Learner Driver Car Insurance

If you're teaching someone to drive, you might be wondering how it affects your car insurance policy and if it'll affect the cost of your premium. 

In this guide, we'll cover your questions about learner driver car insurance, leaving you confident about what to expect when a learner gets behind the wheel. 

This largely depends on your car insurance provider. The easiest way to check is to call your provider or read through your Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) to find out:

• If they're covered in the first place 
• If they need to be listed on your car insurance policy
• When the learner driver is your child, if they're automatically covered
• Or any other conditions.

Whether your car insurance will be more expensive after adding a learner driver is a case-by-case matter.

Your premium

One of the (numerous) factors which car insurance providers consider when calculating your premium is the age of the driver. 

So, as learner drivers are typically young (under 20), your car insurance provider may bump up the cost of your premium to reflect the added risk of having an accident. Conversely, learner drivers who are above the age of 25 may not affect your car insurance premium as much.

Your excess

Your excess (the money you pay the provider when you make a successful claim) may also be affected. 

If a learner driver gets in an accident, some car insurance providers may charge you a higher excess if, for example, the supervising driver isn't listed on your car insurance policy, or if the provider charges an 'inexperienced driver excess'.

As every policy can differ, it's best to give your provider a call, or read through the PDS to see how having a learner behind the wheel might affect certain parts of your policy – especially in the event of making a claim.

For starters, some policies don't require you to add a learner driver to your car insurance at all, which can make life a bit easier. 

But for those that do, the process is pretty straightforward. 

You might be able to do it through your car insurance provider's website, or you can call up your provider and do it over the phone if your prefer. 

As mentioned earlier, adding another driver to your car insurance may affect your premium and the amount of excess you pay if you make a claim while they were behind the wheel. 

Yes, learner drivers are able to register and insure their own vehicle.

If a learner driver is the registered owner of a car then it will likely be mandated that they're listed. But it’s important to remember that they won’t be able to drive on their own until they get their P-plates.

While fully licensed drivers must follow the standard road rules, learner drivers have more driving restrictions.

Some of the learner road rule violations that may void your car insurance include:

• Having alcohol or illegal substances in their system
• Driving without supervision or unsuitable supervision (another learner driver, a driver who only has their provisional licence (P1 or P2) or a disqualified driver)
• Exceeding the permitted speed limit
• Using a tow bar
• Using their mobile phone in any way, including hands free

There are also a number of requirements that supervising drivers must meet when supervising a learner. These include: 

• Holding a full Australian drivers licence 
• Adhering to blood alcohol content (BAC) limits (for example, supervising drivers in New South Wales must have a BAC under 0.05). 

If your child is going to be driving your car (whether it be a Toyota or a BMW) when they are on their P-plates, then it is a good idea to have them covered under your policy. Keep in mind this could cause higher premiums, or if your child is involved in an incident you might have to pay a ‘young driver excess’ which will be higher than the excess you would need to pay if you were in an accident. 

If your child has their own car, it is a good idea to get it insured in their name so that they can start building up a no-claims bonus.  

To find out more about P-plater car insurance, you can check out our guide here.