Learning to drive is an exciting time, but it can also be incredibly expensive when it comes to insurance. Thankfully, there's several things you can do to help reduce the cost.
I just need to get added to my parent's insurance, don't I?
No! In years gone by, getting one of your parents to take out insurance and add you as a named driver was the standard approach to getting young drivers on the road. But, not only was 'fronting' (as it was called) a type of insurance fraud, the insurance companies got wise to it and put changes in place to make it less financially rewarding for those who got away with it. Thankfully there are now other options for young and learner drivers to consider.
Black box insurance
See my 'What is black box car insurance' article for full details, but black box insurance is where you agree to have a device fitted to your car or you use an app to monitor your driving. If you've got your own car, this might be a good bet for you. When you find a policy that you like the sound of it, amend your quote to say you have a full driving licence. This will give you an idea of how the price might change when you do eventually pass your test. But remember to change your licence back to provisional before you buy your policy!
Not all insurers will put up the price of your insurance when you pass your test, but some will and it's because new drivers are proven to have more accidents. The last thing you want is to be stung with a huge price hike part way through your insurance year as cancelling and going elsewhere is more than likely also going to cost you the vital progress you've made towards your first year of No Claim Discount and you'll be starting again.
Try Marmalade Black Box insurance, or compare quotes at confused.com and MoneySuperMarket.com
Provisional driver insurance top-up
Maybe you don't have your own car yet and someone else at home has a car you could learn to drive in. Ask them how much it would be to add you as a named driver to their insurance, either temporarily or on-going so you have something to compare with. Then get a quote for provisional or learner driver insurance. This works like a top-up to someone else's insurance so you're covered while you're driving their car and can normally be arranged for periods of a couple of hours right up to six months so you can get plenty of practice in. If something goes wrong and you have a prang, your provisional driver insurance will pick up the tab so there'll be no loss of No Claim Discount for whoever's car it is. And remember, make sure whoever is supervising your driving is covered to drive the car as well just in case they need to take over the driving from you while you're out practicing. Cover will typically end as soon as you pass your driving test.
Try Marmalade Learner Driver insurance.