£5,000 to Learn to Drive? UK Insurance Costs Are a Joke

MEM62

EmpireKicking said:

Car insurance prices in the UK are absolutely insane.

If that were generally the case, nobody would drive  

EmpireKicking said:

To be added as a named driver on a 2008 Ford Fusion, I was quoted between £3,500 and £5,000 per year. That’s not for a fancy car. That’s not even for my own policy, it’s just to be added to an existing one.

Then you need to do additional research.  That figure is way too high.
  

EmpireKicking said:

I literally burned my provisional licence because there’s just no point holding onto it if I can’t afford to take the next step.
 

You are not prone to over the top reactions then?  

EmpireKicking said:

Learning to drive should be a path to freedom, independence, and better opportunities,

So even if if were £5k, it would be a good investment in your future

EmpireKicking said:

Has anyone else experienced this? 

Yes, many people but in most cases they looked at the market further and found a more cost-effective solution instead of burning their license. .    
.  

EmpireKicking

The main driver has no bad history, and neither does the second name listed on the license. The higher cost seems to be due to the main driver being over 80 years old. As for the second person on the license, she hasn't driven in the past seven years but has chosen to keep her name on it.

At the time, I looked into around ten options but gave up when I saw the prices. So what that FLIP it, nothing more.

I also keep in mind that the older the car gets, the more expensive it seems to become. And when new drivers are added, the cost goes up too. My age doesn’t help either, ironically, people in their 20s and 30s often pay more than people in their 80s.

It seems like it’s just not meant to be, maybe because I’m originally from Australia and have only been in the UK for 11 years. I know that’s something some insurance companies take into account.

The Ford we have now is 7 years old, and it’s only the second car we’ve owned in our 12 years living in the UK. The main driver has never had any bad record, not even back in Australia.

Between the driver’s age, the second name on the license (who hasn’t driven in 7 years), and the usual things like the car’s age or being classed as a “new” driver in the UK, it just feels like everything stacks up against us. I looked into about ten options and gave up when I saw the prices

Flugelhorn

EmpireKicking said:

The main driver has no bad history, and neither does the second name listed on the license. The higher cost seems to be due to the main driver being over 80 years old. As for the second person on the license, she hasn't driven in the past seven years but has chosen to keep her name on it.

So who were you going to have as your accompanying driver? I think it has to be one of these two, unless someone else is insured to drive the car. Maybe the concern is that there is an 80+ yr old driver supervising?

DullGreyGuy

Flugelhorn said:

EmpireKicking said:

The main driver has no bad history, and neither does the second name listed on the license. The higher cost seems to be due to the main driver being over 80 years old. As for the second person on the license, she hasn't driven in the past seven years but has chosen to keep her name on it.

So who were you going to have as your accompanying driver? I think it has to be one of these two, unless someone else is insured to drive the car. Maybe the concern is that there is an 80+ yr old driver supervising?

the accompanying driver doesnt have to be someone covered by the policy, though if the learner freaks out you're in a bit of a bind if the supervisor cannot take over driving the car as they arent covered on the vehicle. 

No pricing algorithm I've seen considers the age gap when one of the drivers has a provisional licence. It'd be a poor assumption given the supervisor doesnt even have to be covered by the policy and if the policy is just for the learner driver no questions are asked about who will be supervising. 

born_again

EmpireKicking said:

The main driver has no bad history, and neither does the second name listed on the license. The higher cost seems to be due to the main driver being over 80 years old. As for the second person on the license, she hasn't driven in the past seven years but has chosen to keep her name on it.

At the time, I looked into around ten options but gave up when I saw the prices. So what that FLIP it, nothing more.

I also keep in mind that the older the car gets, the more expensive it seems to become. And when new drivers are added, the cost goes up too. My age doesn’t help either, ironically, people in their 20s and 30s often pay more than people in their 80s.

It seems like it’s just not meant to be, maybe because I’m originally from Australia and have only been in the UK for 11 years. I know that’s something some insurance companies take into account.

The Ford we have now is 7 years old, and it’s only the second car we’ve owned in our 12 years living in the UK. The main driver has never had any bad record, not even back in Australia.

Between the driver’s age, the second name on the license (who hasn’t driven in 7 years), and the usual things like the car’s age or being classed as a “new” driver in the UK, it just feels like everything stacks up against us. I looked into about ten options and gave up when I saw the prices

So can we take it that the main driver (has not had insurance, or driven for 7 years as well?) 

If that is the case, then no wonder you are getting such high quotes. 80 YO, not driven for 7 years, Zero NCB & a additional driver just got a licence to learn to drive. 

