How to Add a Learner Driver to Your Car Insurance

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Do I need to add a learner driver to my car insurance?

How do I add a learner driver to my car insurance?

What if I have an age restriction on my policy?

What about learners with their own car?

Where can I find and compare car insurance policies?

Long story short

Learner driver and car insurance coverage

Not all policies require you to add a learner driver – some include them automatically. However, note that your premiums and excesses may change.

Steps to add a learner driver

Easily add a learner driver: contact your insurer online or over the phone, share the requested details, then wait for confirmation before putting up the L plates.

Age restrictions may affect your coverage

Your policy may have age limits set to exclude younger drivers for a lower premium. Ensure to update your coverage or compare options to find a better deal.

Learners with their own car

For learners with their own set of wheels, they may want to take out their own car insurance as the primary driver.

Do I need to add a learner driver to my car insurance?

Not necessarily – it depends on your insurers. You may find that your car insurance policy automatically includes cover for learner drivers.  

Alternatively, you might have to give your insurer a heads up that there’ll be a learner driver behind the wheel of your car.  

Just be aware that having a learner driver covered under your car insurance could mean changes to your premium and an additional excess. 

To see what’s what for your policy, it may be worthwhile digging out your product disclosure statement from the junk drawer and giving it a once-over. You could also speak to your insurer directly. 

Helpful tip:

There’s a lot more to controlling a car than parking and navigating city streets. So, consider encouraging a learner driver to take part in a defensive driving course. Some insurers may even offer a discount for those who’ve completed an approved course. 

Toby Hagon

Motoring Journalist

How do I add a learner driver to my car insurance?

Luckily, adding a learner driver to your car insurance is far easier than learning to drive (and less stressful than teaching someone). While the exact details will differ between insurers, it tends to go something a little like this: 

Step 1: Make contact 

E.T. had to phone home but you’ll want to call or otherwise get in touch with your insurer. Let them know you want to add a learner driver to your policy. In some cases, you might even be able to do this online. 

Step 2: Share the details 

Thankfully the details needed to add a new driver to your policy are far fewer than if you were to set up a Hinge profile. This will generally be their full name, date of birth, and any driving history. You may also need to provide a copy of their learner’s permit and other relevant documents. 

Step 3: Wait 

The next step should be a breeze: do nothing. Well, technically you’re waiting to receive confirmation from your insurer that the policy is all updated. While you could stay waiting by the phone or regularly refresh your inbox, getting on with life (but not those driving lessons just yet) sounds much more enjoyable. 

Once you’ve got the all-clear that the learner driver is on your policy, you can get started on teaching them to be a safe driver. Remember, though, learner drivers have more restrictions than other drivers; there are often tougher restrictions around using phones, for example. Failing to follow them might not just mean a fine; it could also mean your insurer won’t cover you or the learner driver if something happens. So, it might be a good idea to make sure everyone in the car is up to date on the rules in your state or territory. 

What if I have an age restriction on my policy?

Your current car insurance may have an age restriction in place. Essentially, this means that any drivers under a certain age won’t be covered. It can be a trade-off to get a lower premium.  

So even if you feel like it was only yesterday you were teaching the lyrics to “Toot Toot Chugga Chugga Big Red Car” to the person now learning to drive in your car, you could adjust your car insurance policy to cover drivers as young as 16. On the other hand, given adding younger drivers to your cover can increase premiums and additional excess, you might want to see what other options are on the market. There may be a policy that offers you better value, particularly if there’ll be another learner driver in your car in a few years’ time. 

What about learners with their own car?

Sometimes, like Gary Numan, you feel safest of all in your own car. If you’re a learner driver with your own car, you might want to take out your own car insurance policy where you’re the regular driver. After all, while policies are about drivers, they also generally only cover explicit vehicles. So, coverage on someone else’s car may not do you any good if you get into a bingle in your own car. 

Where can I find and compare car insurance policies?

If you’ve agreed to put on your driving instructor hat or you’re getting ready to get behind the wheel for the first time, it could be time to take a new car insurance policy for a spin. You can compare a selection of car insurance policies from a variety of insurers with our online tool.