Car insurance for new driver

Myci85

Have been trying to search for an answer to this on Google for ages but no luck, so wondering if anyone on here might know the answer. 

My son is currently learning to drive, and being my second child, I'm well aware of the eye watering insurance costs when he passes. We've been doing quotes on different cars, and by doing a quote to start a month or so later we were able to bring the price down about £500+. However, I don't want him to pass his test and then not drive for a month as with any new skill, regular practice I feel is very important. I'm wondering if it is possible to do a quote a month ahead of his test date (I believe some companies save the quote for 30 days) and then activate it if he passes? Or will insurance companies not allow a quote for full license insurance whilst he is currently still on provisional?

money_dispensary

Disclaimer: I'm not specialist in this area, this is just my two pennies. I did a similar thing when I passed in 2017, got lots of quotes a couple of weeks before, and scheduled the best policy to commence on the day of my driving test (I was cocky and assumed I would pass... thankfully I did!) - Direct Line didn't seem to mind, besides, I could've canceled within the 14 days cooling off period in the worst case (there would've been a £25 admin fee though). Most comparison sites do save quotation results for 30 days, but this doesn't necessarily mean the prices are "locked in" for policies with scheduled start dates, especially if you claimed you wanted it to start in 28 days, and then in reality only purchase the policy the day before it's due to start. However, if the insurance company does decide to hike the price, I would suggest considering a temporary insurance firm (Veygo, Day Insure etc.), that way you can actually set up a cheaper, permanent policy that is scheduled for 14-28 days in the future, whilst you son drives on a temporary policy for a few weeks. As temporary insurance is often poor value for money in the long-term, I'd suggest just purchasing cover by the day, as and when he fancies driving. Hopefully you find a solution and keep the cost down!

money_dispensary

Just to add: you could risk having the policy voided if it did commence on the day of his test and he didn't pass, as you would've techincally provided inaccurate information. This could leave a paper trail that may not be ideal for your son. So I wouldn't recommend following what I did. But you could perhaps schedule the policy to commence a day AFTER his test, and then cancel it before it even began, in the scenario where he doesn't pass (which I'm sure he will!). Wishing him all the luck!

Isthisforreal99

For the reasons above it's a dangerous move and not something I would recommend as you basically providing false information at the time of application. A voided policy will be way more costly than any savings on cost.

Emmia

I also don't think it's absolutely essential your son starts driving immediately after his test. I didn't have a car (and wasn't insured on my parent's cars) until 6 weeks after my test as I had to buy a car and pay for my insurance, so I didn't drive at all in that period. 

When I did start driving, it was a bit nerve wracking the first few times by myself, but it was fine. 

Waiting until he passes is the best option to avoid the problems of cancelled insurance etc.

MyRealNameToo

Myci85 said:

Have been trying to search for an answer to this on Google for ages but no luck, so wondering if anyone on here might know the answer. 

My son is currently learning to drive, and being my second child, I'm well aware of the eye watering insurance costs when he passes. We've been doing quotes on different cars, and by doing a quote to start a month or so later we were able to bring the price down about £500+. However, I don't want him to pass his test and then not drive for a month as with any new skill, regular practice I feel is very important. I'm wondering if it is possible to do a quote a month ahead of his test date (I believe some companies save the quote for 30 days) and then activate it if he passes? Or will insurance companies not allow a quote for full license insurance whilst he is currently still on provisional?

Does he have his own vehicle?

Continuous insurance enforcement requires him to have insurance at all times if he has his own car unless it's off the road and SORNed. If you have done this then in principle your idea works but you will be limited on who you can use as many insurers dont keep quotes that long any more and you won't be able to use anyone that insists on having his licence number. 

Isthisforreal99 said:

For the reasons above it's a dangerous move and not something I would recommend as you basically providing false information at the time of application. A voided policy will be way more costly than any savings on cost.

It's not false information, in most cases you are answering as the case will be on the date the policy incepts. They are saying they won't buy the policy if he doesnt pass so there would never be anything to void. It's no different from you doing a quote today saying you own a Ferrari just to see how much the premiums would be. 

