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Learning to drive

Learner driver insurance vs. named driver

When you're learning to drive, money is going to be tight. If you already know you can't afford to buy and insure your own car to practise in before your test, there are 2 other options.

  1. Named driver on someone else's policy

    This has probably been the most common until very recently. Your parents ring up their insurer and add you to their policy.

    Now, this requires your parents to be willing to risk their No Claims Discount. If you make a bit of a boo-boo and back into a tree (happens to the best of us), they'll lose the bonus that makes their insurance cheaper each year - and their price will go up the next year because they had to claim.

    You also won't be building up your own No Claims Discount - you need a full year-long insurance policy for that, which you just update when you pass your test - and it's usually more expensive for your parents than you having a separate policy.

  2. Learner driver insurance

    This option is half-way between being a named driver and having a full insurance policy.

    You get your own insurance, which is like an add-on to your parent's policy. Their No Claims Discount is kept safe but you also don't have to commit to a year-long policy. (That does mean you're not working on your own NCD, though.)

    Usually, you can pay for learner driver insurance by the month, so it's flexible and you're not stuck with a long old learner policy if you pass your test quicker than you thought.

    Oh, did we not say? We actually do learner driver insurance! Go check it out.
  3. How ingenie Learner is different from being a named driver

    ingenie Learner insurance:Named driver on your mum or dad's* insurance:
    You can chose how long you need cover for and stop whenever you likeAdding and removing a named driver may cost an admin fee
    The car owner's NCD is kept safeIf you crash, they may lose their NCD - eek!
    There's no big excess just because you're a learner - it's set at £250Their insurer may add a big excess for you because they think you're a risk

    * Uncle's, aunt's, sister' get the idea.

    So the choice is yours (and probably your parents') but if Learner insurance gets your vote, you can get a quick quote here. The #ingeniefamily awaits.

