Think you know everything when it comes to insuring learner drivers? Here’s the top 6 most common myths that young drivers and their parents often think are true. You’ll be surprised by how many misconceptions there are!

1. Learner drivers can’t insure their own car

It’s believed by many that if you’re a learner driver, you can’t insure your own car. In fact, we hear so many people say they’re going to wait until they pass to get a car because they didn’t think getting their own car as a learner was possible. Guess what, it is! Learners can get and insure their own car, and we think it’s a great idea to. There’s loads of benefits to getting a car of your own when you’re learning to drive. You can pick up extra driving practice before taking your test, start earning your own No Claims Discount and it’s often cheaper to get insurance as a learner driver than it is a full licence holder… but more on that later!

2. Two people can’t be insured to drive the same car on separate policies

Wrong again! More than person can be insured on the same car, because they’ll have different policies for different reasons. You may be thinking this classes as dual insurance, but it doesn’t – here’s why… Dual insurance occurs when the same item is insured against a certain risk under more than one policy. Our Learner Driver Insurance provides cover for the learner temporarily – not as the main driver.  This means that this policy is ‘active’ when the learner is driving only, and only covers them (or the supervising driver should they need to take over the wheel in an emergency). This also means that more than one learner can have a learner policy on their parents’ car for, example, as each learner has an individual policy for them and it’s only in place when they’re behind the wheel.

3. Insuring a learner driver is more expensive than insuring a qualified driver

Many people believe it’s more expensive to get insurance for a learner driver than it is for someone with a full licence, but this isn’t always the case. Insurance for learners is actually often cheaper, because it’s seen as a lower risk, and here’s why… Imagine you’re a learner in a car, who is very cautious as they pick up the skills needed for the road, sat next to someone who has years of driving experience and can take over at any time – the risk of an accident isn’t very high, is it? The lower the risk, the lower the premium.

If you’re a learner and you find an annual insurance policy that you want to take you from learner to full licence, be careful – many insurers will increase the premium when you do pass, because the risk factor goes up, so be sure to check the T&Cs before going ahead. Thankfully here at Marmalade, we don’t increase the price of your insurance when you pass your test, because punishing you with a higher premium on passing just seems a bit silly to us!

4. You can’t earn No Claims Discount when you’re a learner

A lot of people think that if you can’t earn your own No Claims Discount until you’ve passed your test – but this isn’t true. Any annual policy in the learner drivers name means they’ll start earning their own NCD, as long as they don’t make a claim within that year. The policy doesn’t even need to be on the learner’s own car – getting named driver insurance on a parent’s car will see them earning too, which is why we don’t think learners should wait until they’ve passed to get an annual policy! Starting to earn this extra discount as early as possible will help in the years to come.

5. An older car is cheaper to buy and insure

We know buying a car is expensive, but before you head out and spend a couple of hundred quid on a banger and assume you’ve bagged the bargain of the century, you may want to consider all the costs that will be involved – like running costs and insurance. Believe it or not, it can actually be and often is more expensive to insure an old car than it is a newer one – for a few reasons. Older cars have less safety features, which means the risk is higher (and therefore, cost is higher). Also, if you need to make a claim and your car is older than you, sourcing parts for a repair can be a nightmare which again, increases the insurance cost. We’re not saying you have to go out and buy a brand-new set of wheels (although if you want to, we’ve got some good new car deals which include an allowance of up to £1300 to help you pay for your first year of insurance!*) but newer cars are often cheaper on your purse strings in the long run! We have a handy quick quote tool which allows you to look at the price of insurance for the cars you’re considering.

6. You can’t insure a learner on a company or leased car

That's not always the case! There are instances – especially business insurance policies – that will not cover some drivers, for instance young drivers, either learners or those who have recently passed. If you’re a learner who wants to learn in your parent’s company car, this can be a bit frustrating, especially if it's the only car you have access to. Luckily, there is a way around it (it’s almost like we thought of everything!). You can most likely get a separate policy for the learner, in the learners name, that covers them behind the wheel of Mum or Dads car - even if it's a company or leased car. This works because the risk is then with the learner and not on the insurance of the parent – thankfully this also means that should the learner need to make a claim, the parents No Claims Discount will remain intact. There may be some instances in which this cover isn't an option - if the driver has signed a contract to say they'll be the sole user, for example. It's best to get in touch with the company or lease car owner just to double check and tell them what policy you’re considering getting but often, because the policy is under the learner names, it won't be a problem – as long as the car sits within our criteria, you’ll be good to go!

There you go – the top 6 myths when it comes to get car insurance for a learner driver! We know car insurance can be confusing but we’re here to help you get as much understanding as possible so you can make the right choice for you!