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Provisional Insurance

Insurance for provisional drivers

Our provisional insurance is for learner drivers. It’s a 12-month policy that allows you to practice and build up your experience in your own car. It will be in your name and it means you can start earning your no-claims bonus straight away.

Spending time driving your own car, on top of your sessions with an instructor, will help you improve your confidence on the roads. It can also reduce the number of lessons you have to pay for, potentially making you a significant saving. Once you pass your test, we can update your provisional car insurance to a full-licence policy, subject to an additional cost.

But before all that, you need the right cover in place. That’s where provisional insurance comes in. And that’s where A Choice comes in.

The benefits of our provisional driver insurance

  • Option to update to a full licence policy once you’ve passed.
  • Start earning your own no-claims bonus.
  • Drive when you want, with no curfews.
  • Friendly call centre to help answer your queries
  • 24 hours, 7 days a week claims helpline.
  • Payment options available.
  • Wide range of optional extras.

Key inclusions and exclusions on our provisional insurance

This policy covers you if you are a provisional licence holder:

This policy does not cover you if you are:

Provisional driving insurance: How it works

Before you start:

Start Practising:

  • On top of any lessons you may book with an instructor, you can being to learn privately in your own car.
  • To do this, you must be supervised by someone aged 35 or over, with a full UK licence of at least three years without any disqualifications in that period.

Once you pass:

The benefits of your own no-claims bonus: The expert's view

"Building your own no-claims bonus is one of the smartest moves a provisional driver can make. Having a policy in your own name – not just as a named driver – lays the groundwork for significant savings and greater independence when you pass your test. It's about creating a solid insurance history that pays off down the line, and that kind of foresight is what sets apart savvy drivers."
Richard Dornan
Underwriting Director

Types of provisional insurance for learner drivers

Comprehensive

Third-party, fire and theft

Why A Choice is the right choice for provisional insurance

  • For 25 years, we’ve been helping people like you find the insurance that suits them, selling more than one million policies in that time.
  • We work with a panel of the UK’s top insurance providers to find you the best deals we can.
  • We’ll always treat you with respect, without judgment and as the unique individual you are. That’s how we stay true to our core values.
  • As members of the British Insurance Brokers’ Associationand authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, we’re held to the highest ethical standards.

FAQs about insurance and provisional drivers

You do not need your L plates to take out a policy. But you do need to display your L plates on the front and back of your car whenever you are driving as a learner. Failure to do so could result in you receiving up to six penalty points on your licence. Find out more in our detailed guide to L plates.

Yes. The beauty of our provisional driver insurance is that it allows you to take out a policy in your name, to cover you for learning in your own car. Please note that this policy does not insure you for driving someone else’s car.

Yes, you can take your practical driving test in your own car. However, it will will need to meet certain criteria. These include:

  • Being roadworthy
  • Having no warning lights on
  • Being taxed
  • Having a valid MOT, if the car is more than three years old
  • Displaying L plates

It is also important before taking your test in your own car that you check you are insurance to drive home.

Provisional driver insurance and learner driver insurance are the same thing. They’re just two different terms used to describe this type of policy.

For your provisional driving insurance to be valid, you need to be accompanied by someone at least 35 years old. They must have a full UK driving licence that has been valid for three years or more, with no disqualifications during that time.

You can include a more experienced driver on your policy, which may help to bring down the cost of your cover.  or the main driver. Only including them as a named driver when they are in fact the main driver is a form of fraud.

Yes, you can – but only if you are supervised by an approved driving instructor in a car that has dual controls.

According to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, it takes the average person 45 hours with an instructor and 22 hours of private practice. But every learner is unique and, for you, it could be more or less depending on your natural skill and confidence as well as the quality of your teaching. Find out more in our guide: How many driving lessons do I need?

Get provisional driving insurance with A Choice

Build up your driving experience – and your own no-claims bonus – with a provisional insurance policy. Got questions? Please don’t hesitate to get in touch via email or by calling 0330 127 4500.

This page was last reviewed in December 2024.

*Price based on a 17-year-old provisional licence holder, living at home, driving a Fiat 500 Lounge, Postcode B78. Price includes Insurance Premium Tax at the prevailing rate, a £95 setup administration fee and is subject to underwriting criteria. *