How to get car insurance with a learners license

By Martin Pretorius 

Getting car insurance for a learner driver generally won't pose too much of a challenge, although there are some increased risks (and thus, accompanying premium- and excess implications) involved. The most important thing to remember is that the insurance company needs to be informed about the fact that a learner driver will be behind the wheel, as withholding this information may result in claims being rejected. In the worst cases, the policy may even be cancelled.

Under which conditions are learner drivers insured?

The learner driver will be covered, provided that three basic conditions are met, all of which closely reflect the legal requirements for any learner driver to be on the road.

• the learner must be in possession of a valid and legally obtained learner's permit,
• they have to be accompanied by a licensed driver,
• they need the consent of the vehicle's owner to drive the car.

These conditions apply if the learner driver wants to insure their own car, as well as when they'll be driving a car which belongs to someone else (which is thus insured by that someone else). The key here is that the learner needs to be driving legally, as defined by the road traffic regulations.

What else do you need to consider?

Just because the car is already insured doesn't mean that there won't be additional issues if it's necessary to lodge a claim. Seeing as the learner driver is likely to be younger than 25 years of age, the claim excess will most likely be higher than for a more-seasoned driver. The insurer also needs to be notified that a young/learner would be driving the car as well, even though the learner doesn't need to be identified as the primary driver.

Furthermore, the usual insurance caveats apply: the car has to fully roadworthy and licensed, and the driver is not allowed to be under any kind of chemical or alcoholic influence. And, in the event of a claim, it will be useful to have dashcam footage of said accident, because this will go a long way to prove (or disprove) the innocence of the learner driver, which will determine who pays the (inflated) excess, and influence future premium increases after a claim.