Do I need car insurance when learning to drive in the UK?

How does car insurance work for learner drivers?

If you're learning to drive in someone else's or your own car, you need car insurance.

That's where learner driver insurance can come in handy. It's a specific type of insurance for those with a provisional licence.

This insurance means learners can get some handy practice outside of their lessons in their own or someone else's car. That's as long as they're driving with someone over 21 with at least 3 years of driving experience.

Learner drivers can choose from 3 different types of car insurance:

• Third-party:

  This is the legal minimum amount of insurance you could get. It only covers damage to other people's cars, property and their injuries. It doesn't cover your car or your injuries.

• Third-party, fire and theft:

  This is the same as third-party insurance but also covers your car if it's damaged by fire or stolen.

• Comprehensive:

  This is the most protection you can get for you and your car. It covers your car, other people's cars, their property and you! It's usually the cheapest option too.

It's nerve-wracking to learn in another person's car - your mind might wander to the what ifs. But luckily, some learner policies protect the owner's no claims discount. So, if you're in an accident in someone else's car and they need to claim for damage, they won't lose their no-claims bonus.

Do you need car insurance for professional driving lessons?

No, instructors should have their own insurance that covers their students during paid lessons. If you want to check this, it's worth asking your instructor.

You'll only need learner driver insurance if you're driving in your own or someone else's car outside of your lessons.

Driving instructor insurance is different from learner driver insurance because it's more business-focused. It also covers specific things like using the car for commercial purposes and the dual controls.

Do you need learner driver insurance to practice in your own car?

Yes, you'll need car insurance if you're learning in your own car. It's a legal requirement. You've got a couple of options:

• Annual learner driver policy:

  If you're thinking of pairing separate driving practice alongside lessons, this might be a good option. The policy should cover you for a year, and you don't have to think about renewing it if you think you'll need more practice time. You'll have to cancel this policy or update it if you pass your test, though.

• Short-term or temporary learner driver insurance:

  This is ideal if you just want a few trips out in another vehicle while you're learning. And if you run out of time, there's no pressure - you can top up the policy with some more days.

When you're learning, you'll have to display 2 L plates - they must be visible from both the front and the rear of the car. Attach them securely and make sure they don't interfere with your view.

So when you've passed (hurrah!), if you've got an annual learner policy, you can notify your insurer, and they can change your insurance to a standard one. Otherwise, you could compare policies with us, and we'll find a policy that's right for you.

Do you need learner driver insurance to practise in someone else's car?

Yes, you must have insurance to drive someone else's car. You've got a couple of options here too:

• Temporary learner driver insurance:

  You can choose how much cover you want, from 1 hour up to 28 days. And if something happens, the owner's no claims bonus is protected.

• You can be added as a named driver:

  The owner of the car can add you as a named driver. For example, your parents might add you to their car insurance while you're learning. Because you've not passed your test yet, this might be quite expensive. If you have to make a claim, it could impact their no-claims bonus.

Remember: The person you're driving with needs to be over 21 and have held a full driving licence for over 3 years.

If you're a named driver, you shouldn't be doing the bulk of the driving on the policy. This is called fronting, and it's illegal.

What happens to your insurance after you pass your driving test?

So you've passed! Hurrah! The one thing you'll need to do is sort your insurance out. Because you're not a learner anymore, your learner driver insurance won't cover you - so you'd be driving illegally if you don't update it.

Once you've passed your test, updating your insurance probably won't be the main thing in your mind. So it's worth arranging a lift back from the test centre. That way you can shop around for the best policy for you when you get home.

While you're looking for insurance, you could try a temporary car insurance policy. That'll give you some wriggle room to search for insurance, but you can still get out on the road.

It's worth shopping around for your first car insurance policy, as they're typically more expensive. That's because drivers are usually seen as more risky.

One option to cut your insurance price is a black box (or telematics) policy. These monitor your driving in real time and give you an insurance price based on how you drive, rather than give you a typical price for your age group.

Other important insurance considerations for learner drivers

Here are the key things to take away from this guide:

• You'll need to have visible L plates (or D plates in Wales) in the front and rear of the car.

• If you don't have the proper insurance, you risk a £300 fine and 6 points on your licence. Your insurance will be more expensive in the future too.

• The car you're learning in needs to be roadworthy and you must have paid the

  car tax.

• Your insurance only covers you for driving supervised with someone over the age of 21 with 3+ years of driving experience.

• If you're planning on taking your test in your own car, make sure your learner driver insurance covers it. You can find this in your policy documents or just ring your insurer and ask.