Learn to drive with temporary car insurance
Learning to drive? Don't get tied into annual car insurance, or get stuck as a named driver on someone else's cover. Only pay for what you need with standalone, temporary learner driver insurance, with policies from 1-3 hours.
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What is learner driver insurance?
Learner driver insurance lets you drive before you’ve got your full licence. It’s one of the three things you’ll need before you hit the road to practise, alongside a provisional licence and a supervisor aged 25+.
Traditionally, learners had a choice between annual learner insurance or being added as a named driver on someone else’s full policy. But with temporary car insurance (also known as provisional insurance), learners now also have the option to only get insured when they actually need to drive.
Temporary learner insurance is usually fully comprehensive. You can use car insurance for provisional drivers to drive your own vehicle or someone else’s, so long as you have family or friends supervising you. It’s great for practising outside of lessons - and because it's a standalone policy, if you have an accident while driving someone else’s car, it won't affect their own policy or no-claims bonus (NCB).
The three main types of learner driver insurance
Cuvva’s temporary learner driver insurance
Insurance cover for a friend or family member's car (or short-term insurance on your own car, if there's an underlying policy) only when you actually want to drive, from 1 to 3 hours
Protects car owner’s no-claims bonus
Can be cheaper than annual or named driver insurance (depending on how often you drive and how long it takes you to pass)
You can practise in different cars, like a friend or family member's
Costs £23.45 for 3 hours of driving on average
Being a named driver on someone else’s policy
For longer-term practice with a friend or family member's car
Handy if you want to take your time learning to drive, or you’ve been struggling to pass your test for a while
Might be more cost-effective if you think you’ll need more than the DVSA-recommended 22 hours of independent, supervised driving outside of your lessons as you try to pass your test
Can make main driver’s existing premium much more expensive
Any claims will affect the car owner’s insurance and no-claims bonus
You can only drive the car the main policy is for
Driving lesson insurance
Provided by your driving instructor while being taught in their car
No need to arrange your own insurance as it’s usually included in overall lesson price (although always double check)
No cover outside of lessons means no extra practice
You’re restricted to only driving in their car
You need to work around your driving instructor’s schedule
What’s the cheapest insurance for learning to drive?
Learners have three main options when getting insurance: buying annual learner driver insurance on their own car, getting added as a named driver on a friend or family member's policy, or using temporary learner insurance as they try to pass their test.
An annual policy could be good value if you plan to practise a lot - let's say 50 hours outside of lessons. But if you think you'll probably only rack up the 22 hours outside of lessons recommended by the DVSA, temporary insurance might be the best bet for cheap learner car insurance. This is because getting 22 hours worth of provisional car insurance using Cuvva could cost just £182.16 (based on our average 1 hour policy price of £18.01 and 3 hour average of £23.45), while annual learner policies range from hundreds to even thousands of pounds.
Getting added as a named driver could be good value if you plan to drive a lot - but, again, not so much if you are planning on the DVSA-recommended 22 hours. Previous Cuvva research using a price comparison website found it would cost a family living in Bristol £498.99 to insure a 2011 Vauxhall Astra Active. Adding their 19-year-old son to the policy as a named driver, who’s learning to drive, would cost an additional £1,292.65.
How to get learner driver insurance fast
Get insurance for a learner driver in less than 5 minutes
1
Create an account
Create an account on the app or website, grab your provisional licence, enter some quick details, confirm your identity, and take a quick picture of the car.
2
Choose a duration and pay
From 1 hour up to 3 hours a day.
3
Get driving
Hit the road with your fully comprehensive cover. Need more time? Extend your policy in the app (max 3 hours of driving per day).
Affordable, flexible learner driver insurance with Cuvva
Our pay-as-you-go, hourly coverage is quicker to set up than traditional named driver insurance and doesn’t affect car owner’s no-claims discount. Here’s how it works.
