Daughter learning to drive

SavinginUnison

My darling daughter is almost 17 and is having off road lessons with a view to having on road ones once the big day arrives.

What is the best way to get her extra practice? Is it to buy a cheap low engine size car and insure it for her or add her to my 2L Picasso? I am cinfused by all of the sites and the prices are exorbitant.

Astaroth

Wait til she passes her test, it will go even higher then.

There is no "best" way of doing it unfortunately. I think you will find that some insurers will simply not insure her on a 2L car as it is too high a risk even if you are willing to pay the premiums.

What is the ultimate goal? Is she going to be getting her own car? If she is it is probably worth getting it now, insure in her own name (so that she starts earning her own no claims discount) with you as a named driver (so you can drive the vehicle if she has a panic attack or something after a near miss).

As a young driver she may have a compulsory excess of up to £500 on top of what ever voluntary excess you choose so if the car is only worth £1000 or less it may not be worth getting comprehensive insurance as vehicle value minus £700 of excess wont give much. Do double check TPFT and Comp (and possibly TPO) policies as whilst the extra cover may not be "worth it" because the excess is more than the car because there is more competition in the comprehensive market sometimes you will get lower premiums even though the cover is higher

morg_monster

When she is still learning, adding her to either car shouldn't cost much, because learners are perceived as low risk because they (should be) always accompanied by an experienced driver. Once she has passed, there may not be a huge amount of difference in insurance alone between the two options, depending on your insurer, however having her own car will mean your daughter will begin to accrue no claims, (and yours will be 'safe'!).

On a purely learning to drive note, she will most likely be learning to drive and taking her test in a small engined car, maybe 1.4 max, probably 1.0 or 1.2l engine. Practicing in a 2l car may not help her driving skills at all if she is switching between two such different cars.

Unless you/she is going to buy her a car anyway once she's passed, the cheapest way to get her extra practice may be just to pay for extra lessons, that way she should pass quicker.

morg_monster

When she is still learning, adding her to either car shouldn't cost the earth (in my experience we're talking low £100s), because learners are perceived as low risk because they (should be) always accompanied by an experienced driver. Once she has passed, there may not be a huge amount of difference in insurance alone between the two options, depending on your insurer, however having her own car will mean your daughter will begin to accrue no claims, (and yours will be 'safe'!).

On a purely learning to drive note, she will most likely be learning to drive and taking her test in a small engined car, maybe 1.4 max, probably 1.0 or 1.2l engine. Practicing in a 2l car may not help her driving skills at all if she is switching between two such different cars.

Unless you/she is going to buy her a car anyway once she's passed, the cheapest way to get her extra practice may be just to pay for extra lessons, that way she should pass quicker.

teeb

morg_monster wrote:

On a purely learning to drive note, she will most likely be learning to drive and taking her test in a small engined car, maybe 1.4 max, probably 1.0 or 1.2l engine. Practicing in a 2l car may not help her driving skills at all if she is switching between two such different cars.

I beg to differ. I learnt to drive in a 1.2 litre Corsa [instructor's car] and a 2 litre people carrier [family car]. They're pretty much polar opposites, but the basics remained the same - clutch control, driving processes such as 'mirror, signal, manoeveure' and so on.

If you're willing to pay the premium on your insurance for your daughter, it can be a handy thing to do. And will likely reduce the number of lessons your daughter will need.

morg_monster

sorry for dup posts.

I drove my mum's 1.4l car for practice and a 1.0l car for lessons - I think I had too much practice on the bigger car, driving to work with my dad every day for a month, because I failed my test and my instructor said I was driving like I had already passed....!! Think my dad wasn't the best instructor!

I agree with you teeb a car is a car, regardless of size. I guess two small engined cars are just as likely to be different to drive as a small and a larger car.

Astaroth

I would have more of an issue with vehicle size than engine size as a consideration as most learners are taught a technique as to how to do the manovers (reverse until your wing mirrors are level then 1 turn until you are at 3 oclock then 2 turns back etc) and these vary a fair amount between cars due to differing turning circles, mirror positions etc but obviously it is even more pronounced between a long wide car and a narrow short car.

culpepper

OH has insured our 1.0L corsa for my son so that he can teach him himself.
At something like £17 a lesson last time I looked, it is the cheaper option.
Driving schools like to tell you it is 1 lesson per year of age and you will be ready for the test which is just nonesense really. I'm sure it is just to get you to book a batch of lessons in the hope that, that will be all you need.
I learnt in several different cars including our 2L diesel and I agree the basics are the same once you understand the controls. Driving the larger car inbetween may make driving a smaller car for the test easier re- ease of parking ,manouverability and width judgement.

SavinginUnison

teeb wrote:

I beg to differ. I learnt to drive in a 1.2 litre Corsa [instructor's car] and a 2 litre people carrier [family car]. They're pretty much polar opposites, but the basics remained the same - clutch control, driving processes such as 'mirror, signal, manoeveure' and so on.

If you're willing to pay the premium on your insurance for your daughter, it can be a handy thing to do. And will likely reduce the number of lessons your daughter will need.

I had planned on letting her drive to and from college ( 10 miles each way through town and country) to get some extra practice. We don't have a test centre in out town either so I was planning to take her to the town where she will do her test to get used to the roads there too. I am still confused!