Nobbie1967

If you want them to keep their skills up, why not book a few post test lessons for motorway driving?

Myci85

money_dispensary said:

Disclaimer: I'm not specialist in this area, this is just my two pennies. I did a similar thing when I passed in 2017, got lots of quotes a couple of weeks before, and scheduled the best policy to commence on the day of my driving test (I was cocky and assumed I would pass... thankfully I did!) - Direct Line didn't seem to mind, besides, I could've canceled within the 14 days cooling off period in the worst case (there would've been a £25 admin fee though). Most comparison sites do save quotation results for 30 days, but this doesn't necessarily mean the prices are "locked in" for policies with scheduled start dates, especially if you claimed you wanted it to start in 28 days, and then in reality only purchase the policy the day before it's due to start. However, if the insurance company does decide to hike the price, I would suggest considering a temporary insurance firm (Veygo, Day Insure etc.), that way you can actually set up a cheaper, permanent policy that is scheduled for 14-28 days in the future, whilst you son drives on a temporary policy for a few weeks. As temporary insurance is often poor value for money in the long-term, I'd suggest just purchasing cover by the day, as and when he fancies driving. Hopefully you find a solution and keep the cost down!

Thank you for your reply. Temporary insurance has also been something I was considering, but like you say, it isn't cheap, so unless he is happy to only drive for a handful of hours for the first few weeks/month then it might not end up much cheaper overall. 

Quoting to start the day after his test makes sense, as like you said then I would just not take up the insurance if he fails. 

Myci85

MyRealNameToo said:

Myci85 said:

Have been trying to search for an answer to this on Google for ages but no luck, so wondering if anyone on here might know the answer. 

My son is currently learning to drive, and being my second child, I'm well aware of the eye watering insurance costs when he passes. We've been doing quotes on different cars, and by doing a quote to start a month or so later we were able to bring the price down about £500+. However, I don't want him to pass his test and then not drive for a month as with any new skill, regular practice I feel is very important. I'm wondering if it is possible to do a quote a month ahead of his test date (I believe some companies save the quote for 30 days) and then activate it if he passes? Or will insurance companies not allow a quote for full license insurance whilst he is currently still on provisional?

Does he have his own vehicle?

Continuous insurance enforcement requires him to have insurance at all times if he has his own car unless it's off the road and SORNed. If you have done this then in principle your idea works but you will be limited on who you can use as many insurers dont keep quotes that long any more and you won't be able to use anyone that insists on having his licence number. 

Isthisforreal99 said:

For the reasons above it's a dangerous move and not something I would recommend as you basically providing false information at the time of application. A voided policy will be way more costly than any savings on cost.

It's not false information, in most cases you are answering as the case will be on the date the policy incepts. They are saying they won't buy the policy if he doesnt pass so there would never be anything to void. It's no different from you doing a quote today saying you own a Ferrari just to see how much the premiums would be. 

Yes he has his own car, currently insured as a learner driver, so like you say we will need some sort of insurance in place once he passes unless we SORN it as his learner insurance will no longer be valid. 

Yes I didn't think it would be risking committing fraud, as like you say we wouldn't buy the policy if he fails, so not much different to us checking quotes now to see what it might cost when he passes. 

I was not sure whether insurers do keep their quotes valid as long these days, so that would definitely be something to check. Admiral seem to consistently be one of the cheapest coming up currently, and they were for my older son too, so I might do some investigating. 

Myci85

Nobbie1967 said:

If you want them to keep their skills up, why not book a few post test lessons for motorway driving?

That's something to consider, and back in my day that used to reduce your insurance premium too, but I've no idea if it still does now. 

The_Groat_Counter

Myci85 said:

Nobbie1967 said:

If you want them to keep their skills up, why not book a few post test lessons for motorway driving?

That's something to consider, and back in my day that used to reduce your insurance premium too, but I've no idea if it still does now. 

I found the post-test motorway lessons I had (a couple of them I think) genuinely very helpful.