Learner driver insurance

andy69_2

Hello, my son is learning to drive and I don't want to insure him on my car as it's way too big and it's also an automatic. 
I am going to buy him a cheap 1.2 run around ao that I can give him extra lessons and he can then have the car once he has passed his test. 
I am going to buy this car in his name and then I was hoping to insure him on the car for a year, with his provisional licence. It only comes out at about 50 quid a month rather than about 300 quid a month once he has passed his test. 

Is this the only insurance the car needs? Does it need a separate insurance on the car from a driver who has passed their test so that police don't see it as an uninsured car or is that provisional licence insurance enough?

Also, my current policy on my car says I can drive other cars, if I were to borrow the car for a day, would I still be insured on this car 3rd party?

Thanks. 

Flugelhorn

not sure what product you are looking at - if this is learner driver insurance eg Marmalade then yes the car has to be owned and insured by you and his insurance is an add on


I did this with a small car - insured it myself for about £200 (note can't use no-claims on it) then added on the learner insurance 

elsien

andy69_2 said:

Hello, my son is learning to drive and I don't want to insure him on my car as it's way too big and it's also an automatic. 
I am going to buy him a cheap 1.2 run around ao that I can give him extra lessons and he can then have the car once he has passed his test. 
I am going to buy this car in his name and then I was hoping to insure him on the car for a year, with his provisional licence. It only comes out at about 50 quid a month rather than about 300 quid a month once he has passed his test. 

Is this the only insurance the car needs? Does it need a separate insurance on the car from a driver who has passed their test so that police don't see it as an uninsured car or is that provisional licence insurance enough?

Also, my current policy on my car says I can drive other cars, if I were to borrow the car for a day, would I still be insured on this car 3rd party?

Thanks. 

I’d check the exact wording on that. Mine says I can drive other cars, but only in an emergency. 

Flugelhorn

Mine too @elsien - always understood it to be "just to get a car out of the way or off the road etc"

DullGreyGuy

andy69_2 said:

Hello, my son is learning to drive and I don't want to insure him on my car as it's way too big and it's also an automatic. 
I am going to buy him a cheap 1.2 run around ao that I can give him extra lessons and he can then have the car once he has passed his test. 
I am going to buy this car in his name and then I was hoping to insure him on the car for a year, with his provisional licence. It only comes out at about 50 quid a month rather than about 300 quid a month once he has passed his test. 

Is this the only insurance the car needs? Does it need a separate insurance on the car from a driver who has passed their test so that police don't see it as an uninsured car or is that provisional licence insurance enough?

Also, my current policy on my car says I can drive other cars, if I were to borrow the car for a day, would I still be insured on this car 3rd party?

Thanks. 

As long as it's a full policy and not a learner driver top up then yes thats all you legally need. You may find it cheaper however to add a mature driver as a Named Driver as well. 

DoC isn't as common as it used to be and importantly it only applies to the policyholder not named drivers. It is important to check the exact terms of the DoC as they do vary, the "only in an emergency" is hard to enforce as no one goes into any detail of what is meant by this and so its not too hard to argue that if your son had a meltdown on one of his early lessons it is an "emergency" for you to take over. What I'd be more concerned about is exclusions on vehicles registered to your home address/close family members that live with you etc. 

If you are going to rely on DoC then you will have to make sure the invoice of sale for the vehicle is in your Son's name otherwise you'll be having to prove that you gifted it to him rather than making up a story of having done so after you found you were uninsured. 

andy69_2

Thanks everyone. My policy doesn't state emergency only or anything. 

With regards to this policy, it would he a full years policy but on a provisional licence. So @DullGreyGuy I don't need to insure the car with a full licence?

cw8825

andy69_2 said:

Thanks everyone. My policy doesn't state emergency only or anything. 

With regards to this policy, it would he a full years policy but on a provisional licence. So @DullGreyGuy I don't need to insure the car with a full licence?

You would need to update them when/if he passes his test
At that point the learner insurance is likely to cancel
they may offer you a new policy at a higher rate 

DullGreyGuy

andy69_2 said:

Thanks everyone. My policy doesn't state emergency only or anything. 

With regards to this policy, it would he a full years policy but on a provisional licence. So DullGreyGuy I don't need to insure the car with a full licence?

No, there is no legal requirement for it to have anyone insured with a full licence though as mentioned it is likely to be cheaper if there is. 

Some will even do cover for someone with no licence at all (eg someone who's had to Surender their licence due to ill health) but then they will require at least one named driver with some form of licence, again could be provisional or full. 

If you get a learner policy it will typically automatically expire as soon as they pass their test meaning you'll need to buy a replacement policy instantly which can be expensive with no notice. If its a regular policy and just so happens to be insuring a learner then you'll need to inform them of the change in circumstances at the earliest practical time and just grease yourself up ready to hear the revised pricing as newly qualified drivers are vastly more expensive to insure than learner drivers. 

andy69_2

Fantastic advice. Thanks! 

Aretnap

elsien said:

andy69_2 said:

Hello, my son is learning to drive and I don't want to insure him on my car as it's way too big and it's also an automatic. 
I am going to buy him a cheap 1.2 run around ao that I can give him extra lessons and he can then have the car once he has passed his test. 
I am going to buy this car in his name and then I was hoping to insure him on the car for a year, with his provisional licence. It only comes out at about 50 quid a month rather than about 300 quid a month once he has passed his test. 

Is this the only insurance the car needs? Does it need a separate insurance on the car from a driver who has passed their test so that police don't see it as an uninsured car or is that provisional licence insurance enough?

Also, my current policy on my car says I can drive other cars, if I were to borrow the car for a day, would I still be insured on this car 3rd party?

Thanks. 

I’d check the exact wording on that. Mine says I can drive other cars, but only in an emergency. 

Do you have a link to the wording? The intention behind driving other cars cover might well have been that it would only be for unexpected/occasional use, but I have never seen a policy which actually specified this, not do I see how a clause like that could be enforceable unless it defined the circumstances in which you could use it a lot more precisely than "emergency".

Flugelhorn

Mine says:

"Under the terms of section 2 of the policy - Your Liability -  (my name) may, subject to the owner's express consent, also drive a motor car which: does not belong to them; is not a rental car; is not hired to them under a hire purchase or leasing agreement." 

and

"Driving other cars – if you’re aged 25 or over at inception or renewal, you may drive other cars not owned or hired by you"