Are you expecting them to teach you to drive?
In which case, you should be main driver, & insurance in your name. Nice case of fronting & could be another reason for the high price.

Get a proper driving instructor to teach you to drive. Will be far cheaper than the route you are trying to take.

Aretnap

Flugelhorn said:

EmpireKicking said:

The main driver has no bad history, and neither does the second name listed on the license. The higher cost seems to be due to the main driver being over 80 years old. As for the second person on the license, she hasn't driven in the past seven years but has chosen to keep her name on it.

So who were you going to have as your accompanying driver? I think it has to be one of these two, unless someone else is insured to drive the car.

There's no requirement for the supervising driver to be insured to drive the car, though it is probably a good idea for various reasons.

Even if it was, there are several million other people in the country insured to drive the car through the driving other cars extension on their own policies, so there would be no shortage of other potential supervisors. 

Flugelhorn

DullGreyGuy said:

Flugelhorn said:

EmpireKicking said:

The main driver has no bad history, and neither does the second name listed on the license. The higher cost seems to be due to the main driver being over 80 years old. As for the second person on the license, she hasn't driven in the past seven years but has chosen to keep her name on it.

So who were you going to have as your accompanying driver? I think it has to be one of these two, unless someone else is insured to drive the car. Maybe the concern is that there is an 80+ yr old driver supervising?

the accompanying driver doesnt have to be someone covered by the policy, though if the learner freaks out you're in a bit of a bind if the supervisor cannot take over driving the car as they arent covered on the vehicle. 

No pricing algorithm I've seen considers the age gap when one of the drivers has a provisional licence. It'd be a poor assumption given the supervisor doesnt even have to be covered by the policy and if the policy is just for the learner driver no questions are asked about who will be supervising. 

It is interesting that the accompanying driver doesn't have to be insured - couple of times when chaos reigned (eg parking when  all spaces are horrible or narrow road, required some reversing back to a passing place - don't ask how we got on to the road anyway bit of a mistake) - that I had to take over and do the necessary.

Anyway my theory doesn't explain the huge quotes the OP has had - thinking about they don't ask if it is just the learner insuring the car. 

Flugelhorn

Aretnap said:

Flugelhorn said:

EmpireKicking said:

The main driver has no bad history, and neither does the second name listed on the license. The higher cost seems to be due to the main driver being over 80 years old. As for the second person on the license, she hasn't driven in the past seven years but has chosen to keep her name on it.

So who were you going to have as your accompanying driver? I think it has to be one of these two, unless someone else is insured to drive the car.

There's no requirement for the supervising driver to be insured to drive the car, though it is probably a good idea for various reasons.

Even if it was, there are several million other people in the country insured to drive the car through the driving other cars extension on their own policies, so there would be no shortage of other potential supervisors. 

I thought that that "other car" extension was  only TP (and really only to be used in an emergency

jimjames

Flugelhorn said:

Aretnap said:

Flugelhorn said:

EmpireKicking said:

The main driver has no bad history, and neither does the second name listed on the license. The higher cost seems to be due to the main driver being over 80 years old. As for the second person on the license, she hasn't driven in the past seven years but has chosen to keep her name on it.

So who were you going to have as your accompanying driver? I think it has to be one of these two, unless someone else is insured to drive the car.

There's no requirement for the supervising driver to be insured to drive the car, though it is probably a good idea for various reasons.

Even if it was, there are several million other people in the country insured to drive the car through the driving other cars extension on their own policies, so there would be no shortage of other potential supervisors. 

I thought that that "other car" extension was  only TP (and really only to be used in an emergency

It is TP but nothing in the policy documents say it has to be an emergency just that it's a car not owned by the policy holder. Friend borrowed my car for a few weeks and used the cover to drive it.

saajan_12

Several possibilities, so its not necessarily as alarming as you seem to be reacting.
1. Are you looking at the difference in insurance to add yourself or a new policy? An elderly driver is statistically quite risky, so their baseline cost is going to be high. You don't have to learn in a car owned / driven by an 80yr old, thats your particular choice. 

2. Are you looking at quotes with you as a provisional learner or as a new driver? IF the latter, then that's often more expensive as you'd be driving around solo but to learn you actually need the former. This is generally cheaper as you're being supervised and after passing, you could then decide whether you immediately get insured on a car you purchase. You'd still get some benefit of freedom etc by being able to hire cars as needed. 

3. Can you learn wiht a normal instructor? Depending on how many hours it takes before they think you're ready, its usually well under £5k and includes the fuel, time of the instructor, etc.