hours, a day, a week, or a month, up to 28 days at a time. So, whether you need that last bit of practice before your test or you’re getting behind the wheel for the first time, you can select a policy duration that fits your needs.
No, you probably don’t – unless you’re planning to drive a car other than your instructor’s.
As was the case during your lessons, if you take the test in your instructor’s car, their specialised insurance will automatically cover you. But if you want to take the test in your car or a friend/family member’s car, you’ll have to arrange temporary learner car insurance to do this. You will also need some form of learner insurance if you’re driving someone else’s car.
Once you pass your test, your learner driver insurance will become invalid, so you’ll need to make sure you have other arrangements for this.
Potentially, yes. All the same laws apply to drivers learning on ‘private land’. If you are learning to drive in an area the public has access to, for example, a footpath, then you must have the same insurance as you would need to drive on the road.
Without the right weekly or monthly learner driver insurance, not only do you risk having your car seized but you could face fines and see points added to your licence. This can have a big negative impact on your premiums when buying annual insurance after you’ve passed.
Having the right insurance is not only the law, but it gives learners that little bit of extra reassurance when practising on the road.
You can get an unlimited fine, be banned from driving and get up to 8 penalty points for driving without insurance.
As a learner, you can also be fined up to £1,000 and get up to 6 penalty points on your provisional licence if you drive without the right supervision.
If a learner is caught driving alone, they could invalidate their insurance and face a potential driving ban.
You need your own insurance as a learner driver if you own your car. Your family member or friend will usually be covered on this.
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.
- Take out your own insurance policy that covers you driving in the car as a learner driver.
Learner drivers can be fined up to £1,000 and also get 6 points on their licence if they do not have the correct supervision.
A learner cannot drive a car without supervision. This supervisor can be a either a qualified driving instructor or friend or family member who:
- Is over 21 years old (with a Tempcover policy, the supervisor must be over 25).
- Had held a full UK driving licence for three years.
- Is qualified to drive the type of vehicle they are learning in.
- Must not currently be banned from driving.
As a supervisor, you need to be covered in the learner’s vehicle. If this is a vehicle you own, you’ll already have a policy. If you’re practising in a car owned by the learner or somebody else, make sure you are added as a named driver or have temporary car insurance in place.
Find out more about learning to drive with family and friends on the UK government’s website.
Marc Pell
Managing Director
What our expert says
Learning to drive can be long and expensive. Get that crucial extra practice with people you know and have peace of mind that you're properly insured with short-term learner insurance.
Marc Pell
Managing Director
