● Research conducted by insurance experts, Cuvva reveals it’s nearly nine times more expensive adding a learner driver to a policy than it is opting for temporary learner driver insurance by the hour

● Parents, save over £2,000.00 and protect your no claims bonus when your children learn how to drive with temporary car insurance

26 September, 2022: New research conducted by leading flexible car insurance provider (https://www.cuvva.com), Cuvva has revealed younger drivers (and their parent’s) are paying nearly nine times more when adding a learner driver to a car insurance policy. On average, learner drivers can save over £2,000.00 just by opting for temporary learner driver insurance (https://www.cuvva.com/car-insurance/learner-driver) by the hour instead of being added to a policy.

Temporary car insurance is essentially a standalone policy. Young drivers can get insured by the hour whenever they want to practise in the family car, and parents are able to protect their no claims bonus.

The average cost to add a learner driver to a parent’s annual policy worked out to be £2,253.37. As costs continue to soar, learning how to drive can set Brits back by almost £4,000.00.

According to the Driving Standards Agency (DSA), you need around 44 hours of lessons to pass your driving test. In addition, it’s recommended that drivers complete an additional 20 hours on average, of supervised practice, outside of lessons to get confident driving ahead of their test.

Through a price comparison website, 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, pushing their premium to £1,791.64.

If the same learner driver opted for temporary learner driver insurance instead, and got insured by the hour, at an hourly rate of £11.39, it would cost the young driver £227.80 to complete the additional 20 recommended hours, outside of his lessons.

Darryl Bowman, from Cuvva said: “So many learner drivers are paying over £2,000 to be added to their parent’s car insurance policy, when there are more cost effective and smarter ways to get practice time behind the wheel without breaking the bank. With household expenses spiralling out of control, there is a great opportunity to save.

“Tailored, temporary cover specific for learner drivers works out a lot cheaper as you only have to pay for the time needed instead of being added as a named driver to the family’s annual policy which doesn’t make sense as you are only practising occasionally. As the policies are separate, should an accident happen, the car owner’s policy and no claims bonus are not affected.”

Breaking it down by region, Birmingham, Manchester and London saw the highest rise in premiums, when adding a learner driver to a policy, while Plymouth, Bristol and Dorset saw the lowest difference in premiums.

With costs soaring, Cuvva shares top hacks to help young drivers save on the cost of learning how to drive (https://www.cuvva.com/how-insurance-works/learning-to-drive).

It’s cheaper to get temporary car insurance instead of being added as a named driver

Opting for temporary car insurance instead of being added to an existing family member’s policy can save you over £2,000 when learning how to drive. The policyholder’s no claims bonus is also protected in the event you need to make a claim.

More time behind the wheel practising with family and friends might also save an additional lesson or two with an instructor.

Driving uninsured, even as a learner driver has serious ramifications. According to the government, you can be banned from driving, get an unlimited fine and up to eight penalty points for driving uninsured.

Avoid mid-term adjustment fees

Adding a learner driver to an existing policy mid-term (known as mid-term adjustments, MTA) can incur an additional admin fee of between £15 - £30. You can avoid MTA’s by adding a named driver to an existing policy at renewal time.

Book your driving test midweek

You can save £13 if you book your driving test mid-week instead of on the weekend or bank holiday.

Shop around for lessons and buy in bulk

The price of driving lessons vary from one driving school to another and also varies from one region to another. Shop around to find lessons that best suit your budget.

Buying in bulk, 10 lessons, for example, will work out cheaper than buying individual lessons.

Supervision is a must

According to the government you can be fined up to £1,000 (https://www.gov.uk/driving-lessons-learning-to-drive/practising-with-family-or-friends) and get up to six penalty points on your provisional licence if you don't have the right supervision. Some insurance companies require the person supervising to be over 25 years and to have held a full licence for at least two years.

You can also get a fine if a friend or family member uses their mobile phone while supervising a learner driver.

Delay your test if you’re not ready

If you’re not ready to take your driving test, delay it and save between £62 - £75 on fees to redo your test.

Get your provisional driving licence online

It’s £10 cheaper to book your provisional driving licence online (£34) versus £43 if you arrange it by post.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Contact: Kim Camilleri, kim.camilleri@cuvva.com

About Cuvva

Connecting the dots between insurance, technology, and mobility, Cuvva (https://www.cuvva.com) offers lightning-fast car insurance that suits the needs of modern-day consumers. People can choose from a range of flexible policies in the Cuvva app, from as little as one hour to an always-on, hassle-free policy, in just a few taps. It's a better way to insure your car without penalties or tie-ins. Good drivers can save up to a third on their car insurance with in-app personalised driving scores, giving people greater control of their car insurance.

Since 2016, Cuvva has sold over 5 million policies and supported over 700,000 people. Around 4% of all motor policies sold monthly in the UK are now sold through the Cuvva app.

Shaping flexible car insurance has led Cuvva to secure funding from top investors, including RTP Global, LocalGlobe, Breega, Seedcamp, Digital Horizon, Techstars, and Tekton. For further information visit: (https://www.cuvva.com).

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