Learner drivers and car insurance

Do you have a new driver in the house? Here’s what you could do to insure them.

Teenagers are often very excited when they get their learner’s license, and probably want to start learning straight away. If you’re the parent or guardian wondering how it’ll affect insurance, let us help you out.

Having a driver with their learner’s license won’t raise your premium rates, so don’t worry there. However, you should check with your insurance provider whether additional drivers in your households are covered or not. Adding a driver to your policy isn’t as expensive as you might think!

What’s a learner’s license?

Teens can apply for their learner’s license once they turn 16 (all states except for ACT). In Australia, a learner’s license allows you to drive, as long as you’re under supervision. It can’t be any supervisor though. The supervisor must be a valid open license holder who’ve held their open license for a minimum of a year. All you need to get a learner’s license is to pass a written road rules test.

You will need to apply for a learner license at your local Department of Transport.

Different states have different laws correlated with learner drivers. The most common laws for Learners across all states include:

• Driving with a supervisor
• Carrying your license at all times when driving
• Display your L plates when driving
• Comply with the no alcohol limit

The minimum age in every state

Check with your local Department of transport for more information on applying.

Transitioning from a learner’s license to a full license

A learner’s license grants you time (100-120 hours) to practice and get used to the road rules before you get your P1 license. Once you’ve lodged your state’s required hours, you may then complete a driving test and gain your P1 license.

Information you’d need when applying for a P1 license would include your current learner’s license along with proof of your residential address.

Do you need car insurance for a learner’s license?

In short, yes definitely. Any driver with any license must be insured to legally drive. So, what are your options to get insured on a learner’s license?

There are only two options for that:

• Take out a separate policy. That option is best if the learner has their car is the driver that uses the vehicle the most. They will receive the same amount of coverage as any other driver. However, premiums for young drivers are much higher!
• Add the learner onto an existing policy. This option is probably the most popular one as many learner’s don’t have their car while practising. This option is also tremendously cheaper. However, that means that the learner won’t be able to drive another car except for the one they were added onto.

Read more about how much car insurance costs.