Insurance with a provisional licence

Get insured so you can practice in your family or friend's car

Get insured so you can practice in your family or friend's car

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Compare quotes for provisional licence holders

Even if you don't have a licence yet, you'll need car insurance to be able to learn to drive legally in your own car.


Life can often be a scary thing for a provisional license holder who is just learning to drive. Often insurance can prove to be a financial barrier to those who are trying to get some experience on the road.

Provisional licence holders are categorised as high risk by insurance companies, who see them as statistically more likely to be involved in accidents.

The reason for this is that, insurance companies base the price of their rates on the level of risk that they see the driver as having. This means that the more likely they think that you are to claim, the higher the amount that you will need to pay. As younger drivers or drivers on provisional licenses are less experienced on the roads than those who have been driving for longer.

Whilst this may be an off-putting factor for many inexperienced drivers, there are ways in which you can lower the cost of your first car insurance policy.

In This Guide:

Ways to reduce your cost as a provisional driver

One of the best ways to reduce the amount of money that you pay on insurance as a provisional license holder, is placing an older and more experienced driver onto your policy as a "named" driver.

To name someone else as a named driver on your policy they must be over the age of 21 and have held a licence for at least 3 years. They are legally required to be in the car with you whenever you are behind the wheel, although they are allowed to drive the car without you present.

Provisional licence holders who are learning to drive in their parents cars are more likely to save money on their insurance. This is because they will not be the main driver on the policy and therefore will not be classed as such a high risk. If you sign up to an insurance policy as a named driver on an experienced driver's insurance, you will not end up paying as much on your insurance. This does mean that the experienced driver's premium will probably increase significantly.

If you are going to be the main driver of a vehicle and you only put yourself down as a named driver, you are breaking the law. This means that your insurance company can refuse to pay out in the case of you making a claim. This is known as "fronting" and is actually quite a common practice in the UK, even though it is illegal.

The best way to make sure that you are getting the best deal on your insurance is by comparing learner driver insurance offers that are available to you. The most efficient way of seeing all the best deals that are on offer is by running a car insurance comparison. Here on our website we offer a free and impartial price comparison service that will compare all of the deals that are currently on the market.

Choose an appropriate car

Another great way of saving money as a new driver is by choosing a car that will not be as expensive to insure. All cars are categorised into an insurance group that determines how much they cost to take out a policy on.

The cheapest cars to insure are usually ones with smaller engines as they are less dangerous to drive. Insurance companies also take into consideration how much it costs to repair or replace parts on a vehicle. This means that cars from more expensive manufacturers are often pricier when it comes to insurance.

Cars that have been modified are also hugely more expensive to insure than cars that are still in the same specification that they were when bought. To keep your insurance costs low, keep car modifications to a minimum.

Cars with better security systems are also cheaper to insure because they are less likely to be broken into or stolen. Cars with immobilisers or security alarms are the best for this type of discount on insurance. Cars with canvas roofs are more expensive to insure as these roofs can be more easily broken into and there is also the possibility that the roof will be left down.

Last reviewed: 1 March 2024

Next review: 1 April 2024