Compare Learner Driver Insurance Options
Finding the best insurance options for learners
If you’ve read our guide to insuring a learner driver you’ll know that it's essential to arrange learner driver insurance for the young driver, before starting private practice.
here are several ways to insure a learner driver, on their car or someone else’s, so we thought we’d compare the options to help you find the right one! Remember - even if the practice is in a friend or family members car, their insurance won’t cover an accident whilst the learner is behind the wheel.
Consider insuring a learner on a parent’s car
How do you insure a learner driver to practise outside of their lessons, if they don’t have a car of their own? Here are the types of car insurance available for provisional licence holders sharing a parent’s car:
What is the best insurance for provisional drivers?
If you’re confused by the options, check out this handy tool to help you choose – all of our learner insurance policies offer comprehensive cover for peace of mind.
Adding a Learner Driver to their parents' insurance policy
This may seem the obvious choice, in which case you would need to contact your insurer to get a quote. However there's a few things to consider. Not all insurers cover young or learner drivers, and adding a learner can incur costs such as admin fees. If the learner needs to make a claim, the car owner’s NCD will be affected and there will likely be a price increase once the learner passes (or cover may cease).
Short term Learner insurance on a parent’s car
If the learner is looking to share a parent’s car, temporary Learner Driver Insurance provides the best flexibility. It’s super simple and the provisional licence holder can be covered straight away! We think this is the best option if the learner is looking to get their own car after passing their driving test, as the cover will cease once they pass. You can choose cover from one to eight months and renew it from a week at a time, so it fits in with your schedule!
Annual learner insurance on a parent’s car
If the young driver is likely to continue sharing mum or dad’s car after passing the driving test, Marmalade’s Named Young Driver Insurance is a useful annual policy. It’s a completely separate policy for the learner driver, on a parent’s car. The policy runs for a full year with no price increase on passing. Plus it won’t impact the car owner’s No Claims Discount (NCD) should the learner make a claim!
Can I insure my own car as a learner driver?
Annual learner insurance on the learner’s own car 
Learner drivers who have their own car can get learner insurance cover which does what it says on the tin – covers the learner whilst they are just that – a learner. Once the learner passes their test however, the policy will likely come to an end. This can include costs such as cancellation fees and, if the policy is cancelled before a full year has run, any No Claims Discount earned will be lost. Our research tells us that it takes a learner driver 6 months, on average to pass their test, so we offer an annual insurance on a learner’s own car that will continue to cover them after they pass their test, with change in the price. It seems fairer and less hassle, don’t you think?
Learner to full licence insurance on their own car
Getting insurance for learner drivers on their own car doesn’t need to be a hassle and they can start earning a No Claims Discount from day one. An annual insurance policy that covers learners and new drivers too is going to save a lot of time, money and stress because the same policy will run seamlessly from learner to newly qualified. Whilst some insurance companies may charge when the learner passes their test (something to check in the Ts&Cs before you buy) Marmalade’s Black Box Insurance gives the same price the whole way through. Young provisional licence holders could save £373¹, on average, compared to full licence holders, so it makes sense to start this policy before swapping the L plate for the P plate!
Frequently asked questions
What are the best cars to insure learner drivers on?
The costs to insure different cars varies but getting a car that is smaller in a low insurance group will often see you with a cheaper insurance quote. We have a guide that looks at the best first cars for new drivers which you may find helpful.
Is black box insurance good for learner drivers?
Yes – we think so! Black box insurance policies allow drivers to reflect on their journeys and review where they may be making mistakes, so this is super helpful for someone who is still learning how to drive. They can see where the driving was under good and under control, and also areas to improve. Marmalade young drivers are also nearly 3 times safer² than the national average because of the black box technology.
Does learner insurance cover the supervising driver to take over?
Yes – should your supervising driver need to take over for any reason, this policy will cover them until the end of the session.
Can I add a provisional driver to my insurance?
Yes, you can. However, adding a named driver is often not as comprehensive, and puts your NCD at risk. Opting to take out learner insurance protects both you and the learner driver in case of an accident.
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