Only pay for what you need
Hourly learner driver insurance
Drive a car up to 3 hours in a day, from 7am to 10pm
Borrow a car by buying a policy in a matter of minutes
Extend your policy with a few taps (up to a maximum 3 hours driving per day)
Fast and fully comprehensive
Sign up in the app and get driving in under 5 minutes
All your policy documents are sent instantly to your phone
Faster than being added as a named driver
Comprehensive is the highest category of coverage, including damage to your vehicle, other vehicles, personal injury claims and more
Better for supervisors and car owners
No risk to the car owner’s no-claims discount in case of an incident
No need to call the insurer or add the learner as a named driver
The provisional licence holder covers the cost of insurance
Who is eligible for learner driver insurance?
Who Cuvva’s learner insurance is suitable for
Provisional licence holders aged 17-50
Those who have held their provisional licence for less than 15 years
GB licence holders (that means issued in England, Scotland, or Wales)
Drivers taking their practical driving test
Learners who want to borrow a car instead of being added as a named driver
Car owners who want their no-claims bonus to be protected while a learner borrows their car
Drivers with a supervisor aged 25+
Who it’s not suitable for
Drivers looking for annual insurance
International licence holders
Drivers who have just passed their test
Full licence holders (use Cuvva’s temporary car insurance instead)
Learners who want to drive on the motorway
Drivers who want to drive after 10pm (policies must end then, so your last 1-hour policy of the day must be bought at 9pm)
Vehicle requirements
Insurance group 1-27
Your car can be worth up to £30,000
You can drive your own car
You can borrow someone else's
We insure cars with most modifications, including any for disabilities
Only private cars are allowed
Learner car requirements
Temporary learner insurance FAQs
Can someone get learner insurance on more than one vehicle?
Yes, you can get learner insurance on different vehicles using short-term cover, as long as each vehicle meets certain requirements (for example, Cuvva can insure cars up to insurance group 27 and up to £30,000 in value). You'll need a separate policy for each car you want to practise in.
If my child is learning to drive in my car, do I also need insurance?
You’ll both need insurance. The learner will need to be covered to drive your car for short periods using temporary cover, while you’ll need longer-term underlying insurance, too. A car must be insured at all times unless it’s been SORN-ed.
Does the supervisor need to own the car?
No, they can supervise a learner driver in any car. The golden rule is that the learner driver must have valid insurance, and the supervisor must be aged 25 and have held a full licence for at least 5 years.
How is temporary learner driver insurance different to named driver insurance or dual insurance?
With temporary insurance, the learner has their own separate policy. It’s completely separate to the car owner’s policy - so if something happens, their policy or NCB won’t be impacted. This isn’t the case with named driver insurance, which also costs the main driver more.
How old do you need to be to use learner driver insurance?
It varies by insurer but normally drivers must be 17+ (like with Cuvva).
The expert's view
Adam Kent, Cuvva's Senior Underwriting Lead and Insurance Expert, said: ‘There are a few key benefits of taking out learner driver insurance on your parent's car rather than becoming a named driver. It can be much cheaper, you can practice without having to worry about your parents' no claims bonus, and if your lesson overruns you can extend it with a quick tap of your phone.’
Some useful guides
To help you save money and ace your test
The easiest and hardest places to pass your test
We've crunched the numbers and found the driving test centres with the highest and lowest pass rates. There's a huge difference, so do your research!
The benefits and limitations of being a ‘named driver’
Getting added as a learner driver to a parent’s insurance? Here's everything to keep in mind about being a named driver.
Driving test checklist
It’s time to build up that pre-test confidence. Use our driving test checklist to get familiar with what to expect on the day, and what to do if you pass or fail. Don’t worry if you fail. Around half of us fail first time!
Can you use your own car for your driving test?
Yes you can. There are some standards and requirements, however, so make sure you don't get turned away at the test centre.
How long it takes to learn to drive
The DVSA says it takes most people 45 hours of lessons and 22 hours of practising. We've broken down the different parts of what can be a long and confusing process.
10 reasons people fail a driving test
Don't fall into the trap of making one of the 10 most common driving test mistakes! Here's the hall of shame.
Want a chat?
Got a question? Our tireless customer support team is on hand every single day of the year, between 9am and 9pm. Let's have a chat.
Any more questions?
Our support articles have loads of answers from the Cuvva team on all of our short-term car insurance policies, from payment queries and account support to international licences and how to claim.
