What is Learner Driver Insurance?

Whether you’re a learner or a seasoned pro, it’s a legal requirement to have insurance when you’re behind the wheel. Learner Driver Insurance covers the learner while they practice their driving skills in a friend or family member’s car and continues to provide cover during their test.

This flexible, short-term policy protects the car owner’s No Claims Discount while providing the learner the cover they need – just choose 30, 60, 90, 120, 180 or 240-days cover. There are a few rules and stipulations around where you can drive and who with (supervising drivers need to be aged 25 or over and to have held a full UK driving licence for at least 3 years), so take a look at our complete guide to Learner Driver Insurance.

Do learner drivers need insurance?

In short, yes. Anyone who is driving on a UK road, by law, needs to have valid insurance in place – even if they are a provisional licence holder. If you’re driving with an instructor, they are likely to already have this in place, but if you are planning on practising outside lessons in your own car or a family member’s/friend’s car, then you definitely need insurance as a learner driver. The penalty for driving without valid insurance is £300 and 6 penalty points (or more if it goes to court). No-one wants that at the start of their driving career, right?

1

Get covered

Get a quote for your learner insurance. The hassle-free comprehensive cover is flexible, easy to arrange and sits alongside the main insurance on the car.

2

Get practising

Practise in a friend or family member’s car – with no risk to the car owner’s No Claims Discount. Need extra practise? Just take out another policy to extend your cover while you get ready for your test.

3

Pass your test

Previous Learner Driver Insurance customers are eligible for 10% off their next Black Box Insurance policy, based on using the same details.

Increase your chance of passing with private practise

Who can supervise a learner driver?

Any driver over 25 who has held a valid full UK driving licence for at least 3 years can supervise a learner while they’re practising. It doesn’t necessarily need to be the car owner, as long as they have permission and are qualified to drive the vehicle you are using. Bear in mind, if their licence is for automatic vehicles, they can’t supervise you in a manual car.

The DVSA recommends learner drivers get as much private practise alongside lessons as possible, especially since learners are taking around six months or more to pass their test. With their Ready to pass? campaign, the DVSA are urging learners to get in some extra practise if they think they aren't ready - rescheduling their test to give themselves some extra time.

Before you head out practising, check out our guide to make sure you get the most out of private practise.

Why choose Marmalade's Learner Insurance?


No risk to the car owner’s No Claims Discount

The car owner’s No Claims Discount is unaffected – even if the learner needs to make a claim!


Be on the road sooner with instant cover

Get a quote in minutes and you can be covered to drive straight away, once you’ve paid.


Save money when you renew your policy

Stay with us and enjoy discounts such as 10% off  Black Box Insurance.


Over 15 years of experience

We’re learner and young driver specialists! We’re here for you from provisional to full licence with loads of helpful guides and tips

Common questions about learner insurance

Yes, more than one learner can be insured on the same car, but each learner driver needs to have their own policy.

This policy is designed specifically for learner drivers, so cover will end as soon as you pass your driving test. So, if you do take the test in the insured car - make sure you arrange a lift home from the test centre.

Your journey with Marmalade doesn’t have to end - discover the options with our insurance finder tool.

You will need to pay the first £250 towards the claim if there is a fire, the car is stolen or you have an accident whilst you're driving. Learn more about our policy details  here

This will really depend on how far into your learning journey you are. If you have your test booked, it makes sense to choose a policy length that takes you near to the big day. The great news is that you can choose 30, 60, 90, 120, 180 or 240 days of cover, with the option to extend the policy by as little as 7 or 14 days until you pass. If you’re ready to go, it’s quick and easy to get a quote for your policy length and you could be on the road in minutes!

It can vary depending on factors such as the length of your chosen policy and where you live.  Get a quick and easy quote here.

No, it’s not the same. Dual insurance would be two insurance policies covering the same risk on the policy i.e. two insurance policies specifically insuring the same car. Learner driver insurance insures the learner as the risk when they are behind the wheel of the car. Learner driver insurance is separate from the owner’s insurance, which means that a claim made by the learner on their own policy won’t affect the car owner’s insurance.

Yes, you will need to take your insurance policy documents with you and ensure the car meets the requirements set by the government. Remember, your cover ends immediately after the test has been passed, so you need to organise a lift home.

Our short-term learner insurance policy will cover you to take your driving test in a friend or family member's car as it's designed to sit alongside an existing motor policy of a car owned by someone else. The policy ceases once you pass, so make sure you have a lift arranged or have another policy in place.

If you’re looking for car insurance for a driving test on your own car - check out our Black Box Insurance. It's designed to cover a young driver in their own car before and after they pass with no increase in price on passing. If you're not quite decided yet what type of insurance you need, we have a handy guide to help you compare insurance options for learner drivers.

If you’re getting behind the wheel for private practice, it is a legal requirement to have insurance in place. If you are only taking lessons with a professional driving school or driving instructor in their car, the insurance is generally included in the cost.

You may well be able to, it all depends on your current policy as some insurers won’t allow it. For those that do, it could affect your No Claims Discount should they have a bump. Get a quick quote for our learner driver insurance; it won’t affect your No Claims Bonus as it sits beside your existing policy.

It won’t affect the car owner’s No Claims Bonus as it’s a separate policy for the learner only, so the car owner doesn’t need to declare a claim made by the learner to their insurer. Obviously, if the learner makes a claim, they will need to declare it when they take out their next policy.

No, our Learner Driver Insurance starts from 30 days.

You can enjoy learner driver insurance for as long as you are learning to drive. We'll send you reminders before your policy expires. As your details are saved with us it's super easy to get you covered! Simply log in, check your details, choose your policy length, pay and you're sorted!

If you completed a quick quote, which declines because of your age or postcode, there will be no quote to retrieve to enable us to determine the reason. However, If you completed a full quote, we will be able to determine the reason. Double-check the details to see if they’re entered correctly on the form. If you’d like us to look into this in more detail, please call us on 0330 343 8814 and we should be able to view the quote and let you know the reason.

Marmalade learner insurance provides cover to drive in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.

There are lots of ways to get in touch with the team - by phone, live chat, social media and email. Live chat is a great place to start - simply click on the speech bubble at the bottom right of this page. If you need to speak to a member of the team, you can contact us on 0330 343 8814, during working hours. You can find out our opening hours and read more about how to get in touch on our contact us page.

Yes, it does, and will take about a week for it to show. If you are using a family member or friend’s car, please check that their annual policy is on there to ensure you remain covered.

As this is a short-term policy, you won’t start building your No Claims discount just yet. If this is important, why not check out our Named Young Driver Insurance which is an annual policy in the young driver’s own name and allows them to start earning their own No Claims Discount.

The great news is that it offers seamless cover from learner to full licence with no price increase on passing the driving test!

If you're looking to insure a learner driver on your car there are two options. They can take out a standalone policy that covers them when they are behind the wheel until they pass their test, like our learner driver insurance, or you can speak to your insurance company about adding a named driver.  Get a quote and join the thousands of learners who opt for our short-term learner insurance every month.

Unsure what policy to choose?

We’ve got a handy tool to help you figure it out - simply answer three quick questions and we’ll show you the options that may suit your young driver best

Help me choose

What's covered by our Learner Driver Insurance policy?

Legal liability
 
Damage to the car owner’s vehicle
 
Medical expenses up to £250
 
Personal belongings up to £100
 


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